To date, 19 enterprises have received the Cambodian Quality Seal (CQS) certificate, a national labelling system created to certify the quality of Cambodian aquatic products.
Auditors from the Fisheries Administration (FiA) are preparing plans to conduct evaluations for 13 more enterprises in the near future.
Lach Thea, head of the FiA’s Office of Research and Technology Development at the Department of Processing Technology and Quality, explained that CQS system was developed by the FiA, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, with the aim of promoting quality and safe fishery production, boosting consumer confidence, expanding domestic and international markets, and protecting public health.
“The CQS focuses on ensuring that fishery products meet standards of quality and safety. It is a voluntary certification system that all enterprises and producers of aquatic products can apply for,” he said.
He explained that before applying for certification, enterprises must comply with several requirements.
These include an appropriately structured production site, ensuring staff maintain proper hygiene and establishing clear records or systems that document the flow of production.
“Granting the certificates is the responsibility of our team, especially our auditors. They carry out thorough inspections and evaluations at each production site, with particular focus on hygiene, clear infrastructure and proper documentation for sourcing raw materials, as well as product sales,” he said.
“Some of the businesses that have obtained CQS are exporting processed fishery products to international markets, such as Australia and New Zealand,” he added.
The system was formally established through a declaration by the agriculture ministry dated September 6, 2016, to strengthen good hygiene practices, food safety, quality management systems and value addition for Cambodian fishery products. The system was officially launched on November 14, 2022.
The 19 enterprises that have received CQS certification represent a major achievement under the Post-Harvest Fisheries Development Project (CAPFISH-Capture), implemented by the FiA in cooperation with UNIDO, with funding by the EU.
