CAWM West Coast Market Is China’s First Food Wholesaler to Endorse BAP
China Supply and Marketing Agricultural Production Wholesale Market Holding Co. Ltd., one of China’s leading wholesale food providers, has pledged to source seafood from Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified farms, processing plants, hatcheries and feed mills as part of an agreement that the Beijing-based company signed with the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) in Qingdao on Aug. 7.
Also referred to as CAWM West Coast Market, the company is China’s first wholesale food provider to endorse BAP, which is the world’s largest and most comprehensive third-party aquaculture certification program, with standards encompassing environmental responsibility, social accountability, food safety, and animal health and welfare.
A growing number of Chinese food providers are concerned with environmental responsibility as well as food safety, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, CAWM West Coast Market, as part of the agreement, is willing to give priority to BAP-certified producers worldwide when sourcing seafood and to contribute to consumer education on seafood sustainability by providing knowledge on the benefits of third-party aquaculture certification program and specifically BAP.
“The wholesale market in China is incredibly important for the seafood industry. The ability to partner with CAWM West Coast Market to deliver the message of responsible seafood production allows the message to get to smaller markets and customers that would normally be very difficult to reach,” said Steven Hart, GSA’s VP of market development. “We would like to thank the team at CAWM West Coast Market for recognizing the need for responsibly produced seafood and starting this journey with us to continue promoting this message to the Chinese market.”
About Best Aquaculture Practices
Best Aquaculture Practices is a third-party certification program developed by the Global Seafood Alliance, an international, nonprofit trade association headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., USA, dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances. Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices certification standards, GSA has become the leading standards-setting organization for seafood.
About CAWM West Coast Market
CAWM is the leading national company in circulation of agricultural products. It owns more than 70 wholesales markets in more than 20 areas of China. The West Coast Market project located in the heart of business district of West Coast district of Qingdao City. Only 500 meters from the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, the location is a key transfer stop for agriculture product, especially seafood product, enter Qingdao area from Jiangzhe area. The first stage construction that has been come into service, includes the areas like seafood trading area, cold storage, testing center and distribution center, etc.
