Trace Register was founded in 2005 with a vision to revolutionize seafood traceability. We operate globally, working with partners and clients across various continents and over 50 countries to ensure worldwide seafood traceability and sustainability.
Information Gap
Trace Register’s founding impetus was identifying a significant information gap between those who catch and process fish and those who buy and consume it. Phil Werdal, the founder, saw that consumers often wondered about their seafood’s origin, authenticity, and sustainability. Believing traceability was the key to bridging this gap, Phil assembled a team of experienced seafood and technology experts to create Trace Register.
Since our inception, we’ve continually evolved, integrating the latest technologies and standards to stay at the forefront of seafood traceability. Our TR5/ORIGIN platform exemplifies our commitment to innovation, offering comprehensive, event-based, full-chain traceability. We’ve also been involved in achieving GDST-capability and promoting interoperability across different systems in the seafood supply chain.
People and Product
Our unwavering dedication to transparency, sustainability, and customer focus sets us apart. Our solutions are designed to meet regulatory requirements, support our clients in achieving their sustainability goals, and enhance their operational efficiency. Our proactive approach to risk mitigation through innovative solutions, such as our new insurance offering, further highlights our commitment to going beyond traditional traceability.
We believe data is about people – not just numbers, dates, or products. Our passion is to help people in their jobs, make companies more successful, and ensure customers are satisfied through technology. Our extraordinary team has over 200 years of collective experience in all segments of seafood traceability. Our global team includes native English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian speakers. Cost Savings: Businesses can save on operational costs by automating data verification and reducing manual labor.
Why GDST?
Trace Register became an active supporter of GDST in 2017, driven by our commitment to enhancing transparency and sustainability in the seafood industry. Our inspiration stems from a strong belief in the importance of standardized traceability systems to improve food safety, combat illegal fishing practices, and protect marine ecosystems.
Being a GDST Partner also allows us to collaborate with industry leaders to establish and promote these critical standards, ensuring our solutions meet and exceed regulatory requirements. By partnering with GDST, we aim to foster a unified approach to seafood traceability, benefiting both businesses and consumers.
In 2022, Trace Register’s TR5 was one of the first traceability software products to pass the GDST capability test. In 2024, Trace Register’s TR5 became GDST v1.2 capable with backward compatibility with XML and JSON.
Why Digital Seafood Traceability Matters
Digital seafood traceability is at the heart of what we do. The seafood industry has historically relied on paper documents to achieve food safety, compliance and sustainability goals. Moving these processes to the digital world allows for increased operational efficiency, higher consumer trust and the ability to innovate more quickly.
Supporting the Seafood Sector
We believe a rising tide lifts all boats. As more companies adopt the GDST standards, new business opportunities emerge. GDST has unified the seafood industry under a global standard, simplifying collaboration and driving collective success.
We support this effort through working pre-competitively with other solutions, continuing to focus on the seafood sector only and contributing to panels and conferences to help promote full chain seafood traceability.
GDST plays a vital role in our efforts by providing a standardized framework for seafood traceability. It brings the industry together to create and follow global standards, simplifying collaboration and data sharing. By adopting GDST standards, we help our clients achieve better traceability, compliance, and operational efficiency.
Contributing to the GDST Standard
We consistently update our TR5/ORIGIN platform to meet the latest GDST standards. We emphasize to potential customers the necessity of a GDST-capable system, regardless of whether they choose us. It’s crucial.
We actively contribute to the GDST standard in several key ways:
- Leadership and Expertise: Our Vice President Integrations, Peter Larkins, is a member of the GDST Technical Committee. This role allows us to influence and shape the standards directly, ensuring they meet the industry’s evolving needs.
- Implementation and Advocacy: We promote adopting GDST standards across the seafood industry. By integrating these standards into our TR5/ORIGIN platform, we demonstrate their practical application and benefits, encouraging other companies to follow suit.
- Education and Support: We educate our clients on the importance of GDST standards and provide the tools and support needed to implement them effectively. It includes helping them understand how these standards improve traceability, compliance, and overall business operations.
Additionally Trace Register has played a key part in developing many of the technical standards and the basic communication protocol.
Impact of GDST on the Business
GDST has allowed us to partner with other companies, facilitating new opportunities to make life easier for our clients.
Long-Term Goals
Our long-term goals from our partnership with GDST and commitment to its standards are ambitious and far-reaching:
- Enhanced Traceability: We aim to achieve comprehensive and seamless traceability across the seafood supply chain so that every product, from catch to consumer, will have a verifiable history.
- Industry-wide Adoption: We aspire to see widespread adoption of GDST standards, creating a unified approach to seafood traceability. It will foster greater collaboration and efficiency within the industry.
- Regulatory Compliance: We want to ensure that all stakeholders in the seafood industry meet and exceed regulatory requirements, including compliance with key regulations such as the FDA’s FSMA Section 204, which mandates full traceability.
- Sustainability and Ethical Practices: Our commitment extends to promoting sustainability and ethical practices in the seafood industry. By enabling better traceability, we can help prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and support the protection of marine ecosystems.
- Increased Consumer Trust: Ultimately, we aim to build trust with consumers by providing them with accurate information about the origin and journey of their seafood products. Informed consumers can make better choices, leading to a more responsible market.
What Success Looks Like:
- Interoperability: Success means achieving seamless data sharing and communication across different systems in the seafood supply chain, thanks to the interoperability fostered by GDST standards.
- Transparency: Transparent supply chains where all stakeholders, from fishers to consumers, can access and trust the information that is made available to them.
- Compliance: Consistent and efficient compliance with global regulations, ensuring food safety and reducing the risk of contamination and recalls.
- Sustainability: A measurable impact on sustainability efforts, including reduced IUU fishing and improved protection of marine environments.
- Trust and Value: Enhanced consumer trust and perceived value in traceable seafood products, leading to a stronger, more resilient seafood market.
By achieving these goals, we aim to lead the way in transforming the seafood industry, ensuring it is sustainable, transparent, and trusted by all.
Advice for Potential GDST Partners
Here are some key pieces of advice for solution providers considering becoming GDST Partners:
- Understand the Standards: Deeply familiarize yourself with the GDST standards and their importance in the seafood industry. This knowledge will be crucial for integrating and promoting these standards.
- Highlight Benefits: Communicate the benefits of GDST adoption to potential clients. Emphasize how it enhances traceability, improves food safety, and fosters trust and transparency in the supply chain.
- Collaboration is Key: Be prepared to work collaboratively with other industry players. GDST aims to create a unified approach to traceability, so cooperation and interoperability are essential.
- Client Education: Educate your clients on the necessity and advantages of GDST-compliant systems. Help them understand how these standards can enhance operations and ensure regulatory compliance.
- Join the Dialogue: Engage actively with the GDST community. Participate in discussions, workshops, and committees to stay informed and contribute to advancing traceability standards.
By following these steps, we believe a solutions provider will be well-positioned to become a valuable GDST Partner and significantly impact the seafood industry.
You can learn more about Trace Register at: Trace Register Website
Explore the benefits of GDST partnership at: GDST Get Involved