Naturland Fish & Seafood

Naturland: Together. Organic. Fair Trade.

The food system of the future is organic and fair trade. If the implementation of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations with its 17 sustainability goals is to succeed, our society must no longer regard this as a risky venture, but as a principle of survival. The challenge of shaping the future of our food in a sustainable manner and in a global context has been moving Naturland for almost 35 years.

Naturland promotes organic farming worldwide
Naturland is one of the major international associations for organic agriculture and promotes organic farming worldwide. Currently over 65,000 farmers, bee-keepers, fish farmers and fishers in 58 countries manage some 440,000 hectares according to the Naturland standards. Naturland certification standards do not only cover plant and animal production. They also include bee-keeping, aquaculture, sustainable capture fishery, food processing as well as non-food areas like forest management, cosmetics and textiles. Standards on Social Responsibility are an integral part of the Naturland certification. With its supplementary certification Naturland Fair, Naturland combines organic and fair trade under one logo which is applied to products from both the north and the south.

The Naturland quality principle
Quality assurance starts on the farms themselves. We know our farmers. Naturland is a community of farmers who produce top quality organic foodstuffs in accordance with the same stringent standards in 58 countries the world over. The Naturland quality assurance monitors that these guidelines are understood and uniformly implemented everywhere - by producers as well as by processing companies, the Naturland partners. Over 800 processors place their trust in the quality of Naturland raw materials.

Independent inspection bodies are appointed to monitor the implementation of the standards. Besides their regular annual inspection tours, they also make unannounced, risk-orientated spot checks. The quality of the inspection bodies themselves is of crucial importance, particularly in the international field. Naturland co-operates only with carefully selected inspection bodies, and we offer their inspectors courses of instruction on a regular basis.

Naturland guidelines – straightforward and transparent
The development of guidelines and their implementation in practice is at the heart of the work of an organic farming association. At the heart of all Naturland guidelines is a holistic approach, sustainable management, nature and climate protection, protection and preservation of soil, air and water as well as consumer protection. The holistic claim of the Naturland standards also includes the living and working conditions of the people who live on the farms and operations.

The Naturland guidelines can be viewed here.

Naturland Fish and Seafood

Today, over half of the fish and seafood consumed world-wide derives from aquaculture. Since the mid-1990s Naturland has dedicated itself to making fish farming sustainable, with the result that its organic standards for aquaculture are today’s leading benchmark. Nevertheless, wild fish remains an important source of food and the Naturland wild fish standards provide reliable criteria for its certification.

It makes no difference whether fish and seafood are caught wild or farmed, the important thing is to protect the natural environment and to ensure that stocks are not adversely affected. With its standards on Organic Aquaculture and Sustainable Capture Fishery, Naturland has established a framework for the sustainability of the species farmed. Besides this, however, fishing and aquaculture also have a direct impact on the people who work in these industries. This is why Naturland has also drawn up standards on Social Responsibility applicable both on board ship and on fish farms too.

Organic aquaculture
Naturland certifies over a dozen species throughout the world. These include among others freshwater fish and Atlantic salmon, mussels, warmwater shrimps and micro- and macroalgae. Algae play an increasingly important role in human nutrition. Organic aquaculture farms choose their locations with care and conserve the aquatic environment and surrounding eco-systems. They ensure that the various species are managed in keeping with their behavioural characteristics and cultivate low stocking densities. Further principles adhered to are freedom from genetic engineering, chemical additives, growth stimulants and hormones. The Naturland standards furthermore govern how the fish and seafood are processed, and not only how they are cultivated. Seamless monitoring, certified organic ingredients and abstention from additives such as phosphates are a matter of course.

A crucial factor in marine conservation is the source of the feed: Naturland fishers derive the fish meal and fish oil used in the feed from trimmings of fish being processed for human consumption and not, as is common elsewhere, from industrial fishing specialising in the production of feed.

Naturland Wildfish – sustainable catch and organic processing
The main focus of certification to the Naturland on Sustainable Capture Fishery standards is on small-scale fisheries and in particular those which set an especially good example. Naturland devotes particular attention to these fishing projects and draws on the advice of external experts to provide tailor-made solutions. Certification to the Naturland Wildfish standards makes it obligatory to adhere to social standards at every link along the value-added chain. Products displaying the Naturland Wildfish logo must have been processed according to the Naturland standards for organic products. Besides the general requirements for sustainable fishing, individual farm management requirements specific to each project are applicable. These contain additional specifications addressing ecological, social and economic aspects.

