Saving Seafood

Fishing Industry Association (PNG) Joins GSSI

February 23, 2021 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative is pleased to announce Fishing Industry Association – Papua New Guinea has joined GSSI as a Funding Partner.

Fishing Industry Association (PNG) provides a united voice for the fishing and associated industries in Papua New Guinea, and facilitates and encourages their promotion in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere.

“The partnership with GSSI is a milestone for us to improve and increase our commitment to the conservation of the ocean ecosystem as well as protect people working in the fishery with holistic approach included in the FIA (PNG) Responsible Sourcing Policy which includes the Marine Litter and Fishing Gear (Ghost) Management Practices and Labour Onboard Improvement (crew welfare, improving working conditions of the crew on board fishing vessels). This partnership is also a great opportunity to collaborate with global stakeholders to ensure sustainability, transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain”, said Sylvester Pokajam, President/Chairman, Fishing Industry Association (PNG).

Read the full release here

UNIDO Joins GSSI

January 28, 2021 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

Did you know that the seafood sector supports the livelihoods of 13% of the world’s population? As seafood production increases to meet rising global demand, so have concerns over the environmental, economic and social impact of production worldwide.

To help strengthen joint efforts to promote sustainable production and consumption in seafood industry the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has joined the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) as an Affiliated Partner.

As the public-private partnership on seafood sustainability with more than 90 stakeholders industry-wide, the GSSI aligns global efforts and resources to address seafood sustainability challenges. The GSSI aims to ensure clarity, confidence and choice in the supply and promotion of certified seafood as well as to promote improvements in seafood certification schemes.

Bernardo Calzadilla, Managing Director of UNIDO’s Digitalization, Technology and Agri-Business Directorate (DTA), said, “UNIDO very much values the cooperation with GSSI and the Food and Agriculture Organization in this innovative approach to promote sustainable fisheries development, and to increase its long-term contribution to securing better livelihoods in producer communities and to protecting the natural environment.”

As a specialized agency of the United Nations with 170 member states, UNIDO has a long record of building trade-related capacities through a three-pillar approach: enhancing the capacity of producers, processors and entire value chains to comply with technical and sustainability standards and market requirements; strengthening national quality infrastructure (NQI) and its services, in particular for testing and certification; and fostering a culture of quality.

Read the full release here

Compass Group PLC Joins GSSI

January 20, 2021 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative is pleased to announce that food service company Compass Group has joined GSSI as a Funding Partner.

Compass Group is a global leader in food services and provides great food and support services to millions of people around the world, every day. The group is committed to maintaining a strong agenda on sourcing responsibly.

“Compass are committed to buying more and more sustainably sourced fish and seafood from supply chains that are resilient and operated responsibly. Our goal is for 50% of our fish and seafood to be certified sustainable. In 2020, we reached this goal across our top 10 countries, and are now working to achieve the same across all of our top 20 countries. GSSI brings much needed clarity around the various global certification schemes and their equivalence, enabling consistent and lasting positive impact for the industry, both environmentally and socially. Our new partnership with GSSI will help us accelerate progress towards achieving our goal,” said Chris McCrystal, Global Head of Food Safety & Responsible Sourcing, Compass Group PLC.

Read the full release here

Review of the Draft Primary Production Scope

October 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

The development of a seafood-specific social benchmark tool by the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) continues.

After a first public consultation on At-Sea Operations criteria over the summer, SSCI launched on September 29, 2020 a 60-day public consultation to review Primary Production criteria. The criteria, developed by industry leaders, experts and stakeholders, cover social and scheme management requirements specifically for third-party social compliance programmes evaluating land-based agricultural and aquaculture activities.

To review the criteria applicability to aquaculture activities, an Aquaculture Expert Panel, comprised of GSSI Partners representatives, was set up by GSSI.

All stakeholders involved in aquaculture value chains are invited to partake in the consultation until December 1, 2020 on the SSCI website where they can view benchmarking documents and leave comments. Feedback can also be emailed to ssci@theconsumergoodsforum.com.

Leave your comments by December 1, 2020. 

Provide your input on the SSCI website, or send your additional comments to ssci@theconsumergoodsforum.com.

More MSC Certified Supplements Hitting Shelves, Steward Supplements Launches 100% MSC Certified Product Line

September 2, 2020 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Cod liver oil and salmon oil in new Steward Supplements products are now 100% MSC certified sustainable, joining more than 170 other fish oil products in the US market that carry the MSC blue fish logo. Steward Supplements launched the new product line today with fish oils sourced from certified US fisheries, with all products manufactured in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

The MSC is recognized as the world’s leading certification program for sustainable, wild-caught seafood. For products to be sold as MSC certified, seafood from MSC certified fisheries can only be handled, processed and packaged by organizations with a valid Chain of Custody certificate. These companies are audited regularly by independent certification bodies to ensure that they comply with the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. This requires that MSC certified seafood is only purchased from certified suppliers and is always identifiable, segregated from non-certified seafood and sold with the correct paperwork identifying it as certified. Steward Supplements is a MSC certified Chain of Custody holder.

