Standards
Fish companies must meet the following standards for at least 50% of their product line:
- Caught or farmed in US waters.*
- Processed and handcrafted in the USA or US territories.
- Free of artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.
- All ingredients, animal or otherwise, must be sustainably sourced, traceable, non- GMO, and wherever possible grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers.**
- Caught or farmed with respect and fair compensation for everyone working on the vessel, farm and in the kitchen.
- Made with fish or shellfish or seaweed from well-managed, environmentally responsible fisheries and farms. Farmed finfish must be from land-based facilities, and fed a non-GMO diet free of animal by-products.
- All wild caught or farmed fish must be rated “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch®.***
- Swordfish must be caught in US waters using harpoons, handlines or deep-set buoy gear only.
- Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the Good Food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business, as exemplified through integrating these practices:
- Creating a safe and healthy work environment where employees receive a fair wage, are safe and respected at work and have access to the resources they need to keep themselves healthy.
- Offering a diversity, equity, and inclusion training to staff members and/or leadership annually.
- Thoughtfully acknowledging the heritage of culturally-specific food on websites, packaging and/or marketing materials.
- If your company is Publicly-held, Owned/Partially-owned by publicly-held compan(y)ies, or has over $100 million in annual revenue, your company, as well as its parent company(ies), are required to meet additional criteria to become Good Food Qualified:
- Offer a minimum of 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all employees
- Have at least one woman, minority, or LGBTQIA+ representative on their Board of Directors
- Have a proven track record of prioritizing a safe and fairly-compensated work culture, with no violations in the area of wage or workplace safety in the past 5 years. This will be verified on the Good Jobs First Violation Tracker
In addition, all seaweed entries must be harvested or farmed in compliance with the following standards:
- Ensures purchase of seaweed from farmer prior to harvest.
- Post-harvest processing of seaweed is done within 24 hours, or 1 week if refrigerated, to maintain product quality.
- With an emphasis on encouraging the symbiotic relationships of species.
- In a way that sustains regenerative life cycles, with thought for the specific needs of different species to ensure the success of future harvests.
- With an emphasis on maintaining a safe distance from hazardous waste streams and tidal currents.
Many thanks to our friends at Monterey Bay Seafood Watch® and Fish Revolution for their assistance in developing our criteria.
Apply to join by reaching out to membership@specialtyfood.com.