Aeon Malaysia sets higher seafood standards through update to fish health and welfare policy

Aeon Malaysia released an updated fish health and welfare policy designed to commit it to upholding "the highest standards of animal welfare."

The subsidiary of Tokyo, Japan-based multinational retail holding company Aeon Group, Aeon Malaysia operates more than 150 locations across the country, including 28 Aeon mall outlets, 34 Aeon stores, 9 MaxValu Prime stores, 65 Aeon Wellness stores, 42 Daiso stores, and 4 Komai-so outlets. 

“We aspire to require all suppliers of farmed and wild-caught fish and seafood products to be certified by Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, or equivalent and to follow World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) standards,” Aeon said. “Suppliers of farmed fish and seafood must perform daily monitoring of water temperature, flow, oxygen, pH, ammonia, carbon dioxide and disease, prevent and treat disease outbreaks, and keep stocking densities at levels that do not harm animal welfare.”

Aeon said it will work with its seafood suppliers to apply the new standards to its entire seafood-purchasing program within the next 12 to 18 months.

"We also believe that such commitment is needed as it is fundamental to our business because good animal health and welfare will result in high-quality products and win our customers' trust," the group said.

The introduction of the policy was praised by Vilosha Sivaraman, the program manager of the Lever Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to creating a more humane and sustainable protein supply chain in East Asia.

"We applaud Aeon Malaysia for this new holistic set of standards that will further improve the welfare of fish, chickens, cows, and other animals in the company's supply chain,"  Sivaraman said. "Many food companies in Malaysia are upgrading their animal welfare policies in response to increased consumer interest in more humane, sustainable and safe products, and with its new policy, Aeon has established itself as a leader in this area."

Photo courtesy of TY Lim/Shutterstock