Japanese manufacturers associated with the Japan Fish Feed Association are poised to fall short of the new Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) feed standards, leaving the country with only one major fish feed maker likely to meet the updated criteria – the Japanese subsidiary of Skretting, based in Stavanger, Norway.
The ASC’s Feed Standard V1.01, launched on June 15, 2021, came into effect on January 14, 2023, allowing feed mills to seek certification under the new standard early this year.
According to reports from The Minato Shimbun newspaper in June, members of the Japan Fish Feed Association, representing most aquafeed mills in Japan, are unable to meet the new standards. The reason lies in their utilization of fish waste, including trimmings, unsold fish, and other byproducts, collected from distributors and retailers in their production processes.
Since these producers do not segregate and trace the source of each bit of waste they use, they do not qualify for certification under the ASC’s new traceability rules. Meeting the new standard would necessitate the construction of a separate, dedicated production line, which the feed-makers consider economically unfeasible.
While the use of waste byproducts in aquafeed is environmentally friendly and aligns with Japanese law, which mandates waste collection for this purpose, it may contain traces of fish that do not comply with ASC standards.
The ASC emphasized that it requires all marine ingredients in aquafeed to undergo assessment for the risk of originating from illegal, unregulated, unreported (IUU) fishing, use of endangered species, and the risk of being caught using forced or child labour. The organization acknowledged the challenges associated with byproduct traceability but emphasized the importance of ensuring such worst practices are absent in the supply chains of ASC-certified feed mills.
In response to these challenges, the Japan Fish Feed Association, comprising 12 feed manufacturers, has opted for Marine Eco-Label Japan (MEL) certification for the time being. Recognized by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), MEL’s Aquaculture Management Standard aligns with the GSSI Global Benchmark Tool, which bases its criteria on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Eco-labelling Guidelines and Technical Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification.
While MEL is developing its certification standards for fishmeal, fish oil, and compound feed, it remains uncertain whether MEL’s Aquaculture Eco-Label (AEL) standard is more accommodating than ASC requirements.
