Introduction
The 60-day public consultation for Version 3 of the MarinTrust Factory Standard has been closed since 3rd July 2023.
All feedback received went through review with the relevant MarinTrust governance body. A summary of all consultation feedback, not attributable to individuals or organisations, is now available. A summary of the decision taken related to each comment received in consultation is reported in the annexe.
Version 3 public consultation summary
Public consultation ran from 4th May to 3rd July 2023. This consultation came towards the end of a rigorous development process, including pilot assessments across the world and feedback from auditors, certified companies, and other key marine ingredient stakeholders to enhance the consistency and efficiency of audits.
The whole process has been closely overseen by MarinTrust’s multi-stakeholder Governing Body Committee, and this consultation will provide an important final step to engage the wider community, ensuring that Version 3 will meet expectations of all those that will use it.
We would like to thank everyone for their participation in the public consultation survey.
Below is a summary of the Standard, including the differences from the previous version.
Contents
Objectives of Version 3
- To continue to meet the objectives set in the development of Version 2.0 of the MarinTrust standard
- To enhance and strengthen the MarinTrust Fisheries Approval Criteria for raw materials (whole fish and by-products) used for the production of compliant marine ingredients to promote more robust responsible fishery management.
- To enhance the traceability criteria to provide assurance to the traceability and integrity of the compliant marine ingredient.
- To enhance the MarinTrust Good Manufacturing Practices Criteria by taking into consideration good manufacturing practices for production that is intended for human consumption to ensure that marine ingredients are produced utilising relevant and robust practices for food safety.
- To promote more efficient marine ingredients production practices to reduce the environmental impact of the marine ingredients manufacturing process.
- To promote and create improved social and welfare benefits for all workers employed within the marine ingredients manufacturing sector.
- To evaluate extending the scope to include human rights criteria for vessels supplying whole fish to the marine ingredients manufacturing sector.
- To ensure that MarinTrust Version 3 remains relevant, robust and fit for purpose.
Timeline

Key differences in Version 3 (compared with Version 2)
