The Global Aquaculture Alliance, the leading standards-setting organization for farmed seafood, has selected certification management specialist Lisa Goché as vice president of the Best Aquaculture Practices division of GAA.
"Lisa Goché's extensive experience and leadership in managing food safety, environmental and social auditing systems will be great assets for the BAP program, which continues to grow with the recent addition of salmon standards," BAP Executive Director Jim Heerin said.
Goché has nearly 30 years of experience in the seafood industry. Her most recent position was president of Surefish Seafood Quality Specialists headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA, where she managed seven global locations conducting a variety of third-party seafood industry services, such as quality inspections, testing and auditing. Goché also previously directed quality assurance programs at Trident Seafoods Corp. and Emerald Resource Management.
Goché holds a wide range of credentials related to food safety, quality, and more, including HACCP, ISO 22000, ISO 9001-2000, SA 8000, SQF and BRC. Surefish has provided auditing services for the Best Aquaculture Practices program for several years.
"I have worked with the BAP program for over six years and have an extremely strong belief in the standards" Goché said. "Additionally, in my various capacities, I have developed relationships with many companies that support the BAP program. I hope to continue and expand upon those relationships as I manage the activities of the premier global aquaculture certification program."
When Goché takes her new position in late September, she will oversee the BAP facility certification process and coordinate with ISO 65 auditing firms to provide timely implementation of BAP standards. She will also assist as GAA's Technical and Standards Oversight Committees update and expand the BAP standards. Goché will work closely with William More, who directs the BAP certification program.
In addition, Goché will manage BAP benchmarking with the Global Food Safety Initiative and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization guidelines, and coordinate with the Responsible Aquaculture Foundation in its work to improve aquaculture processes and facilities.
About BAP
Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance that is based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved global performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain – farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills. BAP certification assures healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. For more information on BAP, visit www.gaalliance.org/bap/.
Source: The Global Aquaculture Alliance