At plant or port
Quality inspection and control
Organoleptic and technical verification of fish, Argentine red shrimp and squid at the point of origin, before the goods leave for the buyer.
You receiveTechnical report with photographic evidence.
Seafood quality control · Mar del Plata, Argentina
Your eyes at origin.
You buy fish, Argentine red shrimp or squid in Argentina; we go to the plant or the port, inspect the goods before they ship, and send you a technical report with photographs.
What changes when someone is on site
Physical presence at plant and port
A MERAN technician sees, weighs, measures and photographs your goods in Argentina, before they leave for destination.
Every finding backed by evidence
Recorded temperatures, sizes measured piece by piece and photographs of the product. You see what the inspector saw.
A report to decide with confidence
Detailed written and photographic documentation so your company can make the best purchasing decision.
Services
We follow the goods from the plant to the sealed container
Three controls along the product's route. You may engage one or all three.
In cold storage
Processing, storage and cold chain
Verification of temperatures, storage conditions and cold chain integrity, from the plant up to the time of loading.
You receiveTechnical report with temperature records and photographic evidence.
At loading
Container loading and stowage supervision
Physical attendance during loading to verify stowage, container pre-cooling temperature, product condition and correct identification of the goods.
You receiveLoading supervision report with photographic evidence and container details.
Included in every service
Technical reports with photographic evidence
Every service includes structured written and photographic documentation, ready to be submitted to the buyer, their bank, their customs authority or their control body.
On site
What an inspection looks like
Photos from actual sampling, in the order the work is done. Every report includes images like these.
Peeled and deveined Argentine red shrimp (P&D)
Sample cartons tagged 
Opening and packaging condition 
Product temperature 
Weighing good pieces
Argentine red shrimp tails (CR)
Carton opening 
Gross block weight 
Block inspection 
Grading by size and defect: broken tails, soft shell, melanosis and naked
Squid
Frozen block: top view 
Frozen block: side view 
Block temperature 
Whole piece measured 
Opening and internal check 
Breakdown: tube, head, tentacles, viscera and roe
Products and species
What we check in each category
Fish
- Freshness: appearance, odour and texture
- Size and grading against the agreed specification
- Presentation and trimming
- Glaze and net weight
- Product temperature
Argentine red shrimp
Pleoticus muelleri
Two packs: tails (CR) and peeled and deveined (P&D)
- Count per kilo and uniformity
- Broken tails, soft shell, melanosis and naked pieces
- Freshness, colour and odour
- Glaze and net weight
- Product temperature
Squid
Illex argentinus
- Freshness, brightness and dehydration
- Colour of the pieces
- Size distribution, piece by piece
- Yield per part: tube, head, tentacles and viscera
- Block condition and temperature
- Mantle thickness (optional)
Markets
A claim at destination comes too late
By the time the container is opened at your port, the goods are paid for and weeks away from the seller. A check at origin finds the discrepancy while it can still be corrected: before loading.
European Union
The EU only admits fishery products from approved establishments and vessels, accompanied by an official health certificate and a catch certificate. We verify that the lot being loaded is the lot you agreed to buy.
Regulations: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625, Art. 11 · Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 (IUU fishing)
Japan
Every shipment must be notified to Japan's Ministry of Health, which reviews the documents and may inspect the cargo. Japanese buyers also tend to set strict specifications for freshness, sizing and presentation. We document each point with measurements and photographs.
Regulations: Japan Food Sanitation Act, Art. 27 (import notification to the MHLW)
United States
The FDA requires importers to verify that their foreign supplier operates under HACCP, and accepts inspection of the plant by a competent third party as verification. Our reports record the actual conditions observed at the plant.
Regulations: 21 CFR 123.12 (FDA seafood HACCP, imported products) · NOAA Seafood Import Monitoring Program, applicable to shrimp
About us
A technical team based at the port
MERAN is an independent seafood quality control consultancy based in Mar del Plata, one of Argentina's main fishing ports. We bring more than 20 years in the fishing industry and a multidisciplinary team with broad experience to meet each client's requirements.
We act as your representatives at origin: we are present at the plant, in cold storage and at loading, and we verify that the goods meet what was agreed before they leave the country. We know the species, the fleets and the processes of the Argentine fishing industry, and we tailor each inspection to the buyer's specifications and to the requirements of the destination market.
We do not sell seafood and we do not represent any plant: we work for the buyer. That independence ensures that every report reflects what we actually saw.
Contact
Tell us what you are buying
Let us know the product, the plant or port and the estimated loading date. We will reply with the scope of the inspection.
OfficeMar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina