IS MY AYAM BRAND™ TUNA SUSTAINABLE?

Even though AYAM BRAND™ tuna represents less than 0.1% of the yearly world tuna catch, AYAM BRAND™ is committed to being a brand that stands for quality and acts with responsibility by taking a strong stand for sustainable fish sourcing and compliant fishing and manufacturing practices.

We do not have a direct relationship with tuna fishing vessels as we work with canned fish factories, which produce our recipes to our specifications, and under our quality control.
Our area of influence is in the purchasing specifications we provide to the canned tuna manufacturers.

The use of stringent tuna purchasing specifications that require sustainable fish sourcing is our way of putting pressure on the tuna fishing industry to make progress not only on sustainable tuna fishing but also on fair and compliant labour practices.
Manufacturers who have been selected to produce for AYAM BRAND™ must accept our sustainability specifications.

They cover three main categories:

1. 1. the BIOMASS:

      simple rules to assure the sustainability of the tuna used for Ayam Brand™ production.

   2. the CODE OF CONDUCT:

      it is mandatory for our suppliers and their own suppliers to ensure fair and compliant labour and business practices.

   3. the RECOMMENDATIONS:

      they put pressure on the industry for improvement in catching methods that limit bycatch.

1- THE BIOMASS

AYAM BRAND™ only uses tuna species, which are not endangered & from biomass that is healthy (not overfished).

Data on the biomass situation is assessed by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO), international intergovernmental organizations dedicated to the sustainable management of fishery resources in international waters. We follow the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC / iota.org ) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC/ www.wcpfc.int) in particular. Most of their data is published by ISSF (International Seafood Sustainability Foundation http://iss-foundation.org/)

AYAM BRAND™ sources only two species of tuna:

(1) Skipjack tuna ( katsuwonus pelamis )

Most of AYAM BRAND™ canned tuna is produced with skipjack tuna. The skipjack tuna used by AYAM BRAND™ is caught in the Pacific Ocean, in areas assessed by WCPFC as not overfished, but they could come from any other fishing area where skipjack tuna resources are healthy (not overfished) as assessed by RFMOs.

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(2) Yellowfin ( thunnus albacares )

AYAM BRAND™ uses yellowfin tuna for canned tuna in oil or in water. In some parts of the world, yellowfin tuna is overfished. Ayam Brand’s requirement is that yellowfin tuna for AYAM BRAND™ is fished from the Western Pacific, which is assessed as not overfished by the WCPFC.

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Ayam Brand™ closely monitors information and reports from the RFMOs and ISSF to keep updated on the status of skipjack and yellowfin tuna biomass.

2- THE CODE OF CONDUCT

AYAM BRAND™ works with suppliers, who share the same code of conduct for their factories and who, in turn, make it mandatory for their own suppliers.

• • Labour and social conditions comply fully with national laws and international treaties (preventing, amongst other issues, illegal labour and human rights abuses like slavery or child labour).
  • No corruption.
  • No tuna supply from illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing
  • No tuna supply from fishing vessels not certified as Dolphin friendly or practising shark finning or fishing endangered species.

3- THE RECOMMENDATIONS

We play our role in pushing our suppliers to improve catching methods for skipjack and yellowfin tuna in order to limit bycatch.

Most AYAM BRAND™ tuna is caught by purse seine fishing vessels and a small percentage from pole and line. We do not accept other methods of catching (like long lines) because of an excessive bycatch rate.

As of today, our suppliers are unable to distinguish between the percentage catch of purse seine on free school tuna versus purse seine on FADs as they are mixed in the fishing vessels. But we are in constant dialogue with our suppliers who are committed to collecting data and sharing technical information. This should allow us a better understanding of the situation in a short time frame in order to improve our purchasing specifications.

We are also working on adding a certified sustainable pole and line canned tuna range to Ayam Brand™ canned tuna, so AYAM BRAND™ could offer this option to consumers in the near future.

AYAM BRAND™ is committed to the sustainability and transparency of its products’ supply chain. We welcome any further questions at “contact us”.

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