How ecologically sound and sustainable are our Krill Oil Supplies?

andywren77 on 10 21, 2010

Q: What is the MSC Certification program and why did our suppliers choose to participate?

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery certification program aims to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood and working with partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. MSC has designed a rigorous science-based certification process that evaluates the fisheries practices of a company and puts conditions on the operations in the fishery to ensure sustainability and to keep the oceans thriving. Products from MSC certified fisheries can carry a MSC blue eco-label to alert consumers to products that are harvested responsibly.

Our suppliers pursued MSC certification as part of our strong commitment to environmental sustainability and our dedication to offering our customers healthful products that are good for the environment too. We also wanted to give our customers independent assurance that Nutrigold Krill products are environmentally sustainable.

Q: Who is the Marine Stewardship Council or MSC?

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent, global non-profit organization that works to promote the best choices in sustainable seafood. More information about the Marine Stewardship Council is available at www.msc.org.

Q: Why would a company want to have its fishery certified?

The MSC certification lets distributors, buyers and consumers know that the products they are buying or selling were produced in a way that causes minimal impact to the ecosystem and ensures healthy, sustainable oceans for generations to come.

Q: Why would a company want the MSC blue eco-label on their products? The vast majority of Americans (73%*) want eco‐labels that describe how products are made or where they originate from. The MSC blue eco-label indicates to these consumers that the products they are buying come from an environmentally sustainable fishery, empowering them to use their purchasing power to support sustainable practice. There are over 1600 products carrying the MSC blue eco-label in the U.S. market.

*Survey conducted by the Yale School of Forestry and the Environment

Q: What assurances does Nutrigold  offer its buyers?

Nutrigolds suppliers track the krill from catch to sale, a concept called traceability. Traceability ensures that the blue label is only used on products that come from certified fisheries and is requirement for MSC ‘chain of custody’ certification. When you see the Nutrigold  name or logo with krill products, you know that you are receiving a sustainably-harvested product.

Q: What does a company have to do to certify its fishery?

The MSC guidelines are rigorous to ensure sustainable, healthy ocean life. A company must abide by three principles of sustainability:

1)      The company must manage its fishery in a sustainable manner, helping to keep fish populations thriving.

2) The company must ensure its operations allow for productive habitat and ecosystem where it is fishing.

3) The fishery must respects all laws and incorporate responsible sustainable management techniques.

Q: How can buyers be certain that Nutrigolds fishing is sustainable?

Our suppliers have a long term environmental vision. We proactively sought out the voluntary MSC certification to ensure that our operations met the strictest international guidelines and were entirely sustainable. Additionally, our suppliers continuously collaborates with environmental scientists and environmental nonprofits like The World Wildlife Fund Norway to understand the impact of its krill harvesting.