The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) stands as a beacon for companies navigating the complexities of seafood supply chains. Adopting GDST Standards offers a clear and effective pathway to showcasing an organization’s dedication to fighting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated seafood (IUU) through understanding a products supply chain. It’s also a strategic move that can help fulfill regulatory obligations, particularly related to the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204).
The FDA’s Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) establishes traceability recordkeeping requirements for products on the Food Traceability List, which includes a wide variety of seafood products. This rule’s impact extends globally, affecting seafood actors whose products are distributed in the United States. The Rule, which employes the same event-based traceability model of defining Critical Tracking Events and Key Data Elements, was developed by the FDA for the purposes of reducing the impacts related to food safety. Despite the differences in the overall motivation (food safety vs IUU), the GDST Standard can be used to support compliance with the requirements of FSMA 204. To learn more, please check out our new Leveraging the GDST Standard for FDA’s Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) Compliance resources.
Click here to view the GDST Road Map to FSMA 204 Alignment.