The premier Traceable and Sustainable Shrimp Program!

Leadership Shows.

National Fish & Seafood has made a commitment to being the Champion for Traceable and Sustainable Shrimp.

As a shrimp supplier, our shrimp is both Traceable AND Sustainable. This allows you, the consumer, to trust that the shrimp we provide is coming from a sustainable source. We have entered into a partnership with Trace Register, the leading authority of supplying Traceability solutions to the CPG market. This is a Pilot program that makes us the first Shrimp importer to use this Traceability method.

HOW THIS WORKS:
During the lifecycle of the Shrimp, certain data are collected that pertains to the farm where the shrimp was harvested, etc... Once the Shrimp is harvested and ready for packaging, a code is generated and then printed on the bag that allows us to trace our Shrimp back to the farm and have the ability to let you know when the Shrimp was harvested and at what farm. This is truly the definition of Traceability!

Our Sustainability comes with our certifications we hold. Our processing plant in Gloucester is the First, Level 3 SQF 2000 Seafood Processing Facility to be certified in the United States. This means that buyers and sellers around the globe can be confident that our products not only meet, but exceed internationally recognized certification standards. Quality and safety are paramount importance to us. And while we were the first, thanks to our continued practices and influences, we certainly won't be the last. Because of this certification, we must maintain the strictest of Quality Control guidelines throughout our supply chain. Therefore, all of our processing and harvesting facilities, both domestic and international must achieve certifications that SQF deems to be equal to the Level 3 guidelines. Our Shrimp Plants and Farms must be audited by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and once approved will receive the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification by the Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC). The BAP ensures that the methods used to produce and harvest shrimp follow the Principles of Sustainability.

Best Aquaculture Practices

THE GLOBAL AQUACULTURE ALLIANCE AND BAP STANDARDS
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the leading global standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood, is a non-profit trade association, committed to the mission of feeding the world through responsible aquaculture practices. GAA’s standards, known as Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), address all the components necessary to conduct aquaculture operations in a responsible and sustainable manner. Products from BAP-certified facilities carry the BAP logo.

WHY BAP?
One in every three fish consumed in the world is now farm-raised. As demand for seafood increases, aquaculture products will represent more than 50% of all total seafood consumption by 2010. BAP certification assures marketers and purchasers that the product from a certified facility has been responsibly produced.

BAP IN TODAY’S MARKETPLACE
BAP standards are now the dominant standard in use in the marketplace. Currently, 15% of the global production of farmed shrimp is BAP-certified. In the U.S. market, more than 30% of shrimp sold is BAP-certified.

WHAT AREAS ARE COVERED BY BAP?
BAP standards, which strive to comply with the aquaculture standards proposed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), address the following key areas:

* THE ENVIRONMENT *
At the hatchery, farm, feed, and processing levels, BAP standards are independently reviewed for impacts on such issues as habitat, water quality and effluents, and so on.

* SOCIAL JUSTICE *
This category includes compliance with local laws for worker safety, child labor, and community rights at the feed mill, hatchery, farm, and processing levels.

* ANIMAL WELFARE *
Standards for animal welfare cover a wide spectrum of best practices in animal husbandry, including health and welfare from cultivation to harvest (disease control, growing conditions, transportation). BAP standards emphasize humane treatmentthroughout the life cycle of the animal.

* FOOD SAFETY *
BAP standards for food safety ensure that no banned antibiotics or other chemicals may be used during farm production and that all approved chemical treatments must be carried out in a responsible fashion. Random samples of finished product are analyzed in processing plants for bacterial contamination and antibiotic residues to verify that control processes are effective.

* TRACEABILITY *
Supply chain traceability from the source to the marketplace is mandated by the BAP program before a product can be considered BAP-compliant.