Seafood Forever™ Program
At Aqua Star, we know the future of our industry relies on sourcing seafood in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Aqua Star sets strict internal standards and works with all facets of our supply chain to ensure best practices, maintain traceability, and continually improve performance. We are dedicated to the long-term health of the local environments and economies in which we operate—and to the well-being of the people who depend on them.
Our Seafood Forever™ program is based on four pillars we view as critical to contributing to this long-term health: Environmental Responsibility, Social Responsibility, Traceability, and Food Safety. Providing the Seafood Forever™ assurance demonstrates Aqua Star’s ongoing commitment to responsible sourcing and to meeting the needs of our valued customers.
Environmental Responsibility
We continually strive to provide high-quality, responsibly-sourced seafood to a growing customer base.
- A wide range of Aqua Star seafood products are certified as responsible by certification programs that have been approved by the Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative (GSSI). Our wild-caught seafood products include fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), while our farm-raised offerings feature seafood certified by both the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and the Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).
- A variety of our harvest sources are recommended by leading programs and nonprofit organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, and Ocean Wise.
- We participate in industry roundtables and work with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, incorporating their guidance to help us drive continual improvements in our source fisheries and farms.
Social Responsibility
Aqua Star is committed to inclusion and equality amongst all employees in our company and in our supply chain. Our commitment to social responsibility is informed by our Supplier Code of Conduct which is based on the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code. This code addresses issues like wages, hours of work, child labor and health and safety, and requires that suppliers undergo third-party social audits.
Aqua Star aims to foster an environment where equal opportunity is assured to people of all genders, ethnicity, religion, and disability in our company and supply chain.
Traceability
Aqua Star adheres to a comprehensive traceability model to prevent illegal, unregulated and unreported seafood from entering our supply chain and products.
- Wild capture products are traceable through each harvest area, vessel, catch method, and all points of processing and distribution. Aquaculture products are traceable from the feed source, hatcheries, farms, and all points of processing and distribution.
- Aqua Star holds Chain of Custody certifications from the MSC and ASC, and we are engaged with the Global Aquaculture Alliance to collaboratively strengthen the BAP program reporting requirements.
Food safety
Aqua Star has multiple quality control teams worldwide who work hand-in-hand with our headquartered quality assurance teams working to ensure our products are safe and healthy.
- Our quality Aqua Star production facilities undergo regular third-party audits to guarantee FDA HACCP compliance and meet the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked standard.