Wal-Mart China has partnered with ASC to launch its fresh meat and seafood traceability strategy.
Songlin Wang, Senior Advisor in ASC China’s commercial team, delivered a presentation about ASC’s standards at the official launch event in Shenzen in April.
Wal-Mart announced that it would launch its traceable own-brand ‘Marketside’ products first in South China, and they will account for 12.5 % of its total packaged seafood by 2020.
“We are very pleased to work collaboratively with other organisations like Wal-Mart China to provide Chinese consumers with responsible, quality and traceable seafood products,” said Songlin Wang. “As responsible aquaculture becomes increasingly important to Chinese consumers, we will continue to work with producers and retailers to ensure they have plenty of ASC certified products to choose from.”
Wal-Mart China already has products from five ASC standards for consumers to choose from – salmon, prawns, mussels, tilapia and pangasius.
“In recent years Wal-Mart has placed the development of fresh food traceability in a position of strategic importance. We have been actively building our fresh food traceability system based on our strong technological strength, the resources of our suppliers and the robustness of our supply chain,” said Bengti Tan, Senior Vice President and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Wal-Mart China.
This partnership is the latest example of ASC’s growing influence and recognition in China, which is a vital region for aquaculture both in terms of production and consumption. Almost 60,000 tons of responsible seafood are produced in the country every year. ASC’s increasing presence in China was recently celebrated at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, where CEO Chris Ninnes welcomed Green Life Foods Co., Ltd to the programme.
Editor at the digital magazine AquaHoy. He holds a degree in Aquaculture Biology from the National University of Santa (UNS) and a Master’s degree in Science and Innovation Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with postgraduate diplomas in Business Innovation and Innovation Management. He possesses extensive experience in the aquaculture and fisheries sector, having led the Fisheries Innovation Unit of the National Program for Innovation in Fisheries and Aquaculture (PNIPA). He has served as a senior consultant in technology watch, an innovation project formulator and advisor, and a lecturer at UNS. He is a member of the Peruvian College of Biologists and was recognized by the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) in 2016 for his contribution to aquaculture.