“More than ever, consumers want to support companies that are socially and environmentally responsible, and by providing MSC certified products, Steward Supplements is achieving that desire”, said Brian Perkins, regional director for the Americas at the MSC. “Products that carry the MSC blue fish label are traceable to a sustainable source so shoppers can trust that it is good for them and good for the ocean.”

Stewards marine superfoods are comprised of an array of pro-resolving mediators, natural high levels of Vitamin A & D as well as a portfolio of omega-3 fatty acids. All the products contain no synthetic additives, with only non-GMO ingredients, and with each purchase, 1% of the proceeds go to protecting our oceans.

“Steward Supplements believes in sustainability, transparency, & quality. It is our responsibility to meet the MSC’s global standards for sustainable harvesting of marine ingredients in creating our health products. We are proud to have the MSC eco-label on all of our products,” said Tommy Little, Steward Supplements Co-Founder.

The MSC standard was established in 1997 and is the only wild caught seafood standard and ecolabeling program to meet United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) guidelines as well as meet Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) benchmarking criteria. The standards used to evaluate fisheries have been developed in deliberation with scientists, industry, and conservation groups, and reflect the most up-to-date fisheries science and management practices.

Seafood MAP project aims to make sustainability certification more attainable

March 31, 2020 — For many seafood producers around the world, especially small-scale fishermen and fish farmers in the developing world, a sustainability certification is out of reach.

Despite actively improving the sustainability of their operations, they struggle to meet the thresholds required for certification or a fishery improvement project, or they have trouble filing the needed documentation. And for buyers seeking to actively demonstrate their sustainability commitments, the lack of knowledge about these fisheries leaves them in the dark.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

GSSI AND IDH launch Seafood MAP program to accelerate sustainable seafood

March 30, 2020 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative & The Sustainable Trade Initiative :

On March 30 2020, at a SeafoodSource webinar, the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) and IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, launched Seafood MAP – a new market and investment program, supported by leading seafood companies, to accelerate sustainable seafood worldwide.

Seafood MAP – Measuring and Accelerating Performance of global seafood supply – responds to an urgent need to drive more responsible practices across the sector. It provides global guidance and incentives to seafood producers that are not yet certified to become more sustainable and profitable. This will create investment opportunities for financiers to support the supply of sustainable seafood to fast growing consumer markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In 2020, Seafood MAP will develop a responsible roadmap and framework, based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and FAO Guidelines. The first pilots are due to go live in mid-2020 in regions worldwide, following the latest assessments in light of the global pandemic.

Read the full release here

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative includes the Shrimp Standard in the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Scope of Recognition

February 18, 2020 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) Steering Board is pleased to announce its first recognition of a scope extension. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) scope of recognition now includes their Shrimp Standard (Version 1.0, March 27, 2014).

ASC applied for this scope extension in early 2019, having already obtained recognition for the scope of their Salmon Standard (version 1.1, April 27, 2017) in August 2018. The Independent Experts and the Benchmark Committee found the ASC Shrimp Standard to be in alignment with all the GSSI Essential Components for Section C (Aquaculture). The Independent Experts and the Benchmark Committee also confirmed the Governance (Section A) and Operational Procedures (Section B) have been appropriately applied to this ASC Shrimp Standard.

Read the full release here

GSSI Public Consultation on the ASC Shrimp Standard Scope Extension

November 15, 2019 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

On 23 October 2019, GSSI launched a 30-day public consultation on the Interim GSSI Benchmark Report for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Shrimp Standard Scope Extension.

In early 2019, the ASC applied to extend the scope of its GSSI recognition to include its Shrimp Standard, having already obtained recognition for the scope of its Salmon Standard in August 2018.

The Independent Experts and the Benchmark Committee found the ASC Shrimp Standard V1.0 – March 2014 to be in alignment with all the GSSI Essential Components for Section C (Aquaculture). The Independent Experts and the Benchmark Committee also confirmed the Governance (Section A) and Operational Procedures (Section B) have been appropriately applied to the ASC Shrimp Standard V1.0 – March 2014.

GSSI now invites comments from all stakeholders on the recommendation of the Benchmark Committee to include the ASC Shrimp Standard in the GSSI scope of recognition for the ASC.

Following the public consultation, the Benchmark Committee, Independent Experts and ASC will process the feedback received. GSSI’s Benchmark Committee will then provide the GSSI Steering Board with a final recommendation on extending the scope of recognition. The Public Consultation feedback will be made publicly available after the GSSI Steering Board’s decision.