Brought to you in partnership with the Accredited Fish Farm Scheme (AFFS)
What do we want? Fresh, high-quality, sustainable seafood!
When do we want it? In time for dinner, please!
As consumers, our seafood requirements are pretty simple. We want to choose safe, high-quality, reasonably priced seafood, with a lower carbon footprint too, if possible. If this seafood is locally grown, this is even better – in this way, we can support our local community.
With this in mind, in 2005 the Accredited Fish Farm Scheme (AFFS) was launched in Hong Kong by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). The scheme helps local fish farms to gain the trust and loyalty of seafood lovers in Hong Kong by providing support and monitoring the fish and water quality in order to ensure consistent safety – not just from heavy metals and bacteria but also harmful contaminants such as malachite green.
The scheme members are all local Hong Kong fish farms, so AFFS products do not ever need to travel by air. This reduces both the carbon footprint and the cost. Buying local is becoming even more attractive right now owing to the increased difficulty of relying on imported seafood.
Today, the scheme has certified over 100 local farms, with officials regularly visiting each one to test the water and fish quality. There are plenty of places to find AFFS-accredited products such as sea bass, giant grouper, pompano, red snapper, star snapper, jade perch, grey mullet and more.
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Very soon after they leave the water, the products are individually quick-frozen to –18°C within two hours in order to maintain freshness. Via a QR code, each item is traceable to the farm where it was raised, verifying the validity of the farm’s credentials.
Look for the AFFS logo when you’re next out shopping for seafood and support our local fish farmers!
Brought to you in partnership with the Accredited Fish Farm Scheme (AFFS). The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) Hong Kong has been embarking on a mission to ensure the sustainability of local fish and seafood farms. Launched in 2005, the AFFS is an initiative of AFCD Hong Kong that aims to uphold the quality and safety of local aquaculture products.
For more about the AFFS, visit their website
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