Thai Union Group signs MOU with two community groups to help strengthen the coastal fishing economy

Agreement will also help conserve and restore community coastal resources and aquatic management

Caption: From left to right, Beeyoh Amphanniyom, President of Ban Na Thap Women’s Group Seafood Processing, Peter Galli, Global Director of Corporate Communication at Thai Union, and Bunjong Nasae, Advisor of Thai Sea Watch Association, sign the MoU to collaborate on strengthening the coastal fishing economy. The signing was conducted in early December 2020.

12 FEBRUARY 2021, SONGKLA — As part of its ongoing commitment to give back to the communities in which it operates, Thai Union Group PCL. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two community groups in Songkhla to provide them with a solar-powered fish-house dryer that will double the amount of fish they can sell by shortening the drying time and greatly increasing the quality of the product.

The agreement with the Ban Na Thap Women’s Group Seafood Processing in Songkla Province and the Thai Sea Watch Association also establishes a framework of cooperation between the three parties to improve food safety standards and develop knowledge about seafood processing techniques. Together, the three partners will also work to conserve and restore community coastal resources and aquatic management.

Under the agreement, Thai Union will also help build a solar powered fish-house dryer for the Ban Na Thap Women’s Group Seafood Processing to support their efforts to improve their dried fish products.

“Thai Union is committed to giving back to the communities in which it operates by improving the lives of those people, which is one of the key pillars of SeaChange®, our sustainability strategy. As such, we are very proud to be a partner in this project, which is vital to the community and supports them in developing a variety of value-added products,” said Peter Galli, Global Director of Corporate Communications for Thai Union. “The solar powered fish-house dryer also helps reduce the contamination risk to the products from insects, shortens the drying and production time by 40 percent from what it is today, and helps increase productivity.”

Beeyoh Amphanniyom, President of Ban Na Thap Women’s Group Seafood Processing, said the community will take this opportunity to improve the quality of its products and raise awareness about fishery sustainability. “This will not only add value to our products, but will also provide a better life for our people by providing them with a job and the ability to generate income for the local community.”

Bunjong Nasae, Advisor of Thai Sea Watch Association, said he was so pleased that a large company like Thai Union recognized the importance of local fishing communities and the benefits of utilizing sustainable aquatic resources. “Sustainable oceans are possible if everyone is aware of how best to use the resources in the ocean and to fish without using destructive tools. This initiative is a great collaboration between the local fishing community and a private company working to improve the quality of life for people and conserving aquatic resources in the ocean for future generations.”

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About Thai Union Group

Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.

Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world’s leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 126.3 billion (US$ 4.1 billion) and a global workforce of over 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.

As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized in 2018 and 2019 by being ranked number one in the world in the Food Products Industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, achieving a 100th percentile ranking for total sustainability score. Thai Union has now been named to the DJSI for seven consecutive years. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth straight year in 2020.