Fully-integrated Moroccan seafood company renews certification for sustainable seafood, fish products, and fish oils
Friend of the Sea, the global authority and certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, announced that it has recertified Morocco’s King Pelagique Group in multiple categories of sustainability. King Pelagique Group can continue to display the Friend of the Sea eco-label on its products.
“King Pelagique Group operates a highly complex fishing and manufacturing business across multiple fish-related categories, so their dedication to sustainability is all the more impressive,” said Paolo Bray, Director of Friend of the Sea. “Getting recertified in multiple categories represents a non-trivial undertaking.”
Friend of the Sea has recertified King Pelagique Group each year since 2013 for sustainable practices in the production of seafood, fishmeal, fish oil and Omega 3. Based in Dakla, Morocco, the 1400-person King Pelagique Group specializes in small pelagic fishing. This includes species like sardines, sardinella, mackerel and horse mackerel. The company is fully-integrated, meaning it operations span fishing, processing, freezing and canning. King Pelagique Group also produces fish-derived products like Omega 3 fish oils.
King Pelagique Group has earned a number of certifications beyond Friend of the Sea. The company is BRC Food certified. They are also compliant with FDA and IFS food standards. For King Pelagique Group, sustainability is part of a bigger picture of economic development. As Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Zebdi explained, “We deliver our international customers the best of the Ocean. We want to be a catalyst for the development of our region.”
