Croda Embarks on Responsible Sourcing and Production Certification

The IFFO RS Chain of Custody certification will recognise the strong emphasis Croda places on responsible marine sourcing, advanced production methods and raw material traceability and affirms confidence in Croda’s industry-leading manufacturing site in Leek, UK, where all its Incromega and Omelife fish oil grades are produced.

Nov 1 2010 --- Omega 3 supplier Croda has committed to applying for Chain of Custody certification within the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation’s Global Standard for Responsible Supply (IFFO-RS). Croda will become the first concentrated fish oil supplier to achieve this standard.

The IFFO RS Chain of Custody certification will recognise the strong emphasis Croda places on responsible marine sourcing, advanced production methods and raw material traceability and affirms confidence in Croda’s industry-leading manufacturing site in Leek, UK, where all its Incromega and Omelife fish oil grades are produced.

‘Responsible sourcing and production is a hot topic for the nutritional industry today and a top priority for both Croda and our customers. In making our decision, we have reviewed a number of accreditations linked to sustainability and responsible sourcing and the IFFO RS certification is, in our opinion, by far the most rigorous in its approach, demanding a thorough review of our entire supply chain and production facilities’, said Dave Cherry, Managing Director, Health Care, Croda Europe.

The IFFO RS certification has three strict independently audited criteria that Croda feels confident it will gain approval against:

• Responsible Sourcing
• Responsible Production
• Responsible Traceability

‘After many years experience in the sourcing and the supply of quality fish oil ingredients, we look forward to our high standards being more widely recognised’, said Dave Cherry, ‘IFFO are demanding in their approach but, with a number of documents requested and audit visits to our MHRA approved Leek site planned, we are looking to progress this as a priority and are working with IFFO and its Technical Advisory Committee to finalise the new Chain of Custody module of the IFFO Standard.’

Andrew Jackson, Technical Director, IFFO said – “We are delighted that Croda has decided to embark on the continued development of IFFO RS Standard by supporting the implementation of an IFFO RS Chain of Custody specification for the entire fish meal and fish oil supply chain ”…”the IFFO RS Standard represents the culmination of three years work by the multi-stakeholder Technical Advisory Committee and is the most complete standard for our industry covering as it does both food safety and responsible fisheries management.”

Croda manufactures the industry leading Incromega range, a new generation of omega 3 marine oil concentrates that offer enhanced potency, purity and efficacy for specific conditions. The lipids are concentrated and purified to pharmaceutical grade requirements using proprietary PureMax technology selectively concentrating the key fatty acid actives, EPA and DHA.