Production of scampi has been in critical spotlight for many years. And partly for good reason. Therefore, SalatMestern has had a strong focus on purchasing sustainable scampi since its inception. The company has helped promote the sustainable production of scampi in Vietnam for its products. This was achieved in collaboration with, among others, WWF, the world nature fund. Scampi in SalatMestern’s products are thus certified according to a strict environmental certification with zero tolerance for the use of drugs such as antibiotics.
Scampi and shrimp can either come from upright or from fishing in the open air. Both methods have been run indefensibly for a long time. Breeding often results in eradication of mangrove forests and operations that are not environmentally beneficial. Outdoor fishing has often resulted in overfishing and damage to coral reefs as a result.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC / ASC) is an international branding scheme originally started by WWF. An ASC certification thus covers criteria for sustainable farming, and is now an independent labeling scheme.
– ASC-labelling of our scampi is important to us, says quality manager Jan Børge Aune at SalatMestern. We know that it has been so-so with especially shellfish harvesting and production in many countries before, and as a serious company we had to get this sorted out.
Collaboration with WWF in Vietnam
In 2017, SalatMestern started a project, “Collaboration on sustainable scampi in Vietnam”. This was implemented with a group of breeders of scampi, WWF-Denmark, WWF Vietnam, TAIKA, Northcoast and SalatMestern with a goal of helping breeders to a better production practice and then an ASC certification, including safe access to raw materials, ensure traceability in the value chain , ensure the quality of the raw material and avoid pollution of the environment.
Several of the breeders are now gathered in a cooperative. In 2019, this cooperative received an ASC certification. By then, they had successfully changed from traditional farming methods to better practices to obtain the ASC certification. This was done with the help of WWF Vietnam, TAIKA and local authorities in the area
>> Watch video from the project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8IMn41ElIs)
– It has been a fantastic experience to be part of this project, says Aune. It shows what is possible when professionals with knowledge collaborate with producers locally, and not least with major independent brand schemes and players such as WWF. SalatMestern is constantly working to look at opportunities to change to increasingly sustainable raw materials in all their products, whether they imported from other countries, from Norway or locally in the Eastern parts of our country.