This could mean tweaking its current business model while streamlining its chain of custody process, Nicolas Guichoux, who heads the MSC’s Europe activities, told IntraFish.
A key focus will be on making the MSC’s Chain of Custody (CoC) process better adapted to the foodservice segment, including at wet fish counters in retailers.
“A big part of our commitment, the big work in progress at the moment, is to make our chain of custody program more adapted to restaurants and fishmongers. Most of the companies at the moment that have gone through chain of custody are in the middle of the supply chain, like wholesalers or processors,” Guichoux said.
Unlike foodservice players, retailers typically only need CoC certification for a limited range of products, since most of the products they buy are pre-packed and sold as such to consumers, Guichoux said.
“That’s what has probably slowed down our progress in the foodservice segment. Despite these differences, we have witnessed a strong uptake over the past 12 months with companies like McDonald's and Sodexo but also with schools, universities and even Michelin starred restaurants - demonstrating the increasing interest from this important sector.”
At the moment, companies who want to use the MSC logo as a consumer-facing label on a product pay a fixed fee of $250 (€192.9) to $2,000 (€1,543) a year, in addition to 0.5 percent of their net wholesale sales value to the MSC.
To encourage more companies to use the logo, the MSC is consulting at the moment with some of its commercial partners to tweak its existing logo charging structure linking it to sales discount or marketing incentives, Guichoux said.
The organization is also looking at a “much more radical changereduce its dependence on logo licensing income, he said.
However, he said: “We haven’t started the process yet.”
Expanding to China, Japan
Nearly 15,000 products worldwide are currently MSC certified, representing sales of more than $3 billion (€2.3 billion).
To increase this number, the organization will also expand its reach to markets such as China, Japan, and South Africa, the MSC said.
“The primary market objective over the next five years is to double the overall market share for MSC-certified seafood,” the organization said in an outline of its five-year plan.
“That will equate to market share of around 30-40 percent throughout advanced markets in northern Europe, a quadrupling of current market share in the US and Canada, a growing MSC market presence in Australia/New Zealand, Japan and southern Europe, and introducing the MSC concept in China and select markets in Asia.”
Already, the organization has recruited its first Asia director as parts of plans to expand in China.
In southern Europe and Japan, it said, the aim is to have “at least a dozen major corporate commitments to the MSC” by 2017.
Registered as a non-profit charity in the UK, the MSC has two main sources of income: the logo licensing scheme on the one hand, and grants and donations on the other. The former generated £6.3 million (€7.9 million/$10.2 million) in the 12 months ending at the end of March 2011, a 54 percent increase from the previous year. Income from the latter was up by 15percent the same year, to £6.45 million (€8 million/$10.4 million).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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