South African chain of retail stores and one of the largest in the country, Woolworths Holdings Limited, has introduced canned tuna brands from the Maldives to its shopping centres.
The local fish cans were introduced at the South African retail chain during Fisheries Minister, Dr. Mohamed Shainee's ongoing visit to the country. This is the first time Marine Stewardship Council, MSC certified a local fish can brand to be sold by a South African retail chain. img:http://s2.psmnews.mv/images/660x400/14884333642069.jpg|Woolworths Holdings Limited launches Maldivian canned tuna brands in South Africa
Speaking at the ceremony held in the Woolworths Headquarters in Cape Town, Fisheries Minister Dr. Mohamed Shainee said that introducing local fish cans in South Africa opens up the platform to market local fish products in the African continent.
The Managing Director of Woolworths Foods Spencer Son said the availability of MSC certified Maldivian fish cans in their shopping centers would increase the popularity of Woolworths amongst its customers.
“Through this Maldivian source of tuna, the Woolworths customer will be supporting an important fishing community which act as custodians of the ocean environment that their livelihood depends on,” Sonn said. “We are delighted to be able to offer our customers MSC certified canned tuna.”
“We are all concerned about the impact of fishing on the oceans and want the power to make better choices. The MSC certification is our assurance to our customer that the canned tuna their family enjoys is sourced from a fishery with healthy stocks and caught using environmentally-friendly methods that don’t impact adversely on other marine species or the ocean environment,” Sonn added.
Senior Officials from the South African Fisheries Ministry, Woolworths and the Chairman of International Pole and Line Foundation also participated in the function held at the Headquarters of Woolworths Holdings Limited.