Annex 1. Definitions of relevance to aquaculture certification

Definition

Description

Reference

Acceptance or Acceptance of conformity assessment results

Use of a conformity assessment result provided by another person or body

Accreditation

Procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition of the competence of a certification body to provide certification services, against an international standard

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Procedure by which a competent authority gives formal recognition that a qualified body or person is competent to carry out specific tasks

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO/IEC Guide 2:1996, 12.11)

Third party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks

Accreditation body

Agency having jurisdiction to formally recognize the competence of a certification body to provide certification services

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Body that conducts and administers an accreditation system and grants accreditation

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO Guide 2, 17.2)

Authoritative body that performs accreditation

Note: The authority of an accreditation body is generally derived from government

Accreditation system

System that has its own rules of procedure and management for carrying out accreditation.

Note: accreditation of CBs is normally awarded following successful assessment and is followed by appropriate surveillance

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO Guide 2, paragraph 17.1)

Attestation

Issue of a statement, based on a decision following review (5.1), that fulfilment of specified requirements has been demonstrated

Note 1 : The resulting statement, referred to in this International Standard as a "statement of conformity", conveys the assurance that the specified requirements have been fulfilled. Such an assurance does not, of itself, afford contractual or other legal guarantees.

Note 2: First party and third party attestation activities are distinguished by the terms 5.4 to 5.6. For second party attestation, no special term is available

Audit

Systematic and functionally independent examination to determine whether activities and related results comply with a conforming scheme, whereby all the elements of this scheme should be covered by reviewing the suppliers’ manual and related procedures, together with an evaluation of the production facilities

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

A systematic and functionally independent examination to determine whether activities and related results comply with planned objectives

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on Codex Alimentarius, Principles for Food Import and Export Certification and Inspection, CAC/GL 20)

Systematic, independent, documented process for obtaining records, statements of fact or other relevant information and assessing them objectively to determine the extent to which specified requirements are fulfilled

Note: Whilst “audit” applies to management systems, “assessment” applies to conformity assessment bodies as well as more generally

Auditor

Person qualified to carry out audits for or on behalf of a certification body

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms in inland and coastal areas, involving intervention in the rearing process to enhance production and the individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated

FAO Online Glossary of Aquaculture
(www.fao.org/fi)

Aquaculture, extensive

Production system characterized by (i) a low degree of control (e.g. of environment, nutrition, predators, competitors, disease agents); (ii) low initial costs, low-level technology and low production efficiency (yielding no more than 500 kg/ha/yr); (iii) high dependence on local climate and water quality; use of natural waterbodies (e.g. lagoons, bays, embayments) and of natural often unspecified food organisms

FAO Online Glossary of Aquaculture
(www.fao.org/fi)

Aquaculture, intensive

System of culture characterized by (i) a production of up to 200 tonnes/ha/yr; (ii) a high degree of control; (iii) high initial costs, highlevel technology and high production efficiency; (iv) tendency towards increased independence of local climate and water quality; (v) use of artificial culture systems

FAO Online Glossary of Aquaculture
(www.fao.org/fi)

Aquaculture, small-scale

An aquaculture system with small annual production (max one tonne per unit and 10 tonnes total), made of one or more small production units; family or communally run; low to moderate input levels and limited external labour. Own food supply may be a motive

FAO Online Glossary of Aquaculture
(www.fao.org/fi)

Benchmark

Procedure by which a food safety-related scheme is compared to the GFSI Guidance Document

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Certification

Procedure by which accredited CBs, based on an audit, provide written or equivalent assurance that food safety management systems and their implementation conform to requirements

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Procedure by which a third party gives written or equivalent assurance that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements. Certification may be, as appropriate, based on a range of inspection activities which may include continuous inspection in the production chain

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO Guide 2, 15.1.2 and Principles for Food Import and Export Certification and Inspection, CAC/GL 20)

Third-party attestation related to products, processes, systems or persons

Note 1: Certification of a management system is sometimes also called registration

Note 2: Certification is applicable to all objects of conformity assessment except for conformity assessment bodies themselves, to which accreditation is applicable

Certification body

Provider of certification services, accredited to do so by an accreditation body

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Competent and recognized body that conducts certification. A certification body may oversee certification activities carried out on its behalf by other bodies

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO Guide 2, 15.2)

Certification document

Document indicating that a supplier’s quality system conforms to specified quality system standards and any supplementary documentation required under the system

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO 227 (paragraph 3.3))

Certification scheme

Scheme consisting of a certification standard and certification system as related to specified processes to which the same particular scheme applies. The certification scheme should contain the following items (amongst others):

• a standard
• a clearly defined scope
• a certification system, including:
• requirements for the qualifications of auditors
• a statement of approximate duration and frequency of visits
• the minimum content of the audit

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Certification standard

A normative document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Document approved by a recognized organization or arrangement, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods, with which compliance is not mandatory under international trade rules. It may also include or deal exclusively with terminology, symbols, packaging, marking or labeling requirements as they apply to a product, process or production method

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on TBT agreement, Annex 1, paragraph 2)

Certification system

A system that has its own rules of procedure and management for carrying out certification

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Chain of Custody

The set of measures which is designed to guarantee that the product put on the market and bearing the ecolabel logo is really a product coming from the certified fishery concerned. These measures should thus cover both the tracking/traceability of the product all along the processing, distribution and marketing chain, as well as the proper tracking of the documentation (and control of the quantity concerned)

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.

