| dc.description | Nova Scotian producers and consumers are continuously faced with the complexity of global seafood supply chains. Recent studies on seafood mislabeling, fraud, and the newly uncovered issue of slave labour, has led to increased information demands and a push for change in the way seafood supply chains operate by adopting new international regulations and initiatives. This naturally creates a risk to industry actors who fail to comply with these changes and new regulation standards. While seafood traceability has been present within the global food supply chain for decades, consumer-facing traceability has newly emerged as an innovative way to communicate provenance and distinguish brands within the market. This research aims to assess under what context and for which seafood sector consumer-facing traceability may be a feasible risk mitigation strategy for producers. This question is addressed through semi-structured interviews from a variety of actors along the supply chain within Nova Scotia, supply chain mapping of major species, and a simplified risk assessment. Results highlight the necessity for traceability to combat pressing issues such as mislabeling and illegal cash fisheries within the industry, as well as the willingness to engage if benefits outweigh costs. While consumer-facing traceability’s role in mitigating risk for mainly small-scale producers was not evident and challenges, such as competition and lack of transparency inhibits consumer-facing traceability adoption, shellfish aquaculture producers are seen as the most prepared to take on consumer-facing traceability to mitigate risk and reap the most benefit by differentiating their product within the market. Finally, this study provides insights into the seafood supply chain in Nova Scotia and offers recommendations to shift toward a transparent seafood industry benefiting producers and consumers. | en_US |
