A first-ever ‘farm to fork’ program for shrimp production has been announced, offering consumers DNA based assurance on the origin and quality of shrimp.
Through enhanced transparency the TraceBack program will also help promote ethical labor practices, which have been highlighted in the global shrimp industry.
The technology offering – already available in animal meat – has been developed by DNA tracing company IdentiGEN in partnership with international seafood producer Seafresh.
The traceable shrimp will be sold at Marks and Spencer outlets in the UK, the first time such an offering has been brought to the consumer.
IdentiGEN Co-Founder and Director Ronan Loftus said that shrimp are globally sourced and the application of DNA TraceBack to the industry brings a further degree of accountability to production and labor practices, which are increasingly being demanded by both retailers and the consumer.
“With its complex and global supply chain, the shrimp industry has been subject to high profile controversy in recent years for poor quality, excessive use of antibiotics and reports of human trafficking, slave and child labor.
“This program will give guaranteed transparency to both retailer and consumer that what they are buying is sourced from approved sources and meets highest standards in terms of production practices.
He said that recent scientific advances in DNA technology has made traceability deliverable at a large scale, enabling its expansion into the seafood sector.
A sample taken from a female shrimp can be used to trace all of its progeny (hundreds of thousands of shrimp) back to its farm of origin with unprecedented accuracy – through the use of ‘Nature’s Barcode’.
“This makes DNA sampling and TraceBack of large numbers of shrimp from the fork back to their exact farm of production possible and cost efficient. The system can also be used to trace shrimp post cooking, or further processing, where considerable co-mingling of production from different sources can occur.”
The program is currently being operated by Seafresh which is producing the shrimp in Central America, processing in the UK and supplying to Marks and Spencer.
Seafresh CEO Lasse Hansen said: “We are delighted to partner with IdentiGEN and our customers on this exciting new era for shrimp traceability. Our industry has been dogged by claims of child labor, poor production practices and use of unapproved feeding regimes. The unprecedented levels of supply chain transparency will help us convey more effectively to our customers and the consumer the care we take to meet the growing consumer expectations for a top quality, sustainable and ethically sourced shrimp supply.”
Further Information
Ronan Cavanagh, Cavanagh Communications, Dublin, Ireland: 00353 (0) 86 317 9731 / ronan@cavanaghcommunications.ie
About IdentiGEN
IdentiGEN is a leading provider of DNA identification solutions to the international agri-food and seafood industries, with laboratory operations in the US, Canada, Ireland, and UK. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
About SeaFresh
Seafresh Group Ltd operates fully integrated shrimp supply chains from aquaculture to retail distribution, with geographical diversification of production in both Central America and Southeast Asia where it operates hatcheries, farms and processing plants. The company operates from its two regional headquarters located in Thailand and the UK.
Source: IdentiGEN