Scoop! First Belgian mussels tasted and approved

Mussel seed is naturally present in the Belgian part of the North Sea and mussels can grow perfectly there. However, that was not the case until now. A year and a half ago, Colruyt Group started building an innovative sea farm, the first in the Belgian North Sea. ​Colruyt Group will collect around 10 to 15 tons of suspended culture mussels in the coming months and offer them in Cru’s four markets.​

Today is finally the day: the first modest mussel harvest is a fact. “We are particularly proud that we have succeeded in offering Belgian mussels to consumers,” says Stefan Goethaert, brand new CEO at Colruyt Group.

Belgian mussels

Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, responsible for the North Sea, is also ambitious about the future of the Belgian North Sea: “These first Belgian mussels are a milestone in the economic development of our North Sea. If you know that we import 70% of our seafood in Europe, there is still a lot of potential for sustainable food production for our own coast. This is just the beginning of what we want to achieve with aquaculture. Think of the potential of seaweed farms. tons. And we are also fully investigating the possibility of oyster farms in the North Sea. The North Sea will only become more important in the coming years.”

Today, 31 mussel lines have been successfully installed. Colruyt Group’s goal is to evolve to 150 mussel lines within an area of ​​1 km² and thus complete the first phase of the sea farm.