The Peru-based business achieved the coveted ASC certification this week for five of its scallop farms proving its environmental and socially responsible practices.
"We have many customers globally who have been eager for us to achieve ASC certification," said Carlos Goldin, President of AcuaPesca.
"And, now our products carry the ASC label we have a powerful story to tell our customers. With growing pressure on the environment and our oceans, it becomes more important to help people recognise well-managed production through a robust certification programme, which is what ASC does for us; by combining that recognition with a consumer-facing label it also provides a clear guarantee of provenance to the buyer.
"This is recognition by the most respected farm certification label of the efforts and care taken by our company to ensure that our resources are harvested in a responsible manner and our staff and the local community are cared for."
"AcuaPesca Group should be very proud of their achievements," said Chris Ninnes, ASC's CEO.
"It is through their dedication and commitment to responsible aquaculture that they make a significant contribution to protecting our oceans and caring for the environment and community.
"Demand for responsibly certified seafood has continued to grow; we now have over 2000 approved products carrying the ASC logo. I look forward to more companies committing to responsible aquaculture now that ASC certified scallops will be available in the market."
AcuaPesca aims to supply around 2000mt of ASC certified scallop to customers across France, Italy, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and other markets.
Independent certification
AcuaPesca Group were the first bivalve farms to enter the ASC certification programme and their assessment took place in May 2014.
To meet the criteria set out in the ASC Bivalve Standard the group carried out research, such as quantifying the farms' impacts on the benthic environment and defining limits to the ecosystem's carrying capacity. In addition, a social impact assessment was carried out to ensure the ASC's social requirements are met.
AcuaPesca's farms were assessed against the ASC standards by independent, third party certifier Control Union.
