AEON rolled out the first products with the cross-category GGN label today in AEON, AEON Style, and Daiei supermarkets in the Kantō and Kinki regions of Japan. Products that are now available with the GGN label include tomatoes, eggplants, spinach, asparagus, cucumbers, and Japanese mustard spinach. AEON expects to add more products with the GGN label and additional retail locations soon.
AEON brings assurance to Japanese consumers with the GGN label
AEON became the first retailer in Asia, and, with Spinneys in the UAE, one of very few select retailers worldwide to adopt the original green GGN label on fresh fruits and vegetables in a pilot program in 2018. Following the successful conclusion of the pilot program, the GGN label is being reintroduced after being rebranded as a single cross-category label for use on fruits and vegetables, farmed seafood, and flowers and plants.
GLOBALG.A.P. Managing Director Kristian Moeller expressed his appreciation for AEON’s partnership over the years that has led to today’s release of the GGN label in stores in Japan. “We applaud AEON’s move to introduce our new consumer label,” he said. “Their strong commitment during the successful pilot phase has allowed GLOBALG.A.P. to develop today’s growing acceptance in Japan.”
In addition to signaling compliance with GLOBALG.A.P.’s Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard, today’s yellow GGN label includes additional assurance of responsible labor practices through the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) add-on, making it the only label of its kind in Japan to include assurance of good social practices. The GGN label additionally assures the use of a GLOBALG.A.P. recognized residue monitoring system and Chain of Custody (CoC) farm-to-shelf segregation of products with the GGN label.
AEON Agri Creation Co., Ltd., which operates AEON’s supply farms, has met all the certification requirements for labeling on the abovenamed products. Conscious consumers in Japan who choose items with the GGN label will be making informed decisions at the supermarket with the assurance that they are selecting safe, sustainable, and responsibly sourced products. In turn, conscientious producers like AEON are using the GGN label to build trust and transparency in the market by making responsible farming visible.
AEON AGRI CREATE Co., Ltd. President Yasuaki Fukunaga explained their philosophy since their foundation is to develop agriculture while creating value for customers. In practice, this means they "pursue safe, delicious and fresh agricultural products; practice safe, healthy, and rewarding agriculture; while working to conserve the precious environment of the earth. In 2010, we acquired GLOBALG.A.P. IFA certification, and in February of this year, we received a fully compliant for the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP), which aligns with our philosophy. We are proud to be the first company in Japan to launch products bearing the new GGN label. We will continue to strive to operate our farms in a way that addresses food safety, worker safety and environmental responsibility while being a driving force to promote the GLOBALG.A.P. in Japan.”
The introduction of the new GGN label in Japan is the result of an enduring partnership between AEON and GLOBALG.A.P. AEON has been an active GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member since 2006 and has helped to develop the GLOBALG.A.P. National Technical Working Group (NTWG) Japan. AEON is represented on the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board by Norihiro Domoto, Head of Agricultural Product Development, who is responsible for AEON's TOPVALU brand.
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GLOBALG.A.P
info@globalgap.org
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