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Blue Standard Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc. |
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April 10, 2008 |
Volume 4 |
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In This Issue · ACC Board Meets in Boston · ACC Begins to Certify Seafood Processing Plants Exporting Tilapia · ACC Chosen to Participate in Auditing Benchmarking Study for Tilapia · Consumers Should Look for the Best Aquaculture Practices Mark (BAP) on Products Sold at the Retail Level · Food Quality Concerns for Farmed Aquaculture Product
Contact Us |
ACC Board Meets in Boston
Aquaculture
Certification Council Board of Directors met in Boston on Feb. 23rd
to review the progress of the organization and approve a budget and plan of
action for 2008. Nine board members
were present to discuss the future of the ACC and the accomplishments to
date. The non-profit organization has
grown substantially since its formation in 2003. While
attending the Boston Seafood Show, ACC officers Jim Heerin and William More
gave presentations at the Seafood Processing America Conference and ACC
administrator Betty More operated the ACC booth, and answered inquiries about
the BAP certification program and ACC activities.
Figure
1. Left to right - During
the first three months of 2008, the Aquaculture Certification Council
certified three plants in China that are processing and exporting tilapia to
world markets. The three plants are
Guangzhou Luxe Seafood Enterprise LTD., Shenzhen Allied Aquatic Produce
Development LTD. and Asian Seafoods (Zhanjiang) Co. LTD. Other
seafood processing plants certified in the first quarter of 2008
included: Savvy Seafoods Inc.
(Zhanjiang, China), PT. Central Pertiwi Bahari (Lampung, Indonesia) and PT.
Kelola Mina Laut (Surabaya, Indonesia).
A
list of certified processing facilities can be found on the ACC website: www.aquaculturecertification.org
. Currently there are 66 processing
plants located in 13 different countries that are BAP certified. These plants export more than 300,000
metric tons of BAP certified shrimp and 18,000 metric tons of BAP certified
tilapia.
A
memorandum of understanding between the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
(SFP), Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC), GlobalGAP, Global Aquaculture
Alliance (GAA) and Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue (World Wildlife Fund) to
participate in a benchmarking project to develop and test criteria that could
be used in auditing tilapia farms who are seeking recognition to be certified
was recently finalized. The
benchmarking study, which began in January of this year, is expected to be
completed by November 2008. Seven to
ten farms in the Eastern and Western hemisphere will be chosen to participate
in the evaluation audits. The project
coordinator for the benchmarking study is Ernesto ‘Jack’ Morales, Aquaculture
Program Director for the SFP. Consumers Should Look for
the Best Aquaculture Practices Mark (BAP) on Products Sold at the Retail
Level
BAP certified facilities have been
authorized to use the BAP certification mark on retail packaging for shrimp
farmed and/or processed in accordance with Best Aquaculture Practices
Standards, as affirmed by site inspections and auditing procedures
implemented by the ACC. The
certification mark may also be used in advertising, marketing materials, and
web sites, as long as the context of its use is limited to shrimp farmed
and/or processed in accordance with the BAP standards. Conditions for Use The retail-level BAP mark can only be used
by processing plants that have successfully been certified through the ACC
and are in good standing with the BAP program. Based on the certified facilities level of
participation in the BAP program, one of two versions of the mark is supplied
to program participants: one that
indicates the product came from a BAP certified processor that sourced the
shrimp from BAP-certified farms or one that indicates the shrimp were
processed at a certified facility but not farmed at certified
facilities. Certified facilities can also apply a BAP
certification mark to master cartons that contain more than five pounds of
product when the product is packed and sold at the wholesale level. Certified two and three-star facilities can
use the “star logo” to indicate the product originates at certified farms (2
star) and/or certified farms and hatcheries (3 star). There are currently 8 three star facilities
and 9 two star BAP certified facilities marketing product using the BAP logo. BAP certified processing plants in good
standing have the right to put the BAP logo on all aquaculture shrimp
processed at the certified facility, regardless of the final distribution
(export, local sales, shipping to other plants for further processing) as
long as it is properly marked as to the origin and there are no fraudulent
claims associated with the use of the logo.
Seafood
quality and safety are closely related and poor quality can either directly
or indirectly lead to food safety problems.
Managing food quality is an essential step to managing food safety. Product
quality at aquaculture farm facilities can be maintained in good condition
using a series of good management practices that include:
Measures that could
be taken at the farm to improve quality assurance include implementing a farm
HACCP plan with sanitation measures to address food quality and safety and
establishing an inspection system for incoming raw materials, chemicals and
other ingredients to determine if they conform to food safety specifications
for the product being produced, harvested and transported. There are a host of
variable factors that influence quality at the farm and when you are
examining product, let your eyes, hand and nose be your guide. Handling of product should always be
minimized and care should be taken to insure the personnel handling the
product are complying with good sanitation guidelines which include
minimizing hand contact with the product.
Employees who are ill or have sores on their hands should not be
allowed to touch or handle the product.
Personnel involved in the harvest or transportation must follow
instructions on how to properly use, mix and dispose of chemicals and
sanitizers used. The most important
quality issues originating at the farm are problems associated with
off-flavor and off-odors which can be caused by a variety of things to
include the food being eaten and the environment the animals are living in.
Product being harvested and transported should be checked for quality related
indicators like appearance, off-odors and off-flavors. Organoleptic changes can cause
deterioration in quality, spoilage from bacteria growth and oxidative
reactions such as melanosis which cause discoloration and back spotting. The sensory quality
(odor, flavor) and texture can be checked before harvest by cooking the
product in a pouch of boiling water to an internal temperature of 71° C for
approximately 1.5 minutes and then tasting and smelling the cooked product. Product with unacceptable odors and flavor
should not be harvested until the problem(s) are identified and resolved. Below are some of
the quality concerns and preventative measures that can be taken to address
quality related problems. Conclusion Food quality begins at the production source
and problems left unattended can affect the product quality and safety
throughout the chain of custody. Good quality is essential to maintain
product value. Poor quality cannot
only reduce product value, but compromise food safety.
AQUACULTURE
CERTIFICATION COUNCIL, INC. |
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