Vinh Hoan CEO Truong Thi Li Khahn, emphasized the importance and usefulness of close cooperation. "In a market with lots of competition, it is not easy to develop a sustainable production," she said. "Partly thanks to the support and efforts of Queens, we managed to be the first pangasius ASC certified producer."
Khanh, Vietnamese Embassy commercial attaché H. Giam Dao and the General Manager of Queens Products, Harry Hoogendoorn, all took part in handing out the jubilee bags. Residents of the De Bettekamp nursing home also shared in the bounty; Queens offered a panga lunch and a jubilee check, which the home can spend as it pleases on their residents.
Queens Products introduced the then-unknown pangasius to the Netherlands in 2002. Now, 10 years later, pangasius is the most commonly eaten fish in the Netherlands. In 2011, 5.5 million kilos of panga have been sold, of which three million bags of Queens panga fillets. Since September 2012, Queens pangasius may
bear the ASC label for responsibly farmed fish.
"Pangasius is important in Vietnam. It belongs, like herrings in the Netherlands, to the culinary culture of our country," said Dao. "In Vietnam, more than one million people depend on the pangasius sector. We are proud of the ASC certification of Vinh Hoan and hope that together with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) and trading partners such as Queens Products, can optimize the industry further. With Queens we hope to spread the success of pangasius in Europe."
Hoogendoorn, expressed pride in Queens' role "This year we have a lot to celebrate: 10 years of pangasius in the Netherlands, pangasius is number one as the most popular and most purchased fish in the Netherlands, Queens panga is the largest fish product in the Netherlands, 10 years exclusive partnership with Vinh Hoan and Vinh Hoan is the first ASC certified pangasius producer," he said. "We will expand this success further."
