A qualitative assessment of standards and certification schemes applicable to aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region
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Recent years have seen markets becoming increasingly stringent towards the quality of food products. Initially, quality criteria addressed mainly food safety issues. However, in response to the concerns expressed by many non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, product quality increasingly began to include criteria related to environmental and socio-economic sustainability. This trend can also be observed in fisheries and aquaculture products. Sustainability and corporate social an d environmental responsibility were key topics discussed at the 2007 Seafood Summit and are likely to play a greater role in the sector. There is a notable difference between agriculture and fisheries commodities, especially as fisheries products are often much more diverse than those of agriculture in terms of both commodities and production systems. Requirements for quality criteria and the need to cope with this diversity have led, over the past few years, to an overwhelming proliferation of certification schemes. Many countries in Asia have expressed concern about the potential impact that these certification schemes may have on the supply chain, especially those of small-scale producers. This document reviews the voluntary standards and certification programmes applicable to the aquaculture sector in the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, it reviews the challenges and opportunities of the most important schemes with the objective of advising stakeholders on strategies to maximize the sustainability of the aquaculture sector for all parties involved.