www.seafoodbusiness.com/index.asp?ItemID=3297&pcid=196& -
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Published on: 4/1/2005
Last Visited: 8/1/2007
The SQF program, which was implemented in Australia in 1994 and acquired by FMI last year, enables food suppliers to ensure their products are raised and handled under the world's most rigorous food-safety and quality-control standards, says Paul Ryan, the program's executive director.
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Farmed-salmon producers are expected to begin seeking certification under the SQF program in August, with SQF-labeled product reaching supermarkets as early as the fall, says Ryan.The SQF label would appear on packaging or, in the case of fresh product, on a sticker, poster, banner or ice pick.
Ryan says the Chilean farmed-salmon producers he met with in January are "enthused" by the partnership."They feel like the SQF program has a lot to offer and they feel like they're going to get a lot out of it," he says.
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Ryan says it will take time for U.S. consumers to become familiar the SQF label, because there's not much SQF-labeled product in the U.S. market yet.
"At this point, our emphasis is on communicating the benefits of the SQF program to retailers," says Ryan."We haven't looked at marketing.We're leaving that up to the retailers."
There's no guarantee that SQF-labeled product will fetch a premium, adds Ryan.But he assures suppliers that under the SQF program they'll operate more efficiently and increase productivity. - S.H.