The Aquaculture Sector Gains More Assurance with GLOBALG.A.P.

GLOBALG.A.P.’s smart farm assurance solutions have been adding value to the food supply chain since 1997. The company’s certification system helps producers, retailers, and other stakeholders across the food industry work together to build trust in the safety of their food and its responsible production among consumers. Many producers around the world now use GLOBALG.A.P.’s flagship Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard to demonstrate their compliance with good aquaculture practices, including food safety, workers’ well-being, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship principles.

Growing recognition and trust around the world

20 years ago, a new GLOBALG.A.P. standard was developed specifically for aquaculture and added to the portfolio of popular assurance tools. Since then, GLOBALG.A.P. experts have built longstanding relationships with stakeholders in aquaculture and are constantly gathering valuable input to keep their assurance tools ahead of emerging industry challenges. This close collaboration has built a high level of trust in the safety, integrity, and transparency represented by their brand. That’s why adoption rates for their leading assurance solutions continue to grow among producers and retailers all over the globe.

This year, GLOBALG.A.P. is on track to see the highest certification figures yet, with more than three million metric tons of aquaculture products certified to the IFA standard in 28 countries around the world. GLOBALG.A.P. standards are growing in popularity in part because they support both well-established species and species that are newer to commercial aquaculture, such as halibut, Atlantic cod, greater amberjack, and white grouper. Greater brand recognition in US markets is also continuously increasing export potential for producers with certified production processes.

Stronger, more relevant standards

Commercial aquaculture has grown quickly in recent decades as governments and private companies intensify the search for sustainable sources of high-quality protein. GLOBALG.A.P. experts stay abreast of the rapid changes in the industry to keep the company’s assurance standards relevant and agile and able to provide the best solutions to current pressure points.

The new version 6 of IFA for aquaculture includes up-to-date sustainability indicators and animal health and welfare aspects, including a ban on eyestalk ablation in shrimp production for GLOBALG.A.P. certified shrimp production processes. Producers with production processes certified to IFA v6 for aquaculture must also adopt version 2 of the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) add-on, which is a powerful tool that gives family businesses, buyers, and suppliers the chance to demonstrate their respect for human and labor rights. The level of social commitment under IFA v6 for aquaculture is unmatched in the aquaculture sector.

GLOBALG.A.P.’s tools also combat overfishing and land conversion problems. That’s why IFA v6 for aquaculture ensures that producers source compound feed from manufacturers with GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes. The recently updated Compound Feed Manufacturing (CFM) standard version 3.1 incorporates the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), Marine Trust, and Fishery Improvement Projects related to marine feed ingredients and requires manufacturers to source soy in alignment with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines and source palm oil from RSPO-certified producers.

GGN label makes responsible aquaculture visible

The GGN label is GLOBALG.A.P.’s consumer-facing label for aquaculture products, fruits and vegetables, and flowers and plants, and stands for certified, responsible farming and transparency. Products with the GGN label come from farms with production processes that are independently audited and certified to GLOBALG.A.P.’s trusted standards.

Major retail partners around the world are increasingly adopting the GGN label on farmed seafood, offering a growing number of species in ever more locations. Aquaculture products with the GGN label can now be found in over 35 countries and are available at supermarkets across Europe and North America and at select retailers in Asia.

The GGN label gives consumers a quick, consistent way to identify products that align with their values It’s a powerful tool that raises consumer awareness and involvement in responsible aquaculture and adds instant value to products that answer calls for safe, environmentally and socially responsible foods in accordance with animal welfare.

You can use assurance tools to take your farm to the next level

More assurance means more value, and aquaculture gets both with GLOBALG.A.P. Reach out to their dedicated aquaculture expert Remko Oosterveld to learn how GLOBALG.A.P.’s standards can differentiate your products in today’s competitive markets.

Learn more about version 6 of GLOBALG.A.P.’s IFA standard for aquaculture.