Seafood businesses know that traceability matters. We’ve seen this more than ever in 2024, with development toward comprehensive, interoperable digital traceability across seafood supply chains, powered by the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST), accelerating at an ever-faster pace.
With the year speeding by, let’s take time to reflect on four key moments in 2024 that help illustrate this momentum towards a truly shared, common data language for seafood supply.
Developing a Standard by the industry, for the industry
Seafood Global Expo, the biggest seafood trade show in the world, hosted in Barcelona each April, marked the end of our 2023-2024 global Dialogues – the GDST’s vehicle for ensuring our data Standards are written with industry, for industry. To conclude our latest cycle of international Dialogues, the first of the new partnership-driven GDST Foundation, our Annual Plenary Meeting (APM) took place at this landmark seafood event.
With so many individuals from across the seafood sector convening in one location, the APM is an important opportunity to bring together the GDST’s stakeholders from within the industry, NGOs and elsewhere, to deliberate and establish consensus on new additions to the GDST’s Standard.
This annual coming together, building on the three Regional Working Sessions (RWS) that precede it, is a remarkable reminder of the participatory, democratic nature of how the Standard is built and developed with industry at its heart. With an awareness of the CSR agenda and a global trend towards increasing regulatory requirements around traceability, industry is driving the minimum data requirements and data formats that comprise the Standard, and identifying the steps businesses throughout the supply chain need to take to become regulation ready.
Two proposals were submitted this year concerning the newly designed concept of ‘Expansion Frameworks’ (EF), discrete data sets that can be shared across the supply chain, focusing on specific areas separate from the core Standard. This saw progression to the Technical Council of two EFs including one from MarinTrust on Marine Ingredients and one by the Fishing Industry Association of Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Social Accountability.
What does this mean for traceability? It means that information some seafood industry stakeholders already need has now been standardized into specific Key Data Elements (KDEs) – which defines what data should be collected along the supply chain and Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) – which defines when that data should be collected. This standardization makes the information available to more people, not just those who originally wanted it. It also improves transparency, data analysis, and a pathway to the holy grail of supply chain information – data veracity.
Casting a net that’s as wide as it is deep
While the Standard is at the heart of what GDST is, it would be too one-dimensional to view it as the sole determining factor in the success of the GDST’s mission. The Standard is one component, brought to life by the growing global community – GDST Partners and other stakeholders – who are proliferating awareness of the issues around seafood traceability, and the importance of unlocking interconnected, traceable supply chains, through swift, affordable, accessible tech solutions.
In the first half of this year, the GDST’s global community has continued to grow, and we were delighted to welcome three new Partners in April alone, meaning more than 60 businesses now stand publicly committed to a mission of interoperable traceability. These new Partners include: Seafrigo, a food logistics specialist; DNV, which helps businesses improve safety, manage risks, and ensure compliance through testing, certification, advisory services, and digital solutions, and; OpsSmart Global, which provides software solutions for tracking and tracing products in supply chains.
The GDST’s newest Partners are a perfect example of how the movement is diversifying. As well as comprising a number of renowned, global seafood businesses positioned right across the supply chain, the GDST’s unique Partnership structure also encompasses solution providers, facilitators and NGOs and other stakeholders.
This holistic approach to defining the GDST movement recognises the myriad ways stakeholders can contribute to and draw support from the GDST – from software developers creating tools that enable multiple, distinct systems to talk to each other, to an NGO committed to the realization of sustainable harvesting of an endangered fish stock promoting use of the Standard to encourage compliance. It shows that the GDST is not just a platform for those seafood businesses seeking digital traceability to adopt but of problem-solvers and those seeking to adapt and utilize the GDST’s Standard as a tool for sustainable and social good.
One such example in early 2024 saw the issuing of a joint statement with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which explained how their Chain of Custody (CoC) standard – which verifies that MSC certified seafood comes from an MSC certified sustainable fishery – is complemented by the GDST Standard. As part of their 2030 traceability vision, the MSC further announced a traceability pilot program that aims to explore how software solutions that are GDST capable can further benefit the existing CoC program.
The GDST’s growth through 2024 and beyond will be critical to its success. Securing more alignment from within global seafood supply chains, and support and validation from outside, furthers the credibility and universal adoption of its Standard.
Bridging the gap between industry and governments
Each business adopting the GDST Standard marks a significant step towards an aligned approach to traceability. However, the challenge lies in synchronizing industry standards with government data systems. In 2024, more governments are recognizing the importance of integrating their data collection mechanisms with industry standards to create seamless, interoperable systems. Such integration would not only enhance traceability but also facilitate smoother trade relations and compliance with international markets as well as open up new data sources to aid with fisheries management and compliance.
GDST is leading discussions at a global level with the 2024 edition of FAO’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) exploring how policy can be built into fishery catch documentation schemes (CDS) and industry data collection platforms to create alignment with government traceability and benefit fisheries management systems. GDST is now working on the ground with four countries to deliver practical solutions in this area.
Indonesia serves as a pioneering example with its STELINA platform, an integrated electronic system developed by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, designed specifically to meet the traceability requirements for seafood exports to the United States. This platform underscores the growing demand for digital data sets that can be readily accessed and utilized by different stakeholders, including government bodies, industry players, and international trade partners. By leveraging platforms like STELINA, Indonesia has demonstrated how technology can bridge the gap between industry needs and government regulations, ensuring that data flows seamlessly across the supply chain.
However, the journey towards fully interoperable digital traceability systems is not without its challenges. One of the significant barriers identified is the technological divide that exists between different countries’ systems. Overcoming this technological barrier is essential to enhance trade efficiency and regulatory compliance. Investing in digital infrastructure, standardizing data protocols, and fostering international cooperation are critical steps towards achieving this goal.
The GDST’s push for interoperable systems and use of common KDEs and CTEs aims to address these challenges by promoting the adoption of a common Standard and encouraging dialogue between governments. By facilitating the integration of government data with industry platforms, countries can not only improve their traceability systems but also enhance their competitiveness in the global seafood market. The goal is to create a world where seafood traceability is seamless, secure, and standardized, benefiting consumers, businesses, and governments alike.
Leading the way in accelerating businesses towards traceability
To deliver global standardized, digitized traceability systems, businesses will require the capability for information to be sent and received easily through the system on request. This requires coordination and the implementation of robust software solutions throughout the supply chain. To support businesses in understanding and coordinating their transition to full traceability, the GDST published new guidance documents in July, providing a bank of free tools to accelerate supply chain implementation of traceability systems. Free resources made available include key concept explainers for Traceability, Open-source software development kits, and a step-by-step GDST implementation guide.
Because the GDST Standard has evolved with and for industry, GDST’s new supporting guidance, developed with the Institute of Food Technologists, provides industry with insights that will ensure businesses throughout the supply chain can meet their technical requirements for delivering traceability data with solutions which are appropriate, tailor-made, reduce cost and enhance reliability.
Alongside the continuing Dialogue cycle and evolving GDST Standard, the new tools and resources now available support a new era in global standardized traceability, steering a course for businesses to transition at scale to systems that can track seafood from net to plate on demand.
In 2024, significant strides have been made in seafood traceability, achieving comprehensive, interoperable digital systems. The GDST’s collaborative efforts with diverse stakeholders have emphasized the importance of standardization, uniting industry, NGOs, and governments.
Looking ahead, the evolving GDST Standard and expanding global partnerships will be key to overcoming challenges, bridging technological divides, and ensuring seamless traceability in seafood commerce. The progress in 2024 has established a strong foundation, bringing the vision of a fully traceable, secure, and standardized global seafood market closer to reality.