Vitapro and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together to encourage responsible practices in the Latin American shrimp farming industry.
The agreement sets out how Vitapro and ASC will collaborate to help regional producers make improvements that benefit them, their workers and the environment. Both ASC and Vitapro share a common purpose of transforming aquaculture, as well as a common vision of encouraging environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture and driving up standards across the industry. As sustainability is at the center of Vitapro’s operation, the company looks to promote the adoption of the stringent ASC standards in all the territories where its Nicovita brand is present.
The five-year MoU seals the commitment of both organizations to promote the highest social and environmental standards and encourage their adoption by Ecuadorian shrimp producers through ASC certification. These standards will also have an impact on raising the global competitiveness of Ecuadorian and overall Latin American producers, as it will provide them with a strict certification and labeling scheme, which assures consumers that their seafood products are sustainable and socially responsible.
Marcos Moya, ASC Regional Market Development manager, said that “this is a pioneering new agreement that combines the experience and skills of our two organizations to pursue an important common goal. Vitapro is the first to sign such an agreement but we hope that many others will follow in their footsteps because driving up standards in aquaculture is a collaborative mission that requires all of us to work together.”
For Vitapro, the agreement also reaffirms its commitment to the industry in Latin America. “Vitapro knows that collaborative work and acting together is the path to promoting the responsible and sustainable use of marine resources and amplify the well-being of the whole society. For more than three decades, and as a reflection of our purpose to transform aquaculture, Vitapro has accompanied the innovation and development of the Latin American aquaculture industry. Today, that commitment is renewed through the ASC agreement,” said Hugo Carrillo, Vitapro’s CEO.
