They are the first aquaponics facility and land-based RAS farm to get the certification.
Wisconsin-based Superior Fresh, operates a 160,000-square-foot aquaponics facility (the world’s largest) soon to expand to 300,000 square feet, on a 720-acre native restoration project in the rural community of Wisconsin.
The company harvested its first fish on July 4 and will be able to produce around 72 tonnes of Atlantic salmon and steelhead annually. Wisconsin-based Festival Foods was the first retailer to carry Superior Fresh Atlantic salmon and steelhead fillets.
“We are proud to be a part of the BAP program. Our personal standards and morals related to how we farm are backed up by a strong stamp that truly helps consumers understand that we are doing everything possible to raise healthy, safe and sustainable food,” said Superior Fresh President Brandon Gottsacker.
The fish are fed a specially formulated diet free of hormones and antibiotics. The fish produce ammonia and solids, and the solids are broken down from ammonia to nitrites and then to nitrates, making nutrients available for plant uptake. The nutrient-rich water is then pumped into the greenhouse for the leafy greens, which use the nutrients and, in turn, clean the water. The clean water is then pumped back into the aquaculture system.
BAP is the world’s most comprehensive third-party aquaculture certification program, with standards encompassing environmental responsibility, social responsibility, food safety, animal health and welfare and traceability. It’s also the only program to cover the entire aquaculture production chain — processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills.
