ASC celebrates launch of first ASC certified Tilapia with successful event in Amsterdam
August 22, 2012
On August 20 2011, ASC celebrated its highly anticipated market launch of the first ASC certified farmed tilapia at the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The event was a huge success with more than 70 partners, supporters, national and international press joining us to mark this historic milestone for our organisation. The event has already generated extensive media coverage in mainstream and trade media.
“With the tremendous response we have had from all over the globe, I am confident that ASC’s market introduction will be a great success. In the months leading up to this event, we have already seen an impressive global interest in the ASC’s certification and logo programme for tilapia and pangasius. ASC plans to build on this momentum by launching our abalone and bivalves programmes later this year, with the Salmon and Shrimp standards to follow in 2013. Once a standard has been launched the first farm audits are expected to take place a couple of months later. We will also organise a product launch of ASC certified responsibly farmed pangasius in Germany this year to stimulate market uptake in the important German and other European markets” said Chris Ninnes, CEO of ASC.
The event was organised with our co-founders WWF and IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative together with the first company with a certified farm Regal Springs and Dutch retailer Albert Heijn. They all gave presentations on the topic of responsible aquaculture. The message of the urgent need for responsible farming standards and for making responsibly farmed seafood mainstream was clear.
During the event companies that are expected to launch ASC certified products to the market shortly such as Queens, Albert Heijn and Mayonna, supplier to Jumbo and C1000, in the Netherlands and LENK, bofrost* and COSTA in Germany had a chance to display their products. The tasty tilapia dishes served were made from ASC certified products kindly supplied by Regal Springs and Agustson. Other companies that are expected to offer ASC certified tilapia products soon include Seafood Connection and Marine Harvest Pieters.
To download the official ASC Launch Press Kit with the press release, fact sheets about the ASC, image library including photos from the event and a short video about Regal Springs and responsible aquaculture go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u34ty2bgm4nxdbt/5yLUicsBRX.