Supply chain companies

The MSC program is the world’s most recognised seafood certification and labelling program. By being part of this program and using the blue MSC label, businesses show their fish and seafood is from a sustainable source.

How assurance works

Every company that takes ownership of MSC certified seafood and sells it as certified, is independently audited and certified against the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. The Standard ensures an unbroken chain where certified seafood is identifiable, segregated and can be traced back to another certified business.

DNA testing

As an additional measure, we regularly work with an independent forensic lab to undertake random DNA testing of MSC certified seafood products. 

DNA testing has shown that mislabelling rates for MSC labelled seafood are less than 1%.

Updates to the Chain of Custody Standard

Updates to the MSC Chain of Custody Standard and associated scheme documents have been published and will come into effect on 30 May 2023. 

This includes editorial updates to the Standard following the introduction of the new Labour Eligibility Requirements document, and revisions to certification requirements to support the upcoming introduction of a digital audit platform.

Find out more about the changes to the Chain of Custody program documents.