Beaver Street Fisheries Among First to Receive New USDA Certification

Beaver Street Fisheries announces the company has been awarded the COOL (Country of Origin Label) Supplier Certification for being COOL compliant with the United States Department of Agriculture. COOL is a labeling law that requires retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, supermarkets and club warehouse stores, to notify their customers with information regarding the source of certain foods.  Food products covered by the law include muscle cut and ground meats; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts; and ginseng. BSF is among the first suppliers to be awarded the COOL Supplier Certification, company officials say. The USDA has launched a new pilot program to award the certification to companies that are leading the way in following COOL compliance regulations.  BSF was asked to participate in the program due to the company’s positive track record pertaining to COOL-related audits, officials add.  The certification reinforces that BSF is following all existing protocols and is fully compliant with all current regulations. The COOL Supplier Certification is a seal of approval and further mark of confidence from the USDA.  This designation allows the USDA to use BSF as an example to showcase to other suppliers how to fully comply with regulations. “Being one of the first suppliers to receive this designation speaks volumes for Beaver Street Fisheries and the efforts we are making to provide consumers with the best seafood products possible,” says Rick Swain with BSF.  “We are proud to make every possible effort to ensure our seafood products align with every regulation before being distributed to stores.  We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts by the USDA.  This continues to help build on strong consumer confidence in our brand.” As standard practice at BSF, the country of origin and method of production are noted on each COOL-covered item’s master shipping container and primary pre-labeled consumer package.  BSF retains all of the records pertaining to these items indefinitely, which helped BSF earn its certification, officials add. “USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service recently issued the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Supplier Certificate to Beaver Street Fisheries, in Jacksonville, Fla.,” says Leonard Gossen with the USDA COOL Division.  “This certificate shows Beaver Street Fisheries as having system-wide COOL compliance protocols, and is one of the first companies to gain certification through the new COOL Supplier Certification Pilot Program, which aims to save time and resources by reducing the number of traceback desk audit activities for a three-year period.”