Sustainability

Leal Santos is committed to the preservation of the environment and to the conservation of marine ecosystems, with the objective of achieving the feasible sustainability of fishing activities. The company owns fishing vessels and the process to capture the fish is known as the fishing rod and live bait system.

Unlike the traditional method of catching fish by means of purse seines, the fishing rod and live bait system is very selective. This system catches only one tuna fish each time, thereby preventing dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and other endangered species from being harmed. In addition, this method preserves the continuous stock of tuna. This is an ecologically-friendly fishing system which does not have any negative impact on the ecosystem and protects the survival of different marine species.

Fish Species

Certifications

Leal Santos is certified by the leading international entities linked to sustainable tuna fishing and environmental protection.

Certificação Friend of Sea

Friend of the Sea

Friend of the Sea

International certification that attests to the sustainability of the fishing activities and ensures that the fish are caught in responsible manner without causing damage to the environment.
Official Page
Certificação Dolphin Safe

Dolphin Safe

Dolphin Safe

International certification ensuring that dolphins are not caught or injured during fishing activities.
Official Page
Certificação International Pole & Line Foundation - IPNLF

International Pole &
Line Foundation

International Pole & Line Foundation

International certification for the fishing of tuna “one by one”, the only method considered as being environmentally safe, socially responsible and based on traditional fishing methods that have been used for many generations.
Official Page

Marine Stewardship Council

(certification process in course)

Marine Stewardship Council

Certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) of the SGS monitors compliance with internationally recognized standards. This certification encompasses sustainable fishing, and the traceability (by means of the chain of custody standard) of wild fish caught in the oceans.
Official Page

Quality

Hygiene and sanitary quality are a decisive factor for food safety. This factor is an important element of the fishing production chain, especially when considering the high degradation potential of fresh fish.

In this sense, adopting the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and self-control system helps ensure the consistent quality and safety of products, thus reducing the incidence of Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases. The GMP system establishes general principles that include the proper handling of food products and the use of adequate food preservation methods for raw materials and end products (Costa et al., 2012).

Another basic principle of GMP is the training of food handlers, in view of the fact that these professionals are one of the main sources of foodborne contamination. With the objective of providing high-quality fish products, capacity building programs must be properly planned and held on an on-going basis. The purpose of such programs is to include the procedures established by GMP for the fish processing routine. These programs must include contents such as personal and operational hygiene, and the hygienic handling of foods (Sousa et al., 2021).

In addition to the capacity building programs, monitoring and inspection of production facilities, equipment and products is of vital importance, in view of the fact that such activities, aligned with GMP, must provide the appropriate environment for the harmlessness and compliance of products. In addition, physical, chemical, microbiological and inorganic parameters established by the regulatory authorities must be taken into consideration.