GAA Teams Up With JD.com To Provide Certified Fresh Food To Chinese Consumers
The Global Aquaculture Alliance recognized China’s largest e-commerce company by revenue, JD.com (NASDAQ:JD), at Seafood Expo North America (SENA) on March 19 for raising awareness of responsible aquaculture and food safety to Chinese consumers through its perishable foods division, JD Fresh Food.
Through its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) division, GAA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JD.com to promote sales of farmed seafood products originating from BAP-certified facilities during a special fresh food promotional week on JD.com beginning March 24. BAP is the world’s leading third-party aquaculture certification program, with standards encompassing food safety, environmental responsibility, social responsibility, animal health and welfare, and traceability.
“E-commerce is an exciting, new market for global seafood trade, and JD.com is a pioneer in these efforts with their fresh food platform for the China market,” said Steven Hart, Vice President of GAA. “The strength of JD.com, which allows users to purchase fresh or frozen seafood and have it delivered that same day, allows us the unique opportunity to build the BAP brand directly with the Chinese consumer.”
Through its BAP program, GAA is working with JD.com to identify companies that are producing farmed seafood in a responsible, safe manner. By working with JD.com, these companies can access its 226.6 million active customers more directly through a platform that allows them to better brand themselves, tell their story of responsible, safe aquaculture production, and better market the health benefits of seafood consumption.
Representing JD.com at the MoU signing, which took place at GAA’s SENA exhibit, was Xiaosong Wang, President of JD Fresh Food.
“As China’s largest online retailer, we believe it is our duty and obligation to provide JD’s hundreds of millions of customers direct access to the world’s freshest and best seafood,” said Mr. Wang, “Through the cooperation with GAA, we will be able to vastly expand our offering in the Chinese market.”
About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance.
About JD.com, Inc.
JD.com is China’s leading online retailer and the country’s largest Internet company by revenue. The company strives to offer consumers the best online shopping experience. Through its user-friendly website, native mobile apps, and WeChat and Mobile QQ entry points, JD offers consumers a superior shopping experience. The company has the largest fulfillment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in China. As of December 31, 2016, JD.com operated 7 fulfillment centers and 256 warehouses, and in total of 6,906 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,655 counties and districts across China, staffed by its own employees. JD.com is a member of the NASDAQ100 and a Fortune Global 500 company.
Contact:
GAA
Steve Hedlund
steven.hedlund@gaalliance.org
JD.com, Inc.
Josh Gartner
Press@JD.com
