Fish & Seafood

GAA Certifies Omarsa as Four-Star BAP Shrimp Supplier

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Omarsa S.A. is the first Ecuadorian producer of frozen vannamei shrimp to receive the highest achievement in the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program by earning four-star BAP status. Furthermore, it is only the second company in Latin America qualified to sell four-star BAP shrimp.

The Durán-headquartered company became eligible to offer four-star BAP shrimp on confirmation that it sources feed from Inbalnor S.A. in Ecuador and Vitapro S.A. in Peru, both of which attained BAP certification last year. Omarsa’s processing plant, its Cachugran and Puna farms and the Mar Bravo hatchery have been BAP-certified since 2007.

Shrimp farm omarsa

“Having three-star BAP status for our processing plant, farms and hatchery was an achievement we celebrated years ago. Having our entire aquaculture production chain BAP-certified is a whole new level we can proudly announce,” said Sandro Coglitore, the company’s chief executive officer. “This next step shows our commitment to sustainable production that includes environmental and social responsibility, food safety, animal welfare and traceability.”

Since 1982 Omarsa has been engaged in farming, processing and shipping of premium quality Penaeus vannamei. It also processes wild-caught Titi shrimp (Protrachypene recipua).

Ranked among Ecuador’s top three shrimp exporting companies, Omarsa produces more than 15 brands of shell-on (head-on and headless) as well as value-added conventional and organic products, raw or cooked, in various modes of packaging. On average, approximately 200,000 tons are processed per day. Finished products go to a client base spans much of the globe, from South America and the European Union to the USA, Canada and Asia.

“We are so pleased to see Omarsa achieve four-star BAP certification,” said Peter Redmond, BAP’s vice president of market development. “This is such a great indication to the marketplace of true leadership, commitment and doing the ‘right thing,’ not to mention the internal commitment of the company from top to bottom.”

About BAP

A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain – farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills – that assures healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is requires the passing of independent audits that evaluate compliance with strict standards developed by the GAA.