Dive Brief:
- Chicken of the Sea International has enabled consumers to trace the source, processing location and fishing method used for some of the company's U.S. seafood products via a "digital traceability initiative," according to a news release.
- The initiative now covers all of Chicken of the Sea's shelf-stable tuna products. But the company plans to expand the effort to include the entire Chicken of the Sea shelf-stable product line as part of the company's "commitment to seafood sustainability."
- Chicken of the Sea displays the information on its own website, which consumers can access by entering 10 to 15-digit numbers printed on cans. There they will find the answers to seven preset questions, such as where the fish was caught and a world map displaying the location.
Dive Insight:
Chicken of the Sea's owner, Thai Union, has been at the center of controversy lately, particularly following reports of ongoing slavery and trafficking in the Thai fishing industry. Investigations from The New York Times, Associated Press and Guardian linked many of these human rights abuses to Thai Union and Chicken of the Sea, according to a Greenpeace report.
Chicken of the Sea's traceability efforts are a start on its path to increased transparency and sustainability throughout its supply chain. But knowing where a fish was caught or how it was processed doesn't necessarily solve human rights abuses occurring on the other side of the world.
Increasing numbers of consumers consider a company's labor practices in their brand purchase decisions. Consumers today demand transparency, ranging from ingredients to fair labor practices. Manufacturers that embrace consumers' hunger for transparency can achieve better whole chain visibility and traceability.
That effort offers more information about ingredients, suppliers, processing and other company practices that the brand can then share with consumers. Transparency can also help foster brand loyalty among the vast majority of consumers and convince others to pay more for completely transparent products, according to a recent study from Label Insight.