Mercadona, a Spain-based grocery retailer with over 1,600 locations across Spain and Portugal, has become the first retailer in the country to recognize the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program.
The recognition was announced by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) on 21 December, with Mercadona adding BAP to its farmed seafood sourcing policy. The new policy will have the company accepting the program as a means of compliance for its seafood suppliers.
“Having just started to represent BAP in Spain, I’m delighted that Mercadona was so quick to make this move,” BAP Market Development Manager for Spain and Portugal Anders Holmgren, who joined the organization this year, said. “However, it really is no surprise for me, as the comprehensive nature of the BAP program offers fantastic value to retailers and their suppliers, covering many of the key risks.”
Mercadona is a family company, and one of the leading physical supermarket and online shopping companies in Spain, according to GAA. Roughly 5.4 million households shop at the company each day, and the company has a staff of 90,000 employees across its locations.
“Mercadona works closely with several national and international organizations aimed at sharing best practices, mutual learning and making progress in sustainability with a firm focus on the supply chain at all times,” Mercadona Purchasing Process Manager Yasmina Santos said.
An international certification program based on independent audits, BAP has created certifications and performance standards for the aquaculture supply chain, from hatcheries and feedmills to processing plants and farms.
“Through the first half of 2020, there were 2,773 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills in 36 countries and six continents,” BAP said.
