Friend of the Sea has an established presence in Asia and it is growing rapidly in China, particularly in Hong Kong and also in Singapore. Omega-3 company Sinomega Biotech Engineering has been the first Chinese company certified Friend of the Sea. A vast number of Friend of the Sea certified fish can now be found in the Great Food Hall in Hong Kong. Great is a vast International Food Hall covering 34,500 square feet owned by the A.S. Watson Group located in the basement of the Pacific Place. Some major Chinese Krill and Anchovies fleets are also under audit for Friend of the Sea certification. In the Chinese speaking Singapore, Cold Storage outlets now offer more than 10 sustainable seafood items, including red snapper from New Zealand and mussels from Australia. These items are identified by stickers marked “Friend of the Sea”
At the beginning of 2008, the Vietnamese artisanal fleet for cuttlefish and squid was the very first Asian origin gaining FOS certification. From that year on, the number of certified companies in the Asian and South East Asian countries has increased, now representing ca. 30% of all FOS certified companies and a further increase is likely predictable. FOS label wide presence in this area, where seafood represents an essential ingredient of daily meals, confirms how sustainability is become a must also for producers in Asia.
Friend of the Sea will participate to three events to be held in Hong Kong at the beginning of September.
Paolo Bray will be a speaker at the Workshop ‘The Future of Sustainable Seafood Certification in the Seafood Marketplace’ to be held on the 5th of September during the 10th Seafood Summit.
Friend of the Sea is also exhibiting from the 10th to the 13th of September at the Asian Seafood Expo (Hall 5, Booth 305), an important international trade show for all business players operating in the Asia-Pacific market.
Finally, FOS Director Paolo Bray will introduce the FOS DAY Conference Hong Kong to be held on 10th of September 2012 at 2 PM, at the Wharney Guang Dong Hotel. The half day event will include a presentation and update of the Friend of the Sea project and important testimonials. Retail chains and media will attend the event, which will be an opportunity for networking and meeting with new potential customers.(Entrance is free of charge, please confirm writing to elenamosca@friendofthesea.org)
For more info:
www.friendofthesea.org
@mail: info@friendofthesea.org
Phone: +39.02.87075167
Mobile: +39.3485650306
skype: friend.of.the.sea
Friend of the Sea
Friend of the Sea is an international non-profit certification scheme for products from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Certified products are fished from not overexploited nor IUCN Redlisted stocks and with selective methods which do not impact the seabed. Those originate from aquaculture are reared with respect of critical habitat, with no use of antifoulants, GMOS and growth hormones.
Asian Seafood Expo
The Asian Seafood Exposition featuring Frozen Food Asia is the premiere seafood trade event in Hong Kong and connects buyers with seafood and frozen-food suppliers from around the world. Seafood suppliers have the opportunity to meet and do business with top buyers from restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, importers, exporters, and distributors from Hong Kong, the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. Seafood buyers from over 60 countries are currently registered to attend this year’s exposition. The exhibition is held from the 11th of September till the 13th of September 2012 in Wanchai, Hong Kong.
Seafood Summit
SeaWeb’s Seafood Summit is the world’s premier sustainable seafood event that brings together global representatives from the seafood industry and conservation community for in-depth discussions, presentations and networking around the issue of sustainable seafood.
(www.seafoodsummit.org)
