Kroger has embraced BAP certification for its private-label shrimp, tilapia and channel catfish products. (Photo: Kroger)

BAP certification vital to Kroger sustainability policy

Best Aquaculture Practices certification for farmed seafood has become a key element of the Seafood Sustainability Policy of Kroger Co., the United States’ largest traditional grocery retailer. Kroger Co. operates over 2,400 grocery retail stores in 31 U.S. states under the names of Ralphs, King Soopers, Dillons, Fry’s, City Market and others.

“This is an important message from one of the largest seafood retailers in the US, and we believe that it will have an immediate and meaningful impact in the industry,” Kroger Co.’s Seafood Sustainability Policy states.

Kroger Co. now requires its seafood suppliers to source product from BAP-certified aquaculture facilities and will require the Best Aquaculture Practices retail mark to appear on Kroger’s private-label shrimp, tilapia and channel catfish items soon.

In 2009, Kroger began a partnership with the Global Aquaculture Alliance, developer of the Best Aquaculture Practices standards, to further the sustainability of the global aquaculture industry. GAA is the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood, with over 1.3 billion pounds of shrimp, tilapia and catfish processed to BAP standards annually.

“Kroger -- and all those who utilize the BAP program -- are to be applauded, as they are really making a difference in the sustainability of aquaculture on a global scale,” GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens said. “We will continue to work with Kroger as its internal programs evolve and BAP adds new species.”

The BAP program will soon implement certification for Pangasius farms. Standards for salmon farms and mussel farms are also under development.

Kroger joins an expanding list of retailers, both within the United States and internationally, that support BAP certification.

“The success of BAP shows how the marketplace can play a positive role in aquaculture,” Peter Redmond, GAA vice president of BAP development, said. “The growth of sustainable aquaculture products is at the heart of GAA, and every endorsement of our standards gives us increased confidence in the future of aquaculture.”

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