Industry practices for sharing information in the Norwegian fisheries supply chains

Abstract

Sustainability and traceability of food products have received increased attention due to food safety, consumer demand on knowledge of the origin of their food and reducing food fraud. In recent years, traceability systems have been used to document and share sustainability information in food supply chains. This paper reviews the current methods of data capture and information sharing practices in the Norwegian fisheries supply chainfrom catch to consumption. Most Norwegian fishing vessels capture detailed data on the catch and quality of fish electronically. This information is automatically reported to the authorities while most information regarding the quality and sustainability is not communicated further down the supply chain. Significant data gaps include information on fuel and energy consumption, as well as detailed data on the transport routes and modes used. Increasing information sharing could potentially improve supply chain decision making and in-turn have an impact on producing sustainable high-quality fish products.