As issues surrounding sustainability and traceability continue to create headaches for many seafood brands, it is more important than ever to begin tracking a product as early in the supply chain as possible, according to Frank Terzoli, the chief product officer and chief strategy officer at seafood traceability firm CertiHarvest.
“Fishing starts on the water. That’s where traceability should begin as well,” Terzoli said.
CertiHarvest is a digital platform that captures data the moment seafood leaves the water, tagging fish or shellfish at the point of harvest, instead of creating a record after harvest via spreadsheet like other food traceability platforms. The platform then follows the product from processing to distribution and then on to a retailer or restaurant. Via QR code, buyers or end consumers can access information that shows that entire record, and the file is incorruptible, according to Terzoli, meaning it cannot be altered after the fact.
“Most platforms organize, analyze, and exchange information after it enters the supply chain. CertiHarvest establishes the first trusted digital record at the moment of harvest, creating an append-only record that downstream systems can rely on,” said CertiHarvest CEO and Founder Joe Zariello, who is a full-time fisherman. “In my view, the quality of every supply chain decision depends on the quality of that first record. That’s the problem the team is focused on.”
The level of tracking CertiHarvest offers has become available at a time when litigation around sustainability and traceability is becoming more common. Experts have warned that brands have become overreliant on certification schemes to support seafood sustainability claims, instead of building out a due diligence infrastructure that includes full-chain digital traceability.
Brad Yellock, founder and president of North Gulf Farms in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, U.S.A., said CertiHarvest offers him a sense of security, helping his oyster-processing firm track the temperature and other information on oysters from the point of harvest all the way through the supply chain to the end user.
“The way we document everything is all the way through harvesting and processing, so CertiHarvest knocked out the manual side of my HACCP plan,” Yellock said. “Recording that data for our facility is done automatically in the app.”
Several other seafood suppliers and distributors also utilize CertiHarvest’s platform, including Admiral Shellfish Harvester, Southern Gem, and Southern Oyster Co. According to CertiHarvest CFO and COO Jerry Zariello, CertiHarvest will be adding “hundreds” of clients, including harvesters, receivers, processors, restaurants, and retailers, over the next few months.
“We are not trying to build a better compliance system,” Jerry said. “We are building seafood data infrastructure. If we can improve supplier, distributor, foodservice, and retailer operations while promoting full traceability at the same time, that is a home run.”
Terzoli emphasized that CertiHarvest is not a certification system – nor is it trying to be one – but he explained the platform also helps prevent fraud, which is another issue plaguing the U.S. seafood supply chain, as several Southern states have introduced legislation aimed at combating mislabeling.
"Our platform captures the origin, and it stays with that product through each stage of the process,” he said.
