Friend of the Sea’s seafood certification schemes aim to increase customer awareness of the environmental impact and sustainability of their seafood purchasing choices. It is a means of communicating to customers that the product is sourced from well-managed capture fisheries or aquaculture production facilities that focus on issues related to the sustainable use of fisheries […]
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Seafood Eco-labelling is a way of communicating to customers that the product is sourced from well-managed capture fisheries or aquaculture production facilities that focus on issues related to the sustainable use of fisheries resources. Quality and price are not the only criteria for choosing what to eat. Consumers increasingly consider other factors too, like whether […]
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Friend of the Sea certified products are now available at all the main European large-scale retailers, as well as in many restaurants and pharmacies (in the case of food supplements). Sustainable Seafood Movement The Sustainable Seafood Movement is an initiative born as a result of overexploited and destroyed marine ecosystems throughout the world. Awareness campaigns […]
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Why Certification Matters Clear requirements for businesses. Informed choices for consumers. Behind every seafood product, marine ingredient or service connected with the sea are decisions about sourcing, production and how activities are carried out. Certification provides a framework for assessing those practices against defined requirements. It helps businesses communicate what has been independently checked […]
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Yes, they can. Friend of the Sea is the only international programme that can certify products from both fisheries and aquaculture with the same trademark. Friend of the Sea believes consumers want only a sustainability ecolabel for seafood. Moreover, aquaculture and fisheries are strongly connected because of the potential reciprocal impacts and because fish feed […]
Read moreInitially, the Friend of the Sea Advisory Board set the criteria following consultation of key NGOs’ criteria and stakeholders’ opinions. Since 2008, based on a policy of continually improvement, several modifications have been incorporated. Currently, during a public consultation period, the Friend of the Sea Technical Committee collaborates by sending comments and voting on the […]
Read moreStakeholders interested in becoming members of the Technical Committee can apply by sending an updated CV to the following email: info@friendofthesea.org. Every three years, 14 to 21 members from different areas of activity and geographic region are elected to serve on the Friend of the Sea Technical Committee. The Friend of the Sea Technical and […]
Read moreFriend of the Sea audits against seafood standards must be performed by third-party certification bodies accredited by National Accreditation Bodies. National Accreditation Bodies audit and accredit certification bodies that have requested to extend their scope of accreditation to the Friend of the Sea seafood standard. Rina, DNV GL, Control Union, SGS and London Associati are […]
Read moreIndividuals, companies and organisations can send objections regarding companies to be audited by filling in the Objections Form, which may lead to certification failure. Nevertheless, Friend of the Sea can accept only objections supported by evidence and received with at least 15 working days in advance of the planned audit. Complaints about certification decisions in […]
Read moreRoyalties are yearly fees which cover authorised use of the Friend of the Sea logo on certified products. This is normal practice for the use of a registered logo like Friend of the Sea. The pricelist is available here.
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