Code of Practice

Document that recommends practices or procedures for the design, manufacture, installation, maintenance or utilization of equipment, structures or products

Note: A code of practice may be a standard, a part of a standard or independent of a standard

Complaint

Expression of dissatisfaction, other than appeal, by any person or organization to a conformity assessment body or accreditation body, relating to the activities of that body, where a response is expected

Conforming scheme

A food safety management scheme that has successfully completed the Benchmark Procedure

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Conformity assessment

Any activity concerned with determining directly or indirectly that relevant requirements are fulfilled.

Note: typical examples of conformity assessment activities are sampling, testing and inspection; evaluation, verification and assurance of conformity (supplier’s declaration, certification); registration, accreditation and approval as well as their combinations

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO Guide 2, 12.2)

Demonstration that specified requirements relating to a product, process, system, person or body are fulfilled

Note 1: The subject field of conformity assessment includes activities defined elsewhere in this International Standard, such as testing, inspection and certification, as well as the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies

Note 2: The expression “object of conformity assessment” or “object” is used in this International Standard to encompass any particular material, product, installation, process, system, person or body to which conformity assessment is applied. A service is covered by the definition of a product

Conformity assessment body

Body that performs conformity assessment services

Note: An accreditation body is not a conformity assessment body

Conformity assessment procedures

Any procedure used, directly or indirectly, to determine that relevant requirements in technical regulations or standards are fulfilled. Conformity assessment procedures include, inter alia, procedures for sampling, testing and inspection; evaluation, verification and assurance of conformity; registration, accreditation and approval as well as their combinations

Explanatory note: Conformity assessment procedures include, inter alia, procedures for sampling, testing and inspection; evaluation, verification and assurance of conformity; registration, accreditation and approval as well as their combinations

Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

Conformity assessment scheme or Conformity assessment programme

Conformity assessment system related to specified objects of conformity assessment, to which the same specified requirements, specific rules and procedures apply

Note: Conformity assessment schemes may be operated at international, regional, national or subnational levels

Conformity assessment system

Rules, procedures and management for carrying out conformity assessment

Note: Conformity assessment systems may be operated at international, regional, national or subnational levels

Consensus

General agreement, characterized by the absence of sustained opposition to substantial issues by any important part of the concerned interests and by a process that involves seeking to take into account the views of all parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments

Note: Consensus need not imply unanimity

Declaration

First party attestation

Equivalence or
Equivalence of conformity assessment results

Sufficiency of different conformity assessment results to provide the same level of assurance of conformity with regard to the same specified requirements

Evaluation

Examination of production facilities, in order to verify that they conform to requirements

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

First party conformity assessment activity

Conformity assessment activity that is performed by the person or organization that provides the object

Note: The first, second and third party descriptors used to characterize conformity assessment activities with respect to a given object are not to be confused with the legal identification of the relevant parties to a contract

Inspection

Examination of a product design, product, process or installation and determination of its conformity with specific requirements or, on the basis of professional judgement, with general requirements

Note: Inspection of a process may include inspection of persons, facilities, technology and methodology

International standard

Standard that is adopted by an international standardizing/standards organization and made available to the public

International standardization

Standardization in which involvement is open to relevant bodies from all countries

Mandatory standard

Standard, the application of which is made compulsory by virtue of a general law or exclusive reference in a regulation

Non-conformity

Deviation of product or process from specified requirements, or the absence of, or failure to implement and maintain, one or more required management system elements, or a situation which would, on the basis of available objective evidence raise significant doubt as to the conformity of what the supplier is supplying

Global Food Safety Initiative Guidance Document. 2004.

