Tag certification

Simon Bush, environmental policy professor at Wageningen University, and his colleagues say the sustainable seafood movement often lacks accountability and support the role of an aggregator like GSSI. 

The emerging technology, known as the foundation for cryptocurrencies, may be the trustworthy traceability tool the industry needs in a digitally driven world. 

Food producers are educating themselves on the latest in animal health and welfare and humane harvesting and processing practices. A recent webinar highlighted issues specific to aquatic animals. 

While talk of preservation and conservation dominated the annual event, a blunt query reminded all that the oceans need protection and sustainable development. 

As aquaculture grows as an economic engine, consumers, seafood buyers, NGOs and governments are pushing to assess and rate farms’ environmental performance. Establishing clear measurements remains a challenge. 

Shrimp farming expert Corey Peet discusses the work of convening multiple stakeholders in Southeast Asia, the role of certification and the dynamics of sustainability challenges confronting marketplace demands. 

Concerns raised recently by Dr. Claude Boyd may have been accurate a decade ago, but Seafood Watch Science Director Wendy Norden says the program has made significant progress and is indeed encouraging better performance in aquaculture. 

Our new interview series with foodservice professionals begins with Bruce Mattel, senior associate dean of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). We’ll pry open the minds of some notable chefs who know seafood and are making statements about sustainability in their restaurants and beyond. 

The Marine Conservation Society’s aquaculture program manager discusses what consumers ultimately need to know about aquaculture, responsible production and eco-labels. She also looks at NGOs making a difference in the global seafood industry and where she finds innovation in action. 

Peter Bridson, who steered aquaculture research for Seafood Watch and its highly influential marketplace recommendations for six years, now runs his own consultancy, Seagreen Research. He discusses global food security, certification standards and gradually changing perceptions about farmed salmon. 

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative aims to set the bar for certification schemes. Board members of the task force formed in 2012 convened at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Malta to reinforce the mission and brief attendees on progress. 

A GAA-commissioned survey sought to determine the knowledge level of seafood sustainability and farmed seafood in the foodservice industry. The results suggest a need to engage professional chefs through the sources they trust: suppliers. 

Aquaculture certification programs essentially mark milestones on the journey toward more sustainable practices. There is a role for a clearly defined starting point of “minimum acceptable standards,” but it is equally important to create incentive structures to enable producers to “move up the ladder” and differentiate themselves regarding what constitutes best practices and highest quality. 

Although today’s soybeans offer many benefits, farmers can also plant alternatives, sometimes on the same farms that raise genetically modified beans. Organic beans meet specific market demands, and a conventionally bred non-GMO bean has been developed for use in aquafeeds for carbohydrate-intolerant marine fish. 

One of the most important ways to prepare for certification audits is through staff meetings that review job descriptions and management practices, as well as employee behavior, such as hygiene and record keeping. Internal auditing is also key to a positive outcome for audits.