Seafood export certifications in India: HACCP, BRCGS, FDA,EU approval and EIC explained

A shrimp supplier’s website usually ends with a row of logos. HACCP, BRCGS, ISO, FDA, EU, EIC. Each one means something different, and some of them are legal requirements for a market while others are what retailers ask for on top. Knowing which is which helps you check that the plant behind your order can actually sell into your country.

One point to start with: in the seafood trade, most of these certifications and approvals belong to the processing plant. When you check a supplier, check the specific facility that will process your shrimp.

HACCP

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a food safety system in which a processor identifies the hazards in each step of production, such as pathogens, residues or temperature abuse, and sets controls and limits at the points where those hazards can be stopped.

HACCP is the baseline. The US requires seafood processors, including foreign plants that export to the US, to operate a seafood HACCP plan, and other markets expect the same. A plant without one will not get far in export.

BRCGS

BRCGS publishes the Global Standard for Food Safety, a certification widely required by retailers in the UK and Europe. It goes beyond HACCP to cover the plant’s management system, site standards, product control, process control and staff training, and it is audited by independent certification bodies.

If you supply supermarkets, your customer will probably ask for BRCGS by name. Certified sites appear in the BRCGS online directory, where you can check the grade and the scope.

ISO

Food plants hold ISO certification for management systems, most often food safety or quality management. When a supplier lists ISO, ask which standard it is and what the certificate covers, because the number after “ISO” tells you what was audited.

FDA registration

Any facility that processes, packs or holds food for the US market must register with the US Food and Drug Administration and renew that registration on a fixed cycle.

Registration is not an FDA approval or certification. The FDA does not certify food plants. A registered facility is one the FDA knows about and can inspect. For US buyers, registration is a legal requirement, and the HACCP plan
is what the FDA checks when it inspects.

EU approval

To export seafood to the European Union, an Indian plant must be on the EU’s list of approved establishments for India. India’s competent authority inspects the plant and proposes it for listing, and the EU publishes the
approved list.

The list grew in September 2025, when the EU approved 102 more Indian fishery establishments and brought the total to 604. Before you buy for the EU, look up the plant’s approval number on the published list.

EIC certification

The Export Inspection Council of India (EIC) is the country’s official export certification body. It approves processing plants for export to markets that require official controls, including the EU, and issues the health certificates that travel with each consignment to those markets. When a supplier says the facility is EIC certified for export, it means the plant works under this official inspection system.

MPEDA and SHAPHARI

Two more names appear on Indian seafood paperwork. MPEDA, the Marine Products Export Development Authority, registers seafood exporters, enrols export oriented farms for traceability and runs pre harvest testing for antibiotic residues. SHAPHARI is MPEDA’s voluntary certification for hatcheries producing antibiotic free seed and for farms following good aquaculture practices.

How to check a supplier’s certifications

1. Ask for copies of every certificate, with the plant name, address, scope and expiry date.
2. Confirm the plant name on each certificate matches the facility that will process your order.
3. Check the EU list and the BRCGS directory yourself.
4. Ask for the FDA registration number and confirm it is current.
5. Ask for the latest audit reports, and arrange your own audit or a live video walkthrough.

Certifications at Olpad Aqua

Olpad Aqua processes at a partnered certified facility at Taloja, near Mumbai. The facility holds HACCP, BRCGS and ISO certification, and is FDA registered, EU approved and EIC certified for export. We deploy our own QC team inside the facility, so our people supervise grading, hygiene and packing on every run.

Our quality control continues outside the plant as well. QC1 runs pre harvest testing and grading at the pond, QC2 covers grading and hygiene at the facility, and QC3 covers antibiotic, microbial and chemical testing in the laboratory, with traceability back to the farm of origin.

We welcome buyer audits, third party audits and remote verification. Contact our export desk to arrange a facility visit or a live video walkthrough of the line.