Certification to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody Standard and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Chain of Custody Module provides independent verification that your seafood originates from certified sustainable fisheries or responsible aquaculture farms.

What is MSC Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard

The MSC CoC Standard applies to any organization - individual company or group - that owns MSC-certified seafood products or processes, transforms, repacks, relabels, stores, trades, or distributes them, including processors and manufacturers, traders and wholesalers, distributors and logistics providers, as well as retailers and foodservice operators.

The standard ensures that certified seafood remains fully traceable throughout the entire supply chain and guarantees traceability back to fisheries certified as environmentally sustainable and responsibly managed.

ASC Chain of Custody Module

Companies handling ASC-certified seafood must comply with both the MSC CoC Standard and the additional ASC CoC Module.

The ASC module strengthens supply chain integrity through enhanced requirements, including food safety controls and antibiotic risk management and detection - providing increased assurance and reinforcing the credibility of the ASC label.

Use of the MSC or ASC eco-label on seafood products is only permitted where there has been an independent verification against the MSC CoC Standard and ASC CoC Module, and where the company has signed a logo licensing agreement with the scheme owner.

Benefits of becoming certified

The MSC and ASC labels are globally recognized indicators of sustainable seafood. They allow your business to:

• Ensure Sustainable Sourcing: Guarantee seafood comes from well-managed fisheries (MSC) or responsible aquaculture farms (ASC).
• Boost Market Access: Meet growing consumer and retail demand for traceable, sustainable seafood.
• Enhance Brand Reputation: Position your brand as a leader in environmental stewardship and responsible sourcing.
• Gain Consumer Trust: The MSC label is the world’s most recognized indicator of sustainable wild-caught seafood, and the ASC label is the most trusted farmed seafood label. Both are strongly associated with sustainability, responsibility, and traceability, giving your customers confidence and prompting them to make responsible choices.

The Certification Path

We guide you through a transparent process to ensure your operations meet the highest standards of compliance.

1. Application: Submit your details to initiate the certification process.
2. Scope Determination: Define the specific products and sites to be certified.
3. Quotation & Contract: Receive a clear, transparent cost structure for your audit.
4. Audit Execution: Planning and on-site/remote assessment of your traceability systems.
5. Technical Review: An independent review of audit findings and reporting.
6. Certification: Upon successful closure of any non-conformities, your CoC certificate is issued.

Once certified, you may use the MSC and/or ASC label (subject to logo licensing) and demonstrate verified compliance.

Maintaining Compliance

To ensure ongoing integrity and market confidence, certified companies undergo:

• Surveillance Audits
• Re-Certification Audits at the end of the certification cycle
• Risk-based Unannounced Audits, where applicable

Contact us now:

If you have questions or want further information about the MSC and ASC standards, please do not hesitate to call or write to us on tel. +45 39 39 01 35 or e-mail cert@balticcontrol.com. We’ll be happy to provide a targeted offer that fits your business.

For more information about MSC please click here  The MSC Chain of Custody Standard

For more information about MSC please click here  Chain of Custody standard - ASC International