The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) presented its “Commitment to Excellence” award to nine companies during the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston, Massachusetts. They were recognized for achieving four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) status within recent months. There are now a total of 18 four-star BAP companies.
The companies are C.P. Vietnam Corporation Group, Saota Foods JSC (Fimex VN) Group, Trang Corp Group, Seafresh Industries Public Group, Pakfood Group, Thai Union Frozen Group, Northern Harvest Sea Farms Group, Marine Harvest Canada Group and Cooke Aquaculture Group.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Global Aquaculture Alliance, The Fishin’ Company presented the preliminary results of a consumer survey at the GAA membership and update meeting on March 16.
Administered by The Fishin’ Company and fielded by Field Agent, the survey consisted of more than 40 questions on a variety of topics, including farmed vs. wild seafood, country of origin and sustainability. More than 500 US seafood consumers nationwide were polled.
Steven Hedlund, GAA’s communications manager, commented on the results in a “Broodtalk” blog posted online at www.gaalliance.org, as follows:
Nearly half (47%) of survey respondents have a negative perception of farmed seafood due to product quality, food-safety concerns and environmental concerns. However, a negative perception of aquaculture doesn’t necessarily translate to purchasing behavior, as a mere 5% of survey respondents indicated that they buy only wild seafood.
New GAA board members Mike Berthet of M&J Seafood/Brakes Group (left) Robert Fields of Sam’s Club discuss results of the recent survey on aquaculture perceptions, which revealed that 47% of American consumers have a negative view of farmed fish and seafood. Concerns expressed by respondents ranged from product quality and food safety to environmental issues.
When survey respondents asked about their perceptions of aquaculture, the results were mixed. But a higher-than-expected percentage of survey respondents understand the role of aquaculture in feeding the world’s growing population.
“Native fish populations are being overfished and farming is more sustainable,” said one respondent.
“In a controlled environment, food safety is more certain,” commented another person.
When survey respondents were asked about their familiarity with the various seafood labels, including GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) label, the majority were unfamiliar with them, ranging from 69% to 81%, depending on the label.
The preliminary results of the survey were presented by Matt Brooker, senior category manager with The Fishin’ Company, who took the lead on creating the survey.
Robert Fields, senior director for fresh meat, seafood and gourmet deli for Sam’s Club, and Mike Berthet, director of fish and seafood for M&J Seafood/Brakes Group – the two newest members of GAA’s board of directors – were on hand to share their thoughts on the survey results. Both Fields and Berthet agreed that, though 47% of survey respondents have a negative perception of farmed fish and seafood, that the perception of aquaculture is improving and that a big opportunity exists to better educate consumers on the role of responsible aquaculture in feeding the world’s growing population.
The full survey results will be presented at GAA’s GOAL 2015 conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada, from Oct. 26-29, and a 40-page report will be available to GOAL 2015 attendees. The Fishin’ Company is a sponsor of GOAL 2015.
