On the evening of April 28, at the VINAFIS AWARD ceremony within the VinaFIS Expo 2026, an SGS representative awarded the MarinTrust 3.0 certification to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loc, Director of Phuc Loc Vung Tau Co., Ltd., and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fisheries Association.
Photo: XL.
Fishmeal producer Phuc Loc Vung Tau Co., Ltd. has become one of the first companies in Asia to obtain the MarinTrust Version 3.0 (2026) certification for fishmeal derived from whole-capture fisheries.
In 2022, it was recognized by MarinTrust as the first multi-species fishery program in Vietnam to meet its standards. With the introduction of Version 3.0 in 2024, the product has reached its most stringent level to date.
Later, in 2015, the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Fishmeal and Fish Oil Association launched a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) that involved companies, fishing vessels, and other stakeholders.
Regarding this, Mr. Dinh Xuan Lap, Deputy Director of the International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS), said: "Certifications such as BAP, GlobalGAP, and ASC require a large proportion of fishmeal to be certified or sourced from FIPs. This is no longer optional but a mandatory requirement to participate in the global supply chain."
Vietnam's seafood exports have been affected since 2017, when the European Union issued a 'yellow card' warning over IUU fishing, also impacting the entire supply chain, including the fishmeal and fish oil industries.
"To achieve MarinTrust 3.0, we had to control the entire chain, from fishing vessels and raw materials to the production process and traceability. The most difficult part was not the technology, but changing fishing habits and the mindset of fishermen," said a representative of Phuc Loc Vung Tau Co., Ltd., Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loc.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in Vietnam, there are only 111 fishmeal factories worldwide that use whole-capture fishery raw materials compliant with the MarinTrust 3.0 standard, most of them located in Peru, Chile, Europe, and the United States.
"With a 'green label', Vietnamese products can enter premium supply chains that were previously almost closed due to IUU fishing issues and a lack of certification. This is an opportunity to increase value, not just volume," Mr. Loc added.
