Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF) vows to fight the use of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) in its supply chain and wants to persuade suppliers across the region to undertake sustainable practices in supply sourcing, traceable systems and good labour practices.
Previously, CPF announced a target to implement a complete audit of critical suppliers on sustainability aspects covering environmental, human rights and labour issues, specifically for fish meal suppliers, by 2020.
Fish meal is an ingredient used in the company's shrimp feed production and is the only linkage between the company and the ocean.
To achieve the goal, the company has encouraged and supported fish meal suppliers to develop sustainability in the supply chain.
In 2019, CPF anticipates that the sourcing of fish meal in Vietnam, India and Philippines operations will partially come from certified fish meal factories under the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization Responsible Supply standard (IFFO RS), the best international standard for fish meal production and sourcing.
All fish meal used in CPF's Thailand operations is already certified by IFFO RS and is solely the byproduct of fish-processing plants.
Sujint Thammasart, chief operating officer for aquaculture business at CPF, said the IFFO RS certification will guarantee transparency and sustainability in CPF's fish meal supply chain.
The certification will set the new standard for the company's operations worldwide, he said.
"We have a purchasing policy to only purchase byproduct fish meal," Mr Sujint said, "which is traceable and sourced from processing plants certified by IFFO RS or the IFFO RS Improvers Programme, and bycatch fish meal from suppliers that have been certified according to international standards or legally examined by various parties, including officials, representatives from Department of Fisheries, traders, consumers and academia."
Suppliers will be trained and consulted in the area of Good Manufacturing Practice, the global certification scheme for feed raw materials.
CPF has provided training for 95 suppliers this year.