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 programme 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 labour 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. recognised 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 above named products. Conscious consumers in Japan who choose items with the GGNlabel 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 we “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 be a driving force to promote the GLOBALG.A.P. in Japan.”
Today’s 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 forAEON’s TOPVALU brand.
Country-specific NTWGs encourage the adoption of GLOBALG.A.P.’s standards on a local scale by developing national interpretation guidelines (NIGs) specific to the realities faced by local producers. AEON has played a leading role in this important process of localizing GLOBALG.A.P. standards to Japan and is promoting the adoption of safe, sustainable, and ethical agricultural practices on Japan’s farms. The development of NIGs for Japan also reduces audit costs and facilitatesthe broader implementation of GLOBALG.A.P.’s flagship IFA and GRASP assessmentstandard among Japanese producers.
GLOBALG.A.P. expects Japanese consumers to respond favorably to the greater transparency and assurance provided by the GGN label and hopes to continue working with retailers to expand the number and availability of products with the GGN label on the market both in Japan and worldwide.
