The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) is thrilled to announce that Seafrigo, DNV and OpsSmart Global have joined its expanding Partnership network, committing to a global Standard for digital seafood traceability. 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.
With a community now exceeding 50 partners and representing 15 countries, the GDST is the underlying thread that links together every sector working towards seafood traceability – from fishermen, processors and retailers to tech specialists, regulators and NGOs. Seafrigo, DNV and OpsSmart Global will help to inform the GDST’s strategic direction through their specialisms in quality assurance and risk management, seafood logistics and 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” said Greg Brown, Executive Director of the GDST. “Their contributions will be instrumental in shaping the future of our global Standard and driving positive change throughout the seafood industry.”
In addition to their new commitment as a Founder Partner of the GDST Foundation, Seafrigo will also join the GDST Supervisory Board as its thirteenth Member to help oversee and guide the GDST’s strategic direction.
Alfred Whitman, Global Head of Business Development, Contract Logistics, said: “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. 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”.
Lisa de Jager, Global Aquaculture Sales and Marketing Director at DNV said the new Partnership leverages 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.”
OpsSmart is also joining the GDST’s movement, bringing years of expertise in interoperability and supply chain mapping. Sharmeen Khan, the co-founder of OpsSmart, said: “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. 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.”
The GDST will host its annual Plenary Session April 25 hosted at Fira Barcelona, in tandem with Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona. A cornerstone event, the Plenary welcomes Partners and advisors to collectively advance the global Standard, share expertise, and discuss insights gathered from GDST’s Regional Working Sessions held in Boston, Cape Town and Singapore.
During the Seafood Expo, the GDST will also moderate an engaging panel discussion on “Traceability- it is not just Sustainability- a Framework Approach”. Joining the discussion is Lisa de Jager from DNV, Christine Xu from the Aquatic Life Institute, Marcelo Hidalgo from the Fishing Industry Association of Papua and New Guinea, and Libby Woodhatch from MarinTrust. Together, the session aims to explore the broad possibilities of information sharing through the GDST Standard.
Richard Stavis, Stakeholder Outreach, Communications and Dialogue Lead at the GDST emphasized the significance of these new Partnerships, stating, “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. 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.”
The GDST invites Partners and advisors of the Standard to participate in the upcoming Plenary Session by completing the registration form on their new website. This session offers a unique opportunity to engage in crucial discussions, contributing to the development of the global Standard and networking opportunities with industry leaders. The Plenary Session will be held 10:00 am – 12:00 pm (plus lunch), April 25, room cc1.1 at Fira Barcelona.
