AEON launches ASC certified shrimp product in Japan

Just in time for the festive season, leading Japanese retailer AEON has made ASC certified responsibly farmed shrimp products available across all its retail stores nationwide.

AEON’s own-brand of Green Eye Cooked and Peeled Shrimp are the first ASC certified shrimp products to be introduced in Japan, and are an extension of the retailer’s ongoing commitment to sourcing responsibly farmed seafood. Last year, the retailer introduced ASC certified salmon and pangasius. AEON has also made a further commitment to work towards increasing ASC and MSC certified seafood sales by ten percent by 2020.

Mr. Matsumoto, manager of the seafood department at AEON Retail Co, Ltd, said: “We are pleased to launch ASC certified shrimp across our retail network and our aim is to give our customers as wide a range of options of responsibly sourced seafood as possible. As the largest retailer in a nation that loves seafood, we see it as part of our commitment to empower consumers to select responsibly farmed seafood.”

Esther Luiten, ASC’s Senior Commercial Marketing Manager, added: “We are pleased to see AEON further their commitment to selling ASC certified products by launching ASC certified shrimp in Japan. AEON has made a continued commitment to sourcing fish and shellfish from responsible farms. ASC’s aquaculture certification programme and seafood logo recognises and rewards responsible aquaculture and ASC works with international producers, companies in the supply chain and supermarkets to meet the growing consumer demand for responsible fish.”

The AEON branded range of Green Eye Cooked and Peeled Shrimp are supplied by CP Vietnam, an ASC certified farm.

Chain of Custody ensures greater traceability

The ASC on-pack logo helps consumers to make an informed choice in the supermarket. The logo assures consumers that the fish they purchase has been responsibly sourced, with minimal impacts on society and the environment, and is fully traceable back to a well-managed farm.  

The ASC requires all companies processing certified seafood to have in place traceability systems that ensure that no product mixing or substitution can occur. The logo is fully traceable throughout the entire supply chain to ensure the availability of seafood, the health of the ocean and the enduring livelihood of the local communities in which the farms operate.