NSF International, a global public health and safety organization, has moved its seafood services program from Seattle to the Port of Everett in Everett, Wash. The new location is centrally located between Seattle and the Canadian border, allowing for more convenient access for both U.S. and Canadian seafood industries.

“The Port of Everett is in the midst of a commercial and private expansion wave,” said Tom White, Global Manager for Certification and Audits for NSF International’s seafood services. “We’re excited to open our new headquarters in such a bustling and visually stunning location. Everett is approximately 30 miles north of our former location in Seattle, and being on the north side of that urban hub allows us much more convenient access to both the Seattle market and Canadian seafood businesses just across the international border.”

Proximity to source is essential for NSF International’s seafood services team, which frequently collects samples from seafood suppliers and transports those samples back to the headquarters for testing and evaluation.

The new location also marks a new collaboration with the Washington State University (WSU)/University of Idaho (UI) Center for Advanced Food Technology. NSF International’s seafood experts will work closely with the educational program and collaborate on workshops and training. The move also enables NSF International to expand its seafood industry education and training space. “In our former location, education capacity was limited to less than a dozen per class. With access to the UI/WSU education space, we can expand our enrollment to as many as 60 per class,” said White.

“The Port of Everett is excited to welcome NSF International’s seafood services headquarters to partner with the Washington State University School of Food Science and to our growing maritime business community,” said Terrie Battuello, Chief of Business Development at Port of Everett. “Given our strategy to support and grow the maritime and seafood industry, it’s a perfect fit, and we are eager to have them aboard.”

In addition to growing education and training capacity, the new space allows NSF International to expand its seafood consulting and product evaluation services. Separately, NSF continues to be ANSI accredited^[i] to perform Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, and also provides audits for seafood HACCP, gap analysis audits for Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certifications such as BRC and SQF, and supplier audits.

“We also plan to launch a new education program called ‘Fish School,’ to help grocery stores, restaurants and seafood distributors provide a higher level of expertise and knowledge to their seafood buyers, fishmongers or seafood inspectors,” White said. “Eventually, we’ll offer a similar program for consumers who want to become smarter seafood shoppers.”

In addition to the new Port of Everett location, NSF International provides seafood services from offices and labs in Dutch Harbor, Alaska; Elizabeth, N.J.; Santiago, Chile; San Miguel, Peru; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Shanghai, China; Busan, South Korea; Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Source: NSF International