The certification collaboration brewing between standard-setter GlobalG.A.P. and international NGO Friend of the Sea has yielded its first aquaculture authorization success story.
As a means to reduce duplication, spur innovation and drive down audit costs for farms, GlobalGAP and Friend of the Sea combined resources to create a joint certification program, one that Croatian company Cromaris has taken full advantage of.
A self-described aquaculture leader specializing in the cultivation and processing of whitefish, specifically sea bass, sea bream and shellfish, Cromaris underwent a GlobalGAP assessment audit to prove compliance with the GlobalGAP Aquaculture Version 4 as well as the four criteria defined in the Friend of the Sea Add-On; these criteria determine a company’s impact on water body sediment, the effect its processes have on the local community regarding access to drinking water and fishing areas, and its socialization capacity as outlined by GRASP.
Cromaris has since emerged from the audit sporting a Friend of the Sea logo in combination with the GlobalGAP Number, setting the bar for other companies looking to use the new certification venture as a way to vet their processes.
“This very first experience will be a model for a number of other beneficiary aquaculture farms,” said Paolo Bray, Director and Founder of Friend of the Sea. “It is fundamental for certification programs like GlobalGAP and Friend of the Sea to cooperate for the sake of our common mission, that is the environment preservation.”
“We applaud Cromaris for being the first aquaculture farm benefitting from our global push for collaboration to reduce certification audit costs in the industry," added Kristian Moeller, CEO of GlobalGAP. “I am convinced that only through alliances like this one between GlobalGAP and FOS we can bring the needed incentives to the entire seafood sector to invest into more safety and sustainability.”
Cromaris' headquarters as well as its fish sorting and processing facility are located in Zadar; the company boasts five farms located in Istria and Zadar. According to Cromaris CEO Goran Markulin, further investigation into product quality will continue for the company in the wake of its double certification.
“Top product quality is our imperative, and these two new certificates represent yet another confirmation that strict quality standards are applied,” said Markulin. “In accordance with our strategic orientation, Cromaris will continue with further investments in product quality, as well as in sustainable aquaculture, in order to preserve the resources for future generations.”
