The International Association of Seafood Professionals(IAFI) today announced that they plan to set up an independent Seafood Standards Equivalence Committee for the benefit of stakeholders across the international Seafood Sector.
This initiative should add a balance of clarity and expertise to the formal review of seafood certification standards and remove the confusion caused by biased and poorly researched reports which claim to have formally reviewed existing standards. This initiative will cover Fishery, Aquaculture and Supply Chain Standards.
IAFI is an established and recognised organization serving the worlds fish inspection, research, regulation, education and supply chain community with a seat at Codex. As stated in its Charter, IAFI exists to promote the exchange of ideas and information, foster interaction, understanding and professional collaboration among individuals, organizations, and governments, to disseminate knowledge about fish, seafood, and associated products on inspection, and promote advancement of the state-of-the-art in fish inspection research and education.
IAFI run the biennial World Seafood Congress which has been at the forefront of discussions and debates about sustainable development of the industry, the importance of understanding the benefits of seafood consumption as well as the risks, the integrity of the seafood industry and many more issues.
IAFI have formulated a working group that will report on the stakeholder feedback, the proposed equivalency process and the feasibility of the Committee at the IAFI World Seafood Congress in Washington DC, October 2011. The IAFI congress is being hosted by the National Fisheries Institute and supported by FAO and UNIDO.
IAFI will now be seeking and collecting opinions and inputs from all interested parties before the final report is collated and presented in October. The IAFI outreach will commence at the Brussels European Seafood Exposition. Stand No. 11-2728. There will be a brief discussion on the subject during IAFI’s meeting at ESE to be held on Wed 4 May. A dedicated website and email address has been established to assist will communications.
Under this proposal, this initiative would be a collaboration between some of the world's leading seafood standards and management experts from fishery and aquaculture science, NGO, certification, accreditation and standards conformity, retail, manufacturer and foodservice companies, as well as service providers associated with the seafood supply chain.
Source: International Association of Seafood Professionals
