October 23, 2014

One world shrimp standard could bring down seafood cost, Vietnam exporters say

Vietnam's shrimp exporters have called for a single certification standard for all levels of the shrimp farming industry, which they claimed accounted for 5% to 10% of their costs.

"If we did not have all these standards, the producers could cut costs, and we could have cheaper shrimp for the consumer," said Le Van Quang, chairman of Minh Phu Seafood, Vietnam's biggest shrimp exporter.

Mr. Quang's call, posted on the website of Vietnam Association of Seafood Entrepreneurs (VASEP), was a reiteration of what he said during the Global Aquaculture Alliance's GOAL 2014 conference held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on October 7 to 10.

All the current standards, he said, focus on different areas from food safety to the ethics of production.   He said it would make more sense to have one set of standards that covered everything. 

His company spends "50% of its time" meeting several different certification standards, according to him.

"We have Japanese retailers that have their own standards. We have Costco, Whole Foods and many others who also have their own standards. Then, we have the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Global Gap, and GAA's Best Aquaculture Practices.  It costs money," Mr. Quang said.

He said the costs were not just financial. A lot of time is wasted, he said, on paperwork that deals with the various auditors.

Asked if the VietGap standard was the answer to his proposal, he said the local standard was merely for the local farmers only. Buyers have no use for it, he said.