Cooke Aquaculture anticipates consumer up-take
Matt Whittaker NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is closing in on a long-awaited organic certification standard for aquaculture, with the eco-label the industry has been pining for possibly appearing on farm-raised seafood in supermarkets by 2017.
The department expects to release a proposed rule for organic aquaculture certification in April or May, with the Office of Management and Budget then having 90 days to review it before publication in late summer, Miles McEvoy, deputy director of the department’s National Organic Program, told an audience at an industry gathering Saturday.
It could take another year to get the final rule out, with the USDA aiming for the end of 2016 on that front, he told Undercurrent News on the sidelines of the World Aquaculture Society’s Aquaculture America conference.
After that, certifiers will have to be accredited, and then they can inspect farms, and producers can receive certification to put the “USDA Organic” label on their products, potentially putting certified products on supermarket shelves in 2017, he said.
The proposed rule will include shellfish, marine and recirculating system methods of aquaculture, as well as the controversial net-pen method, he said.
Having an official USDA organic aquaculture label would lower some of the barriers to price resistance on seafood in the United States, Linda O’Dierno, outreach specialist with the National Aquaculture Association, told an audience at the conference.
People interested in organic food — who tend to see themselves as values oriented, health conscious and concerned about the environment and sustainability — are willing to pay more for it when it has a trustworthy label, she said.
She noted that grocery chain Wegmans has been successful getting a premium for seafood certified as organic under other nations’ standards.
In addition to Wegmans, the majority of large retailers are already selling salmon labeled as organic under standards from other countries, said Andrew Lively, director of marketing with Cooke Aquaculture’s True North Salmon division.
He agreed that people in the niche organic seafood market are willing to pay a premium for reputably branded salmon.
“These consumers are not price conscious consumers,” he said. “They are looking for a certification program.”
Since imports of organic-certified seafood are allowed, the US needs its own label to level the playing field, O’Dierno said.
Once the US has organic standards in place, all imports labeled as organic would have to meet US certification standards, McEvoy told the audience. Currently the department doesn’t take enforcement action on imports certified as organic under other nations’ standards, he said.
When asked by an audience member whether US aquaculture production facilities could be certified under foreign certification programs, he said “it’s not something that we would encourage.”
gail bekker said:
with a magic wand CFIA made isa salmon safe to eat so does it follow that organic ISA salmon will be embued by said wand and pricey very very pricey?yeah that’s it that’s the ticket.ummmm cooke is in usa and chili and sooooo is ISA.THE BEAT GOES ON.
gail bekker said:
Canadian food inspection agency has made the isa infected salmon in chili safe to eat with their magic wand lol its for sale in atlantic Canada. Does that mean organic isa infected salmon will also passed over with the magic wand and be for sale as organic salmon ? At the special organic price as well?cooke aquaculture has facilities in chili and usa.
harbourwatch said:
Gail… The prospect of “organic” salmon being sold with ISA infection is as disturbing – or maybe more so – than the non-organic variety. Even if the protestations of CFIA about ISA fish being “safe” bear some truth, the “yuck” factor is appalling.
gail bekker said:
I understand not one appointed cfia boss has stayed on for the full term of appointment.I believe in August 2014 a top boss from prime ministers office was deployed to head cfia.Cfia then says ISA is okay.COPORATE ENHANCEMENT should I believe be outlawed in our food system.I remember we {CANADA} had a cfia when cows were being fed diseased cows despite being vegetarian and they didn’t shut that down until forced after human beings were irrevocably destroyed.This system makes I believe the humans insignificant. So we now must eat isa salmon unlabeled as such and just suck up waiting until human beings are once again irrevocably destroyed in the name of COPORATE ENHANCEMENT?History has taught us dirty animal husbandry makes disease.So isa is safe until more dirty animal husbandry creates the new disease that does cross over into some new deadly to humans disease? Isnt that what has happened to the chickens and pigs as well NEW DIDEASES but all steming from I believe dirty animal husbandry practices.Wierd eh?When the plague hid England did it not stem from filth? Good news for researchers.vetrenarians who don’t mind the new way.I guess its a gala for big pharma.Did you hear about fishman jones in Moncton new Brunswick?he owns his own original genetics tilapia from Egypt has studied[self funded]natural production on commercial scale without antibiotics and of course organic [old fashioned] vegetarian feed he developed himself?
harbourwatch said:
Gail… Hate to do this, but read today’s story about more Chilean ISA from Cooke: https://responsibleaquaculture.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/more-salmon-disease-woes-for-cooke-aquaculture/