The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) - a non-profit foundation which seeks to aid the transition of the seafood industry towards sustainability and responsible practice - has announced the addition of three organisations to its partner network. The announcement comes ahead of the GDST's annual Plenary Session, set to take place during the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona 23 - 25 April, 2024.
The food logistics company Seafrigo, traceability specialist OpsSmart Global, and solutions company DNV are the latest additions to the GDST network. With the community now exceeding 50 partners across 15 countries, the GDST is moving towards its aim of comprehensive seafood traceability - from fishermen, processors and retailers to tech specialists, regulators and NGOs.
Through the new partnerships, the GDST hopes that Seafrigo, DNV and OpsSmart Global will help to inform the organisation's strategic direction through their expertise in quality assurance and risk management, seafood logistics, cold chain solutions and supply chain data.
“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. Their contributions will be instrumental in shaping the future of our global Standard and driving positive change throughout the seafood industry," said Greg Brown, executive director of the GDST, in a press release announcing the partnerships.
Alongside joining the GDST partner network, logistics specialist Seafrigo will join the GDST Supervisory Board as its thirteenth Member, and in this new role will help oversee and guide the GDST’s strategic direction.
“Seafrigo Group is proud and excited to join the Supervisory Board of the GDST, participating and contributing towards the transformation of Global seafood supply. We’ll work to promote and reinforce the GDST standards by leveraging our superior seafood logistics capabilities,” said Alfred Whitman, global head of business development for contract logistics at Seafrigo.
“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,” he added.
Lisa de Jager, global aquaculture sales and marketing director at DNV, highlighted the importance of a synchronised approach to achieving a transparent and responsible seafood industry.
“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 harmonised,” she said.
