GlobalGAP on Wednesday introduced farmed tilapia and pangasius certification standards during a press conference at the Brussels Exhibition Center.
In development for just under two years, the standards have been tested at 15 farms in Asia and North and South America by GlobalGAP auditors. The organization is in the process of making the standards applicable to all farms, large and small.All GlobalGAP retailers participating in the press conference, including Royal Ahold, said they are in discussions with their suppliers to carrying only certified tilapia and pangasius products, which they hope to accomplish in 12 months.
GlobalGAP also presented an update on the farmed shrimp standards it introduced at last year's European Seafood Exposition. Presented at the press conference was a Heiploeg BV shrimp product carrying the certificate.
GlobalGAP is a business-to-business label and is therefore not visible to consumers. However, displayed on the Heiploeg shrimp product are two tracking numbers allowing consumers to track the product through the supply chain.
Founded by the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group (EUREP) in 1997, GlobalGAP, or Good Agriculture Practices, establishes voluntary certification standards for agriculture and aquaculture products worldwide. About 100,000 farms in 80 countries participate in the program, certified by more than 130 accredited third-party certifiers.
Numerous retailers and foodservice operators worldwide sell GlobalGAP-certified product, including ASDA, Co-op Group, Delhaize, McDonald's, Metro Group, Tesco, Waitrose and Wegmans.
GlobalGAP also introduced farmed Atlantic salmon certification standards in 2004.
April 29, 2009