BAP certification is based on standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (Photo: SGS/FIS)

SGS Signs Global Agreement with Best Aquaculture Practices

In a service agreement between BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) and SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance S.A.), the independent contractor will perform facility inspections and certification audits for aquaculture farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills that apply for BAP certification.

"We are very pleased to work with an auditing organization with such worldwide capacity and capabilities as SGS," BAP Executive Director Jim Heerin said, "particularly as the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is preparing to announce the completion of new standards."

SGS will perform facility inspections and audits for aquaculture farms for BAP certification

BAP certification is based on standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture.

The BAP standards are drafted by species-specific technical committees and reviewed by a Standards Oversight Committee of varied stakeholders following a period of public comment.

“This achievement represents a very important step for SGS in order to meet the food safety and sustainability needs of aquaculture industry and retailers globally through BAP certification” states Rob Parrish, Vice President Global Food at SGS.

The BAP standards address environmental and social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability in a voluntary certification program for aquaculture facilities.

Successful participants in the BAP program are awarded with the “Best Aquaculture Practices Certification” mark for use on packaging of seafood products, demonstrating to consumers a participant’s commitment to providing safe and sustainably sourced seafood.

Last year the BAP certification program was successfully benchmarked against the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) food safety requirements, therefore seafood processing plants can now achieve both BAP certification and GFSI compliance through a single audit process.

About SGS - Société Générale de Surveillance S.A.

SGS SA (Public, VTX:SGSN) is a Swiss holding company that, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the provision of certification, inspection and inspection services, outsourcing and risk management services, as well as testing, technical consultancy and training services.

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With 64,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,250 offices and laboratories around the world.

The Company is active in 10 business segments: agriculture; automotive, consumer testing; environment; governments and institutions; industrial services; life science; minerals; oil, gas and chemicals, and systems & services certification.

Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices certification standards, GAA has become the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood

The Global Aquaculture Alliance is an international, non-profit trade association dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture.

GAA recognizes that aquaculture - the culture and farming of shrimp, fish, shellfish and other aquatic organisms - is the only sustainable means of increasing seafood supply to meet the food needs of the world's growing population.

Source: SGS

Margaret E.L. Stacey
Editor Companies and Products
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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