UK authority Seafish has launched a new tool to assist seafood buyers in making informed purchasing decisions for their businesses.
The free online platform, Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood (RASS), will give the entire UK supply chain of seafood buyers - in the wholesale, foodservice and retail sectors - greater clarity over the status of the seafood they are purchasing both at stock and fisheries levels.
RASS fishery profiles will contain information on stock status, the efficacy of management, as well as seafloor habitat and bycatch impacts. The first tranche of around 100 profiles based on the most common species bought in the UK including haddock, cod and tuna are available now and profiles will continue to be added over the coming months. The tool will also eventually address ethical and welfare issues around sourcing seafood that remains an area of great concern for the industry.
While information on what fish to eat already exists from a number of sources, Seafish believes that RASS will enable commercial buyers to make informed choices that comply with their own internal policies or procedures for purchasing seafood; rather than having to adopt those of advisory organisations.
Tom Pickerell, Seafish Technical Director, said, “As the industry authority on seafood, Seafish is committed to promoting best practice throughout the supply chain, from UK commercial fishermen to producers and ultimately retailers.
“With RASS, we have for the first time created a single, powerful reference resource for commercial seafood buyers to consult in order to make sound sourcing decisions based on their own corporate philosophies rather than being told what seafood they should and should not buy.”
