For Miami, Florida, U.S.A.-based food distribution firm True Grade Foods, navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge, but it also provided the company with a unique opportunity to rethink its high-volume supply chains.
Rather than rebuilding the same systems it had, coming out of the pandemic, True Grade chose to invest in a more future-ready supply chain that included greater traceability infrastructure, True Grade CEO Tony Malave told SeafoodSource.
“Covid allowed us to rethink and reorganize our supply chains. When you start seeing what's shaping the future, what policies and regulations are changing, and how they are changing, the only logical thing that was going to happen … was more traceability and increased supply chain oversight requirements,” Malave said. “As we began rebuilding our supply chain, we decided to do it … the right way, which is through traceability.”
Though the goal was clear, the path to achieving it was daunting, Malave said, as True Grade needed to determine how best to trace the over 200 million pounds of food and beverage products, covering over 1,000 SKUs, that it delivers every year to cruise lines and foodservice customers around the world.
Seafood alone presents a major challenge, with True Grade sourcing salmon, cod, tuna, tilapia, haddock, trout, mahi, snapper, shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, clams, and scallops from various global destinations.
To overcome its traceability challenges, True Grade recently partnered with supply chain traceability firm Wholechain to implement digital traceability infrastructure across its supply chains; as a result, True Grade has become the first distributor to deploy end-to-end supply chain traceability specifically designed for the cruise line industry, implementing it with the support of its partners Ritz Carlton, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean.
Wholechain is a traceability solution provider with significant experience in seafood and became the ideal partner for True Grade’s vision of establishing a traceable supply chain, Malave said.
True Grade now uses Wholechain to capture key data elements (KDEs) at critical tracking events (CTEs), starting at harvest and ending when a product is delivered to an end consumer. Along with streamlining regulatory requirements, Wholechain has helped True Grade improve cross-border document retention and market requirements, such as digital certificates as required under E.U. policy.
“Traceability is the foundation for trust in global food systems,” Wholechain Chief Sustainability Officer Mark Kaplan said. “Aligning its traceability strategy with global data standards and government and market requirements for trade, True Grade can help shape the future of sourcing for the cruise line industry globally.”
The partnership has also resulted in the creation of a supplier portal, which is a feature of Wholechain's traceability platform that will enable True Grade suppliers to start collecting traceability data or connect existing traceability accounts to True Grade's, scaling their capacity to collect sourcing data. While the company's initial focus will be on provenance and food safety, plans include eventually integrating carbon and biodiversity data aligned with global traceability policies and broader sustainability disclosure requirements.
“With Wholechain, we’re empowering cruise lines and guests to know exactly where their food comes from and how it meets the highest standards for quality and sustainability,” Malave said. “It’s a step forward for both transparency and compliance in the global cruise line industry.”
According to Malave, the global cruise industry serves approximately 34 million to 35 million passengers per year. In December 2025, the Port of Miami alone set a record with 75,000 passengers onto cruise ships in a single week. Average seafood consumption is roughly 0.5 to 1 pound per guest per cruise day or 3 to 7 pounds per guest on a seven-day cruise. Malave said that would put the estimated annual seafood consumption by cruise lines in the 250-million-pound-per-year range.
With the industry headed for steady growth, the consumption of seafood is likely to rise in tandem, requiring a solid traceability infrastructure to properly keep track of.
“Cruise distribution is a real proving ground for traceability – multiple ports, jurisdictions, and handoffs. If it works there, it can work anywhere,” he said.
