Delhaize America Seafood Policy Adopts BAP Certification

The Global Aquaculture Alliance has added another supermarket chain to the growing list of retailers, foodservice operators and distributors that have adopted GAA's Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for farmed seafood, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to GAA.

Delhaize America -- parent company for over 1,500 Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar, Hannaford Bros., Harveys and Sweetbay supermarkets in the United States -- is requiring its fish and shellfish suppliers to source all farmed seafood from BAP-certified facilities by March 2011.

"Our company is committed to operating responsibly, and our new program reinforces this commitment," George Parmenter, corporate responsibility manager for Delhaize America, said.

"Seafood (will be) fished or farmed in a way that makes sure it will be around to be enjoyed for generations to come," the Hannaford website states. "We will only sell seafood from fisheries and farms that are managed by competent authorized authorities that use a science-based approach to their management."

"The efforts of Delhaize America and other forward-looking companies to ensure the future sustainability of seafood is to be applauded," Peter Redmond, vice president of BAP development for the Global Aquaculture Alliance, said. "GAA is proud to welcome their support as the BAP program continues to grow."

The Global Aquaculture Alliance, developer of the Best Aquaculture Practices standards, is the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood. Over 1.3 billion pounds of shrimp, tilapia and catfish are processed to BAP standards annually.

For additional information on the Best Aquaculture Practices program, contact Redmond at predmond@gaalliance.org or Daniel Lee at dangaelle@aol.com. For certification information, contact Bill More at wrmore@tampabayrr.com.

About BAP
The Best Aquaculture Practices program is a comprehensive, rigorous, metrics-based certification program for aquaculture -- including farms, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants. BAP standards cover the environment, social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability. For more information on BAP, visit www.gaalliance.org/bap.