National Prawn Company awarded BRC A grade accreditation

Jeddah, September 1, 2010: National Prawn Company, world leader in desert coastal aquaculture, has been awarded the prestigious British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to NPC.

The BRC, established its Global Standard for Food Safety based on standards set forth in the Global Food Safety Initiative. BRC standards provide a measure by which food manufacturers and suppliers can demonstrate to current and potential customers a commitment to food safety and quality.

To achieve the "A" rating, NPC met rigorous requirements for the processing of Aquacultured Raw, Cooked, Chilled and Frozen Shrimp Products at its Al Lith aquaculture operation on the Red Sea desert coast, where it currently produces and processes 15,000mt of shrimp each year.

Managing Director, Eng. Ahmad R. Al Balla, said, "This is a tremendous achievement for the whole team and will, we hope, help us open up new markets.  This is a very important accreditation, which demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of quality and sustainability across all our operations".

NPC has other accreditations including HACCP, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 and is the only Saudi Arabian aquaculture operation to have a licence to export to the EU.

NPC exports its shrimps to over 30 markets and has recently launched a domestic brand, Red Sea Shrimp, in the growing Saudi Market.

About National Prawn Company

National Prawn Company (NPC) is one of the world's largest fully integrated prawn farming operations.  It is located on the shore of the Red Sea near Al Lith, south of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.

NPC began with a small research project in 1982 and today has grown to play an integral part in the diversification of the Saudi economy through the growth of the Aquaculture industry in the Kingdom.  NPC's Al Lith site is a small community in its own right with over 2,700 employees.  Onsite is a 21.6Mw power station, feed mill, road building and maintenance, community services, recreational facilities, polyclinic and an International school for employee's families.

It has coined the term Desert Coastal Aquaculture for its extensive, sustainable operations in forbidding terrain.  Sustainability is an integral part of NPC's commitment to its customers.  All activities from hatchery to pond to cold stores are monitored and fully traceable.  An extensive bio-security programme is maintained at all times with daily sampling of various elements from NPC's scientists in the Quality & Sustainability Department guaranteeing the highest levels of food safety.

A privately owned company, NPC produces 15,000 tonnes of white prawns (penaeus indicus) a year.  NPC currently comprises 12 farms of approximately 28 ponds each. Each pond is roughly 10ha in size. It is currently expanding farming operations with a US$250m investment, which will add another 11 prawn farms of similar size bringing prawn production to approximately 43,000 tonnes.  NPC is also revitalizing and broadening its product portfolio and moving to a more structured brand marketing style. NPC is starting an on-land 5,000 tonnes fish production (Greater Amberjack) and production of sea cucumber. Other lines of business include chitin production and marine agriculture with phytoplankton.

NPC sells it prawns domestically and in all major international markets including Japan, Korea, Spain, UK and USA. NPC's prawns are known for their excellent quality and exceptional taste.

For more information about NPC please contact:
Laurence Cook
Director, Corporate Communications
M: +966 555071460
T: +966 26638464 ext. 150

Suhaib Alwazir

Managing Partner

Adalid Public Relations

M: +966 503116947

T: +966 22631720 ext.240

The British Retail Consortium is the lead trade association for the UK retail industry

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is the lead trade association representing the whole range of retailers, from the large multiples and department stores through to independents, selling a wide selection of products through centre of town, out of town, rural and virtual stores.

The BRC is the authoritative voice of retail, recognised for its powerful campaigning and influence within government and as a provider of excellent retail information.