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Getting certified: Business
Seafood suppliers can get certified against the Chain of custody standard. Learn how you can apply for certification below.
Are you a seafood processor, trader or supply company that wants to handle ASC certified products? You will need to be Chain of Custody (CoC) certified.
This certification will allow you to demonstrate to your supply chain partners that your certified seafood is identifiable, segregated and can be traced back to another certified business.
Get certified!
Our Chain of Custody certification is a third-party certification system, meaning that the assessment of compliance is done by independent Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). The certification will allow you to demonstrate to your customers that you are trading seafood that is identifiable, segregated and can be traced back to ASC certified producers.
Familiarise yourself with the relevant Chain of Custody documents, the MSC Chain of Custody Standard and the ASC Chain of Custody Module
Contact accredited CABs to get more information and quotes. ASC strongly recommends asking more than one certifier to quote.
Contract an accredited CAB, set an audit date and prepare for the assessment.
A qualified auditor assesses whether your company complies with the principles of the standard.
The CAB takes the certification decision, uploads the final audit report to the database and – if the decision is positive – sends you the certificate.
Once the certificate is online, you can start selling your seafood as ASC certified and your business will show up in the “Find a supplier” search.
What are CABs?
Certification companies, also referred to as Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), are independent of the ASC.
They must demonstrate to another independent organisation, Assurance Services International (ASI), that they have the skills to undertake assessments of our standards. Auditors are also required to participate in standard specific training, including a mandatory exam that they must pass.
Following accreditation, the Conformity Assessment Body is monitored by ASI to ensure they continue to operate in line with our Certification and Accreditation Requirements (CAR).
To start your certification journey, please compare independent certifiers (CABs) on the ASI website:
Learn more about the Chain of Custody standard
Chain of Custody certification ensures that companies selling certified seafood have identification, segregation and traceability processes and procedures in place.
