Traceability for People: Protecting Consumer Health

You may not think about it when enjoying a beautifully prepared seafood dish, but the journey your seafood takes matters—both for the planet and your health.

Whether you’re buying it fresh from a market or ordering it at your favourite restaurant there’s a level of risk involved if we don’t know where it comes from. 

And that’s more common than you think.

Mislabeling is Everywhere

Seafood fraud poses significant risks to consumers like you and me.

According to studies by Oceana and the USFDA, 15-20% of seafood products are mislabeled, potentially concealing contaminants, pathogens, and allergens. This is more than a legal issue—it’s a public health concern. 

For instance, ciguatera poisoning, a toxin historically linked to tropical reef fish, is now increasingly tied to mislabeled seafood products. 

But this isn’t about avoiding seafood.

It’s about knowing its journey. 

From bait to plate, traceability ensures that seafood is:

• Accurately Labeled: Giving you confidence in what you're eating and where it was sourced.
• Responsibly Sourced: Avoiding illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices and protecting endangered species.
• Certified for Safety: Ensuring all certifications are up-to-date and meet the highest quality and sustainability standards.

So, what can we, as consumers, do?

1️⃣ Check the labels. Does your seafood packaging tell you where it’s from? What species it is? How it was caught? If not, that might be the sign you were looking for to look at the brand or place you are purchasing from.

2️⃣ Ask questions. At restaurants or hotels, don’t be afraid to ask, “Do you know where your seafood comes from?” You’d be surprised how many don’t.

3️⃣ Demand better. The brands, retailers, and restaurants you trust have a responsibility to do better. The tools to trace their seafood exist— they just need to use them.

The SFS Trace Audit Solution ✅

At each stage of the seafood supply chain, traceability is vital for ensuring seafood is responsibly sourced, legally harvested, and accurately labelled. The SFS Trace Audit ensures that:

• Products adhere to Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability (GDST) standards.
• Certifications are verified, valid, and up-to-date.
• Seafood is responsibly sourced, free from IUU practices, and accurately labeled.

Traceability audits go beyond compliance; they uphold authenticity, safeguard diners’ wellbeing, and maintain consumer trust.

Every time you sit down to enjoy a meal, you should feel confident that what’s on your plate is exactly what you ordered—safe, sustainable, and correctly labeled. 🐟🍽️