Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world due to growing demand for seafood.
Seafood buyers worldwide are struggling to meet this demand, because most processing factories cannot supply seafood that meets the requirements of high-end markets, such as those in Europe and America.
Solidaridad and Wageningen UR want to help both buyers and suppliers to achieve their sustainability ambition. Together with a group of leading seafood companies, Solidaridad and Wageningen UR have therefore developed the Seafood Trade Intelligence Portal (STIP), which was launched during the Global Seafood Expo in Brussels on 21 April 2015.
The STIP provides insight in seafood supply chains, helping suppliers and buyers to find each other, connect, trade and invest in tomorrow’s sustainable seafood supply.
It does so through a supplier and a buyer search engine, focusing on seafood suppliers from Asia and South America and buyers around the world.
The STIP supplier database enables seafood buyers to quickly identify those suppliers that can meet their specific buyer requirements. Factory profiles will include information on available species, export volumes, export markets, freezing machines, food safety certification, sustainability certification and also information on sourcing.
For each factory, the information will show how the raw material is sourced: from their own farms, contract farms or middleman. By providing such detailed information, STIP contributes to transparent and sustainable seafood trade.
STIP will first launch its supplier database with 35 processing factory profiles from Bangladesh and 16 processing factory profiles from Myanmar. All factories included in the database are EU approved. The ambition is to include factories in Peru, Ecuador, India, Indonesia and Vietnam in the course of 2015. In 2016, STIP will also launch its buyer database with company profiles of seafood buyers from around the world.
Close collaboration with public and private sector partners
Wageningen UR and Solidaridad work closely with public and private sector partners in the EU and US and with sector associations in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) and the Myanmar Marine Processors and Exporters Association (MPEA) have facilitated data collection during the factory visits. Both associations have supported the development of the survey to collect supplier information and facilitated the discussion with their members about how STIP would contribute to the sustainable future of the seafood industry.
The partnership of STIP with Wageningen UR, Solidaridad and sector associations in participating countries is key to providing buyers and suppliers with up-to-date and correct sourcing and market intelligence. This intelligence is instrumental for the realisation of the ambition seafood companies to ensure a sustainable future for the seafood industry.
