The GDST will host its annual Plenary Session on April 25 at Fira Barcelona, in tandem with Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
The The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) has secured a further three partners in its quest to establish a global standard in digital seafood traceability.
The GDST said the contributions of Seafrigo, DNV, and OpsSmart Global will be crucial, especially in areas like quality assurance, seafood logistics, and supply chain data management.
"We are thrilled to welcome our new GDST Partners and leverage their expertise to enhance the GDST Foundation’s vision for global, interoperable traceability in seafood,” said Greg Brown, Executive Director of the GDST, in a press release.
“Their contributions will be instrumental in shaping the future of our global Standard and driving positive change throughout the seafood industry.”
“Seafrigo Group is proud and excited to join the Supervisory Board of the GDST, participating and contributing towards the transformation of Global seafood supply," said Alfred Whitman, Global Head of Business Development, Contract Logistics.
"We’ll work to promote and reinforce the GDST standards by leveraging our superior seafood logistics capabilities. With a footprint now spanning 28 countries and territories, our company looks forward to adopting the GDST Standard, and working with all stakeholders to boost digital seafood traceability, from harvest to fork”.
Meanwhile, Sharmeen Khan, co-founder of OpsSmart, spoke about the importance of interoperability and supply chain mapping.
“By using OpsSmart, the black hole of insight that typically exists in supply chain management is illuminated, allowing for better tracking and management of products from their creation to their consumption," Khan said.
"This increased visibility and transparency can lead to various benefits, including improved efficiency, reduced errors, enhanced trust, and better decision-making across the supply chain ecosystem," she added.
Lisa de Jager, Global Aquaculture Sales and Marketing Director at DNV, emphasised the need for a harmonized approach to traceability: “There will be a lot of traceability solutions out there. It’s important that these solutions are able to speak to each other."
"If we don’t base our traceability solution on an open platform and ensure data interoperability, we will never manage to get this harmonized," she said.
View of the main entrance of the Fira de Barcelona on the second day of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global 2023.
The partnership announcement comes as the GDST prepares for its annual Plenary Session, scheduled during the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona from April 23-25.
The Seafood Expo will also feature a GDST panel discussion exploring the broader possibilities of the GDST standard in improving transparency in fishery and aquaculture supply chains: Traceability- it is not just Sustainability- a Framework Approach.
Participants will include DNV's Lisa de Jager, alongside Christine Xu from the Aquatic Life Institute, Marcelo Hidalgo from the Fishing Industry Association of Papua and New Guinea, and Libby Woodhatch from Marin Trust.
“We recognize that without our Partners, there wouldn’t be a global Standard. It’s our Partners who help drive progress towards transparent, ethical and sustainable seafood practices, with their pivotal role in shaping and enriching our community," said Richard Stavis, Stakeholder Outreach, Communications and Dialogue Lead at the GDST
"Our conversations at the Expo will help to shape and enrich our GDST community as we work to build trust in fishery and aquaculture supply chains.”