Peer assessment

Assessment of a body against specified requirements by representatives of other bodies in, or candidates for, an agreement group

Procedure

Specified way to carry out an activity or a process

Process standard

Standard that specifies requirements to be fulfilled by a process, to establish its fitness for purpose

Product

Result of a process

Product standard

Standard that specifies requirements to be fulfilled by a product or a group of products, to establish its fitness for purpose

Note 1: A product standard may include in addition to the fitness for purpose requirements, directly or by reference, aspects such as terminology, sampling, testing, packaging and labeling and, sometimes, processing requirements

Note 2: A product standard can be either complete or not, according to whether it specifies all or only a part of the necessary requirements. In this respect, one may differentiate between standards such as dimensional, material and technical delivery standards

Provision

Expression in the content of a normative document, that takes the form of a statement, an instruction, a recommendation or a requirement

Note: These types of provision are distinguished by the form of wording they employ; e.g. instructions are expressed in the imperative mood, recommendations by the use of auxiliary “should” and requirements by the use of the auxiliary “shall”

Reciprocity

Relationship between two parties where both have the same rights and obligations towards each other

Note 1: Reciprocity can exist within a multilateral arrangement comprising a network of bilateral reciprocal relationships

Note 2: Although rights and obligations are the same, opportunities emanating from them can differ; this can lead to unequal relationships between parties

Recognition

Recognition of conformity assessment results; acknowledgement of the validity of a conformity assessment result provided by another person or body

Recommendation

Provision that conveys advice or guidance

Regulation

Document providing binding legislative rules, that is adopted by an authority

Requirement

Provision that conveys criteria to be fulfilled

Sampling

Provision of a sample of the object of conformity assessment, according to a procedure

Second party conformity assessment activity

Conformity assessment activity that is performed by a person or organization that has a user interest in the object

Note 1: Persons or organizations performing second party conformity assessment activities include, for example, purchasers or users of products, or potential customers seeking to rely on a supplier’s management system, or organizations representing those interests

Note 2: The first, second and third party descriptors used to characterize conformity assessment activities with respect to a given object are not to be confused with the legal identification of the relevant parties to a contract

Specified requirement

Need or expectation that is stated

Note: Specified requirements may be stated in normative documents such as regulations, standards and technical specifications

Standard

Document approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods, with which compliance is not mandatory. It may also include or deal exclusively with terminology, symbols, packaging, marking or labeling requirements as they apply to a product, process or production method

Explanatory note: The terms as defined in ISO/IEC Guide 2 cover products, processes and services. This Agreement deals only with technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures related to products or processes and production methods. Standards as defined by ISO/IEC Guide 2 may be mandatory or voluntary. For the purpose of this Agreement standards are defined as voluntary and technical regulations as mandatory documents. Standards prepared by the international standardization community are based on consensus. This Agreement covers also documents that are not based on consensus

Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

Document established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given condition

Note: Standards should be based on the consolidated results of science, technology and experience, and aimed at the promotion of optimum community benefits

Standardization

Activity of establishing, with regard to actual or potential problems, provisions for common and repeated use, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context

Note 1: In particular, the activity consists of the processes of formulating, issuing and implementing standards

Note 2: Important benefits of standardization are improvement of the suitability of products, processes and their services for their intended purposes, prevention of barriers to trade and facilitation of technological cooperation

Standardizing body

Body that has recognized activities in standardization

Standard-setting organization or arrangement

Organization or arrangement that has recognized activities in standard setting

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO Guide 2, paragraph 4.3)

Surveillance

Systematic iteration of conformity assessment activities as a basis for maintaining the validity of the statement of conformity

Technical regulation

Document which lays down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory. It may also include or deal exclusively with terminology, symbols, packaging, marking or labeling requirements as they apply to a product, process or production method

Explanatory note: The definition in ISO/IEC Guide 2 is not self-contained, but based on the so-called “building block” system

Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

Technical specification

Document that prescribes technical requirements to be fulfilled by a product, process or service

Note 1: A technical specification should indicate whenever appropriate, the procedure(s) by means of which it may be determined whether the requirements given are fulfilled

Note 2: A technical specification may be a standard, a part of a standard or independent of a standard

Testing

Determination of one or more characteristics of an object of conformity assessment, according to a procedure

Note: “Testing” typically applies to materials, products or processes

Testing standard

Standard that is concerned with test methods, sometimes supplemented with other provisions related to testing, such as sampling, use of statistical methods, sequence of tests

Third party

Person or body that is recognized as being independent of the parties involved, as concerns the issue in question

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.
(Based on ISO/IEC Guide 2:1996)

Third party conformity assessment activity

Conformity assessment activity that is performed by a person or body that is independent of the person or organization that provides the object, and of user interests in that object

Note 1: Criteria for the independence of conformity assessment bodies and accreditation bodies are provided in the International Standards and Guides applicable to their activities

Note 2: The first, second and third party descriptors used to characterize conformity assessment activities with respect to a given object are not to be confused with the legal identification of the relevant parties to a contract

Unit of Certification

The “unit of certification” is the fishery for which ecolabeling certification is called for. The certification could encompass: The whole fishery, where a fishery refers to the activity of one particular gear-type or method leading to the harvest of one or more species; a subcomponent of a fishery, for example a national fleet fishing a shared stock; or several fisheries operating on the same resources. The certification applies only to products derived from the “stock under consideration”. In assessing compliance with certification standards, the impacts on the “stock under consideration” of all the fisheries utilizing that stock or stocks over their entire area of distribution are to be considered.

Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries, FAO. 2005.