For NETUNO, supporting traceability aligns with their overall sustainability goals.

FORT LAUDERDALE (June 24th, 2021) – NETUNO USA, the leading importer of Snapper and Grouper in the US, has announced it is joining over 50 industry peers in support of the GDST standards published last year.

The GDST is a business-to-business platform that was established to advance a unified framework for interoperable seafood traceability practices. The GDST brings together a broad spectrum of seafood industry stakeholders from across different parts of the supply chain who helped draft the first-ever global traceability standards known officially as GDST 1.0. These standards seek to “improve the reliability of seafood information, reduce the cost of seafood traceability, contribute to reduce supply chain risk and contribute to securing long-term social and environmental sustainability.”

About 25% of the world’s seafood catch is untraceable leading to the exploitation of human and environmental capital. An increase in global regulations is only part of the solution.1 Without reliable information about the origin of the seafood that ends up on a consumer’s plate, there’s no way to know which suppliers are inadvertently supporting irresponsible fishing practices.

“Seafood traceability is a big deal.” says Andre Brugger, NETUNO’s Sustainability & Compliance Manager. “Traceability will allow us to know the story of where our seafood originates and where it has been, every step in the process. Knowing this allows us to hold everyone in the supply chain accountable to better practices and we can make better decisions about who we are doing business with.”

NETUNO’s goal is to have at least 90% of all seafood sourced from a certified sustainable or FIP source. “Meeting this goal is important to us because it shows the industry that we are serious about sustainably sourced seafood, and we hope will inspire others to invest in this as well. But we are aware that not all certifying bodies address the issue of traceability and by committing to the new GDST’s standards, we hope to address this gap.” Amanda Antonio, Sales & Marketing Director, on why this decision is so important for NETUNO and what else they are doing in support of the new standards.

“We are currently evaluating our processes and systems to see what traceability information we can incorporate into our operations now, so that as the standards evolve, we can evolve with it,” she stated. “We know technology is going to be a big part of these changes, and we want to be ahead of the game. GDST will help us get there.”

About NETUNO
Since 1993 NETUNO has devoted itself to producing the highest quality frozen seafood in the market, while maintaining a strong commitment to sourcing from sustainable fisheries and using commercially responsible practices by monitoring fish stock, reducing by-catch and minimizing waste and energy. When you buy NETUNO brand seafood, be assured that you are serving the highest quality seafood. Learn more at www.netunousa.com.

About the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST)
The GDST is an international, business-to-business forum established to advance a unified framework for interoperable and verifiable seafood traceability. The Dialogue brings together more than five dozen companies from around the globe and across different parts of the seafood supply chain. In March 2020, after a multi-year industry-led drafting process, the GDST released the first-ever global standard (GDST 1.0) governing information content and data formats for seafood traceability systems. Learn more at www.traceability-dialogue.org.