Current News
CUMBRIAN SEAFOOD DISPUTES RECENT CONCERNS OVER PANGASIUS QUALITY
The UK’s leading independent seafood supplier to the retail trade has disputed some of the recent concerns that have been raised about Vietnamese River Cobbler or Pangasius in some of the Scottish press over the last few days.
Cumbrian Seafoods, who supply over half of the Vietnamese River Cobbler to the UK’s supermarkets has seen sales rise by over 150% over the last year. “In the current economic climate, there was the distinct possibility that some consumers would drop seafood from their shopping baskets, opting for cheaper proteins.” said Iain Lowrie, Cumbrian Seafood’s Category Development Controller. “However, River Cobbler, along with products such as Kippers, Mussels and Cold Water Prawns have provided UK consumers with more affordable seafood which has ensured that they have remained within the this category, and not switched their spend into other areas.”
The main concern raised was about the purity of the water and the way in which some producers in Vietnam are rearing Pangasius.
Huw Thomas, Head of Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing at Cumbrian Seafoods said “All of the Pangasius that we import is only bought from audited farms where the factories and feed mills have achieved the highest standards in process control, traceability and fish welfare.”
Mr Thomas continued “Pangasius fillets are checked for contaminants during farming, upon receipt at the EU approved fish filleting factories, before shipment to the EU by the EU appointed competent authority and again upon arrival into the UK. Copies of these test certificates are routinely audited and show no issues for either antibiotic, pesticide or heavy metal residues, despite the claims that the Mekong water is highly polluted.”
The information available to most researchers of Pangasius who have not visited Vietnam is from a 2006 French article to be found on the internet, which is based on flawed scientific data, when the majority of fish were grown in cages within the river itself and worse still, shows a photograph of a fish that is not Pangasius.
During 2009, Cumbrian Seafoods have worked closely with both GlobalGAP and the Global Aquaculture Alliance who have issued Pangasius farming standards against which all of our suppliers have committed to achieve certification during the first half of 2010.
Finally, Mr Thomas adds “Our commitment to food safety and product quality is paramount and significant investment working with our farms, feed mills and processing plants has been made to ensure that product quality meets or exceeds that of EU processed products.”
Thursday 8th October 2009
CUMBRIAN SEAFOODS LAUNCH THE FIRST UK B.A.P. ACCREDITED KING PRAWNS
The first King Prawns to be sold in the UK under the Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification scheme have been launched in Asda by Cumbrian Seafoods, one of the UK’s largest seafood suppliers.
The BAP program, from the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), is an international certification system that verifies environmentally and socially responsible processes under which shrimp, fish and other seafood are produced. Seafood facilities that participate in BAP certification apply standardized best management practices in every phase of their operations. Customers can have the confidence that their seafood has been responsibly produced, with care for the environment and the community in which it was produced, as well as food safety and traceability.
Huw Thomas, Head of Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing at Cumbrian Seafoods, said: “To lead the market in terms of responsible and sustainable seafood sourcing has been a foundation of our business and we are proud to be working with Asda and GAA on this initiative. They reflect our own and Asda’s commitment to supplying seafood from certified sustainable and responsible sources.”
Chris Brown, Asda’s Head of Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing added “Our customers expect us to do everything we can to ensure that the seafood they buy from Asda is from responsible, ethical and sustainable sources. King Prawns are one of our most popular seafood lines and our customers can have the confidence that they have come from sustainably certified sources.”
GAA Vice President for Development and Communications, Peter Redmond, said he is delighted to add Cumbrian Seafoods and ASDA to GAA’s ever-expanding list of retailers and manufacturers to adopt BAP. “We recognise the leadership of both companies in this sector,” Redmond said. “These latest additions to our ‘family’ of companies adopting BAP certification are significant, as it demonstrates that the consumers’ desire for responsibly sourced aquaculture is truly a global concern. Cumbrian and ASDA have heard, and reacted swiftly to this concern. We applaud their actions.”
The company’s founder, Peter Vassallo, acknowledged by Seafish for his pioneering approach to sustainable seafood says “At Cumbrian Seafoods, sustainability is not just about the how, where and when the fish is caught, it is also about the impact it has on the community, the eco-system and the environment”
This launch is yet another first for Cumbrian Seafoods & Asda who together in March 2009 were the first in the UK to launch MSC accredited Atlantic Cod & Haddock.
Monday 21st September 2009
SEAFOOD COMPANY WELCOMES THE RELEASE OF “THE END OF THE LINE” DOCUMENTARY
Cumbrian Seafoods, the UK’s leading independent supplier to the retail trade, has welcomed the release of the documentary film ‘End of the Line’, which highlights the dangers to the world’s fisheries from unsustainable practices, but would challenge the detail behind some of the claims in that film, which presents a misrepresentation of the industry through the use of out-dated information.
Huw Thomas, Head of Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing at Cumbrian Seafoods, said: “Anything that draws attention to sustainability issues for wild-caught seafood is a step in the right direction. At Cumbrian Seafoods our goal is to lead the market in terms of responsible and ethical sourcing of seafood, and for that reason we work very closely with only a small number of suppliers who share the same vision and goals as ourselves.”
Over the last 25 years, the company’s founder, Peter Vassallo has consistently pursued a responsible approach to harvesting a resource once believed to be inexhaustible. He commented “One of Cumbrian Seafoods most fundamental aims has been to champion a sustainable and ethical standard in all that we deliver to our customers” Continuing he added, “We have long acknowledged that fish is a limited commodity and as such have an undeniable responsibility to continue investing in legitimate and sustainable projects across a wide range of species, sufficient to meet consumer’s developing needs, each and every year”
Earlier this year Cumbrian Seafoods were the first UK supplier to launch MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) accredited Atlantic Cod & Haddock, and in 2008, the company was the first in Europe to be awarded with the ACC (Aquaculture Certification Council) Accreditation. Tuesday 16th June 2009
