Corporate Policies

We conduct our business honestly, fairly, and in compliance with UK law. Every person acting on behalf of Indo Aquatic — employees, agents, and anyone negotiating on our behalf with suppliers or customers — is expected to act with integrity, avoid conflicts of interest, and treat suppliers and customers fairly. This Code sets the floor for every policy listed below.

We do not tolerate forced, bonded, or child labour anywhere in our own operations or in our supply chain, and we expect every supplier we work with to uphold the same standard.

The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires a published annual Modern Slavery Statement only from businesses with turnover above £36 million. Indo Aquatic currently falls below that threshold, so we are not legally required to publish one — but we support the Act's intent and will produce a statement if our business grows to meet that threshold, or voluntarily sooner if requested by a major customer.

The UK Bribery Act 2010 applies to every UK company regardless of size. We do not offer, give, request, or accept bribes, kickbacks, or improper payments in connection with any part of our business — sourcing, sales, logistics, or customs. Gifts and hospitality between us and suppliers or customers must be reasonable, proportionate, and never intended to improperly influence a decision.

We maintain basic financial controls appropriate to our size (separation of authorisation and payment, invoice verification against purchase orders and shipment documentation) to reduce the risk of fraud, whether internal or from a third party.

Indo Aquatic UK Ltd complies with all applicable UK tax obligations, including Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE, and import duties on goods brought into the UK. We do not engage in artificial tax avoidance arrangements.

As an importer of a perishable, cold-chain product sourced from our own facilities and a network of partners across multiple origin countries, our main operational risks are supply chain disruption, cold chain failure, and currency exposure on international trade. We manage these through supplier relationship continuity, temperature-logged shipping, and standard commercial hedging practices where applicable.

We comply with the Equality Act 2010, which applies to all UK employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, employment, or supplier selection on the basis of a protected characteristic, and we make employment decisions based on merit and business need.

Where we operate or manage UK cold storage and warehousing, we comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations, including fire safety in cold store environments and safe handling of frozen goods. Third-party cold storage partners are expected to hold their own appropriate health and safety compliance.

Food safety is central to what we do — we deal exclusively in frozen shrimp, and every shipment is expected to meet UK food safety law (Food Safety Act 1990, Food Information Regulations) covering accurate species identification, count/size declaration, allergen labelling, and safe cold-chain handling. Certification detail (HACCP, BRC, BAP, and related standards) is set out on our Sustainability page.

We comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 in how we handle personal data from enquiries, sample requests, and business contacts. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

We sell exclusively to trade buyers (retail, foodservice, processors, wholesale) rather than consumers, so consumer protection law applies primarily to how our customers label and sell the product onward. On our side, we ensure product descriptions, count/size claims, and species naming for the shrimp we supply are accurate and not misleading, in line with the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.

The Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) regulates how the UK's largest designated grocery retailers must treat their suppliers, enforced by the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). Indo Aquatic is not itself a GSCOP-designated retailer — GSCOP does not impose obligations on us. Where we supply a GSCOP-designated retailer, we rely on and support those protections in our commercial dealings with them.

Our shrimp are sourced from our own farms and processing facilities in Andhra Pradesh, India, together with a vetted network of certified partners across other leading shrimp-producing regions. Responsible sourcing detail — aquaculture practices, certification roadmap, and traceability — is covered on our Sustainability page.

We screen counterparties against UK sanctions lists maintained by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and do not knowingly trade with sanctioned individuals, entities, or jurisdictions. As an importer of frozen shrimp into the UK, our goods are not subject to strategic export control licensing, but we comply with all applicable customs and import declarations.

We do not currently hold any formal, ongoing charity partnerships. We consider community and charitable support on a case-by-case basis and will update this section if that changes.

Our largest energy footprint is cold chain — refrigeration and frozen transport from processing facilities in India and other partner regions worldwide to UK cold storage in Grimsby and Hull. We work with cold storage partners on efficient refrigeration and aim to minimise unnecessary handling steps that create additional freeze-thaw cycles or energy use.

As a frozen product with a long shelf life, our proposition is designed to reduce food waste compared with fresh alternatives — buyers can hold stock without the spoilage pressure of chilled seafood. Shrimp shell and head by-product at the processing stage is directed to further use where feasible rather than disposed of as waste.

Our packaging is specific to frozen shrimp — food-grade, freezer-rated packaging sized to count/weight bands (e.g. 1kg/2kg block-frozen or IQF bags, retail-ready packs for private label). We look to reduce unnecessary plastic and use recyclable outer cartons where suitable for frozen logistics, without compromising food safety or cold-chain integrity.

As a farmed-species specialist, animal welfare is part of how our own farms operate and what we require of every partner. Our production uses closed pond systems with controlled water quality and stocking density, and we do not use antibiotics in production — verifiable via third-party residue testing. BAP and ASC certification, held across our primary supply operations, include welfare and biosecurity criteria within their audit scope. Further detail is on our Sustainability page.

We encourage employees, suppliers, and other business contacts to raise concerns about suspected misconduct, malpractice, or breaches of these policies without fear of reprisal. As a small company, concerns are raised directly to a director at info@iaquatic.com rather than through a third-party hotline, and are handled confidentially and investigated proportionately.