The initiative was created to highlight those producers who are leaders in the seafood industry. Producers that are part of this initiative go “above and beyond what is expected of them and incorporate leading-edge innovations or best practices” into their businesses, according to the Global Seafood Alliance.
The CAS Vanguard Standard is a Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification standard applicable to feed mills, farms and seafood processing facilities and was developed to address the wider footprint of farmed seafood, particularly its carbon footprint and other impacts associated with the production of feed ingredients. It requires responsible sourcing of marine and plant-based ingredients: including ingredients from fish processing by-products, certified sources and plant-based ingredients that are deforestation and conversion free (DCF). In addition, facilities must demonstrate a decrease in their carbon footprint over time by reporting on data relative to greenhouse gas emissions, energy source selection and consumption, water use and more.
The standard was designed to promote continuous improvement and incentivise producers to seek product from Vanguard certified facilities along the supply chain, which in turn will lead to increasing amounts of ingredients certified to responsible sourcing standards.
The CAS Vanguard standard can be reviewed here.
