The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), an Ecuador-based certification system for shrimp aquaculture launched in March 2018, has kicked off a traceability application that aims to provide consumers with key information on their shrimp’s journey from farm to fork.
“The shrimp industry worldwide produces over five million tons of shrimp each year, and we continue to see many examples of food fraud, especially in seafood industry. So how can consumers trust that the products they are buying are safe for them and their families?” Ecuadorean Aquaculture Chamber Executive President José Antonio Camposano said. “Using the most secure and latest technology available for food traceability and committing producers to the highest levels of transparency … consumers acquire the power to make an informed choice and increase their capacity to buy healthy and responsibly farmed shrimp.”
With the application, consumers can scan a QR code stamped on SSP BLUE BOX shrimp packaging to review data including where, when, and how the shrimp was farmed and processed, and trace it through every stage of its growth and processing to ensure they are purchasing a safe, premium quality product. The app is based on blockchain technology offered under the IBM Food Trust platform, and SSP is the first to offer its shrimp products on this platform.
“The story of SSP shrimp deserves to be told so consumers can have total confidence and security about what they are buying, but also to highlight the essential role of our producers: their dedication, effort and commitment to farm shrimp applying the best practices, focused on being responsible with the ecosystem, their workers, communities, and of course with their clients,” SSP Director Pamela Nath said.
Current SSP members connected to the platform include Omarsa, Songa, and Promarisco-Grupo Nueva Pescanova. The Blockchain Traceability Project was co-financed by The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), an SSP Advisory Board Member.
SSP members must guarantee standards for shrimp production, including Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification, 100 percent traceability, zero use of antibiotics, and a net neutral impact on the environment, the organization said. The association aims to promote clean, sustainable, and successful shrimp aquaculture in Ecuador to facilitate global exports. Working in partnership and with others, its goal is to create differentiation in global seafood markets by increasing awareness of its members’ preferential environmental and social practices, Nath said.
Photo courtesy of Sustainable Shrimp Partnership
