Pretty good for a more sustainable approach to farming and fishing. Wide ranging accreditation are independently verified but no annual reporting shared for three years.
People
1
Environment
6
Animals
4
Independently
Verified
What we say
They offer a wide range of certifications from fisheries and fleets through to salts, restaurants and even cleaning products. It’s a dizzying selection of services and the best place to explore is their own official website which is very transparent with up to date news and staff info but a concerning gap in the annual reports (nothing since 2019/20).
The farmed and wild caught accreditation are similar to the MSC and ASC standards with the added benefit of independent auditing. Friend of the Sea seems to be taking a much wider approach to supporting responsible, sustainable exploitation of the seas to influence a wider range of actors than just their fisheries.
The ‘social accountability’ side is pretty weak, a ban on child or forced labour (compliance with the ILO), paying ‘adequate salaries’ (mega vague) and offering ‘access’ to healthcare. So don’t expect much from the human side here.
FOS is a project from the World Sustainability Organization which also runs the Friends of the Earth accreditation programme and range of campaigns. Label Mouse wonders if they’re spreading themselves too thin.
What they say
An international NGO whose mission is to promote environmental conservation.
For wild-caught products they ensure (among other things) that stock is not overexploited, no bycatch of endangered species, no impact on seabed and ‘social accountability’.
For farmed-caught they ensure no impact of critical habitats, no GMO or growth hormones and compliance with water quality parameters.
Friend of the Sea ensures compliance through yearly audits carried out onsite by independent international certification bodies