Japanese retail giant, Aeon, has stocked up on Australian MSC certified Spencer Gulf King Prawns, ready to sell over the Christmas period.
The Spencer Gulf King Prawn fishery, which was certified in November 2011, was Australia’s first prawn fishery to be given the ecolabel. The fishery was recognised for its first rate management practices including effort restriction, closed fishing periods, closed areas and harvest strategies, to regulate the total catch.
Terry Richardson, general manager of the South Australian Prawn Co-operative, said: "The MSC certification provided a point of difference and confidence to the buyer. Supplying to a large player in the Japanese supermarket chain and one that is focused on quality and customer satisfaction is very important to the South Australian Prawn Co-operative and its members.”
Mr Kinzo Matsumoto, general manager of food merchandising planning division, Aeon Retail Co Ltd, added: “We have been promoting MSC labelled products as a part of Aeon Biodiversity Policy which aims to mitigate the impact of our commercial activities on ecosystem. It has been seven years since these prawns were exported to Japan and first time we’ve supplied them with MSC certification."
The third party verified sustainable prawns will be sold along with 14 other MSC certified seafood products currently sold at Aeon stores and will be available nationwide from 13 December until the end of the year.
