ETHICAL SOURCING AND CITES
As part of our commitment to quality, every single roe we produce is 100% traceable and follows strict procedures on fish farming techniques and caviar processing protocol.
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments participating in the international trade of specimens of wild animals and plants, with the goal of protecting the interests of endangered species.
All sturgeon caviar containers in domestic and international trade have to bear a non-reusable label containing details about the source and the country of origin of the caviar. Governments around the world have agreed to a universal caviar labelling system with the aim of ensuring that all caviar entering the market is from legal sources. The caviar labelling system helps governments, traders and consumers in distinguishing legal caviar in trade from illegal caviar. This leaflet highlights requirements that governments and the caviar industry need to implement under the universal caviar labelling system.
As a result of these developments, governments around the world have started to enact and implement legal and administrative measures at the national level to meet the CITES provisions on caviar labelling. In May 2006, the European Union (EU) adopted Commission Regulation (EC) No. 865/2006, later amended by Regulation (EC) No. 100/2008, which has made the labelling of all caviar containers obligatory in all EU Member States. As a result, all caviar containers in the EU market, regardless of their size, are required to bear a CITES label.
It is therefore essential that everyone involved in the trade and marketing of caviar are aware of the labelling requirements so that all can adequately implement and comply with the new rules. Consumers will also benefit from these new labelling requirements as they will allow them to verify the legality of caviar when making their purchasing choices.
All our farmed caviar productions are registered with CITES and monitored under the Fishery organisation of each country to ensure all correct procedures and measures are in place to meet the highest standards required in Aquaculture farming sturgeons.
UNDERSTANDING THE CITES CODE
On the back of every authentic tin of caviar is a set of letters and numbers which gives knowledgeable consumers useful information about the product they are purchasing. What follows is a short explanation of how to read this label for yourself, so you know exactly what you are about to buy or eat, and when, where and whom it was produced by.
Example of label:
1. HUS: 3-letter code identifying the packaged species stipulated by CITES.
2. C: Code that identifies the source of the specimen, C for “Captive Bred”.
3. IR: ISO code of the country of origin, here “IRAN”.
4. 2021: Year of Harvest and Packaging, here 2021.
5. XXX/XXXX: Official registration code of the packing plant, including country of repackaging.
6. YYYY: Lot identification number, the caviar packaging or CITES export permit number
All our products are sustainably produced and our caviar is certified by CITES.
HUS/C/IR/2021/XXX/XXX/YYYY
Species Code Trade Name
Huso Huso HUS BELUGA
Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii GUE OSSETRA
Acipenser Baerii BAE BAERRI
