Saudi-based National Prawn Company, a leader in desert coastal aquaculture and a major shrimp exporter, said it has won the prestigious British Retail Consortium (BRC) global standard for food safety.

The BRC is the lead trade association for the UK retail industry representing the whole range - starting from the large multiples and department stores through to independents, selling a wide selection of products through centre of town, rural and virtual stores.

The BRC had established its global standard for food safety based on standards set forth in the Global Food Safety Initiative, the company said in a statement.
 
In order to achieve the 'A' rating, NPC met rigorous requirements for the processing of aquacultured raw, cooked, chilled and frozen shrimp products at its Al Lith aquaculture operation on Red Sea desert coast, where it produces and processes 15,000 million tonnes of shrimp each year, the statement added.

Commenting on the feat, NPC managing director Ahmad R. Al Balla, said, 'This is a tremendous achievement for the whole team which we hope, will help us open up new markets. This is a very important accreditation, which demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of quality and sustainability across all our operations.'

NPC has other accreditations including HACCP, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 and is the only Saudi aquaculture operation to have a licence to export to the European Union.

NPC also exports its shrimps to over 30 markets and has recently launched a domestic brand, Red Sea Shrimp, in the growing Saudi Market.

NPC, which began with a small research project in 1982, today plays an integral part in the diversification of the Saudi economy through the growth of the aquaculture industry in the Kingdom.-TradeArabia News Service