Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries proves quality of fresh lobster product after receiving Safe Quality Food certification with “Excellent” score

Leading aquaculture facility and producer of sustainably-sourced, premium Caribbean spiny lobster, Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries, has received the internationally-recognized Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification after achieving an “Excellent” score of 97 in an audit of its food safety practices.

 

An independently benchmarked food safety and quality program, the SQF certification, which is awarded by the SQF Institute, is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative and is renowned in the food service industry at an international scale. The certification can be granted following an extensive audit, which is highly regarded for being both rigorous and comprehensive at every step of the supply chain, including an assessment of all procedures from production and handling to processing and distribution.

 

The SQF Institute states that “the SQF family of food safety and quality codes are designed to meet industry, customer, and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain – from the farm all the way to the retail stores.” Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries, which has been in operation since 2005, has been actively exercising the SQF code of practice since it began supplying local and overseas restaurants with its high-quality product.

 

Stephen Bailey, General Manager at Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries commented on the achievement: “Here at Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries we recognize the importance of food safety throughout the supply chain, including the sourcing, growing, holding, handling, packing, and distribution of our product. The implementation of the SQF code demonstrates that we are taking all responsible steps and precautions and exercising our due diligence to protect and preserve our fresh seafood product. We have a strong culture of food safety on our farm, so it’s great to have all of our hard work recognized through the achievement of this highly prestigious certification, which asserts the premium nature of our product and reinforces the quality we consistently achieve.”

 

In addition to safeguarding food safety and quality, Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries has processes in place to ensure its lobsters are obtained only from approved sources. All of the farm’s processes are recorded, and procedures verified, to ensure complete transparency from farm to plate.