Naturland: Together. Organic. Fair Trade.

The food system of the future is organic and fair trade. If the implementation of the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations with its 17 sustainability goals is to succeed, our society must no longer regard this as a risky venture, but as a principle of survival. The challenge of shaping the future of our food in a sustainable manner and in a global context has been moving Naturland for almost 35 years.

Naturland promotes organic farming worldwide
Naturland is one of the major international associations for organic agriculture and promotes organic farming worldwide. Currently over 65,000 farmers, bee-keepers, fish farmers and fishers in 58 countries manage some 440,000 hectares according to the Naturland standards. Naturland certification standards do not only cover plant and animal production. They also include bee-keeping, aquaculture, sustainable capture fishery, food processing as well as non-food areas like forest management, cosmetics and textiles. Standards on Social Responsibility are an integral part of the Naturland certification. With its supplementary certification Naturland Fair, Naturland combines organic and fair trade under one logo which is applied to products from both the north and the south.

The Naturland quality principle
Quality assurance starts on the farms themselves. We know our farmers. Naturland is a community of farmers who produce top quality organic foodstuffs in accordance with the same stringent standards in 58 countries the world over. The Naturland quality assurance monitors that these guidelines are understood and uniformly implemented everywhere - by producers as well as by processing companies, the Naturland partners. Over 800 processors place their trust in the quality of Naturland raw materials.

Independent inspection bodies are appointed to monitor the implementation of the standards. Besides their regular annual inspection tours, they also make unannounced, risk-orientated spot checks. The quality of the inspection bodies themselves is of crucial importance, particularly in the international field. Naturland co-operates only with carefully selected inspection bodies, and we offer their inspectors courses of instruction on a regular basis.

Naturland guidelines – straightforward and transparent
The development of guidelines and their implementation in practice is at the heart of the work of an organic farming association. At the heart of all Naturland guidelines is a holistic approach, sustainable management, nature and climate protection, protection and preservation of soil, air and water as well as consumer protection. The holistic claim of the Naturland standards also includes the living and working conditions of the people who live on the farms and operations.

The Naturland guidelines can be viewed here.

Naturland Fish and Seafood

Today, over half of the fish and seafood consumed world-wide derives from aquaculture. Since the mid-1990s Naturland has dedicated itself to making fish farming sustainable, with the result that its organic standards for aquaculture are today’s leading benchmark. Nevertheless, wild fish remains an important source of food and the Naturland wild fish standards provide reliable criteria for its certification.

It makes no difference whether fish and seafood are caught wild or farmed, the important thing is to protect the natural environment and to ensure that stocks are not adversely affected. With its standards on Organic Aquaculture and Sustainable Capture Fishery, Naturland has established a framework for the sustainability of the species farmed. Besides this, however, fishing and aquaculture also have a direct impact on the people who work in these industries. This is why Naturland has also drawn up standards on Social Responsibility applicable both on board ship and on fish farms too.

Organic aquaculture
Naturland certifies over a dozen species throughout the world. These include among others freshwater fish and Atlantic salmon, mussels, warmwater shrimps and micro- and macroalgae. Algae play an increasingly important role in human nutrition. Organic aquaculture farms choose their locations with care and conserve the aquatic environment and surrounding eco-systems. They ensure that the various species are managed in keeping with their behavioural characteristics and cultivate low stocking densities. Further principles adhered to are freedom from genetic engineering, chemical additives, growth stimulants and hormones. The Naturland standards furthermore govern how the fish and seafood are processed, and not only how they are cultivated. Seamless monitoring, certified organic ingredients and abstention from additives such as phosphates are a matter of course.

A crucial factor in marine conservation is the source of the feed: Naturland fishers derive the fish meal and fish oil used in the feed from trimmings of fish being processed for human consumption and not, as is common elsewhere, from industrial fishing specialising in the production of feed.

Naturland Wildfish – sustainable catch and organic processing
The main focus of certification to the Naturland on Sustainable Capture Fishery standards is on small-scale fisheries and in particular those which set an especially good example. Naturland devotes particular attention to these fishing projects and draws on the advice of external experts to provide tailor-made solutions. Certification to the Naturland Wildfish standards makes it obligatory to adhere to social standards at every link along the value-added chain. Products displaying the Naturland Wildfish logo must have been processed according to the Naturland standards for organic products. Besides the general requirements for sustainable fishing, individual farm management requirements specific to each project are applicable. These contain additional specifications addressing ecological, social and economic aspects.