International sustainability certification standard GlobalG.A.P. recently released the sixth version of its standards for good agricultural and aquaculture practices, with an emphasis on the integration of new technological advances.
GlobalG.A.P. launched its first aquaculture standard in 2004, with a species-specific focus on salmon. In 2011, it shifted its standard into one that can apply to any fish-production system, and its latest standard has continued to evolve on that system.
Remko Oosterveld, an aquaculture expert with GlobalG.A.P., told SeafoodSource during the 2022 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain, this new set of standards is taking a more forward-looking stance on how his organization’s sustainability certification can apply to aquaculture, and beyond.
“Version six, it’s not only a new aquaculture standard, but also a new fruit and vegetable standard and a new floricultural standard,” Oosterveld said. “With version six, we are taking a forward-looking stance, like how to integrate more technology into certification.”
The standard has been the product of more than two years of work, he said, involving many meetings with stakeholders and public consultations that included 485 comments that the organization considered.