Profile of traceability systems in the South African fish supply chain

Abstract

Supply chain is the interconnection of all the functions that start from manufacturing or raw material into the finished product. The purpose of a supply chain is to safeguard people who are responsible for a specific stage and ensure who is in charge of each stage of the chain and communication between the players.

The South African seafood industry consists of a complex set of supply chains that bring products from production and harvesting to consumption. Because of the complexity of the supply chains, consistency in identifying product origin is difficult. Incidences and allegations of illegal fish harvesting, and the mislabelling of fish products have become increasingly noticeable in recent years.

For this reason, the purpose of this research is to study the traceability status of fish supply chains in South Africa. The research objectives are to: (I) investigate the status of traceability within fish supply chains in South African, (II) Describe the current traceability system to protect consumers from food safety issues, (III) Identify what impacts upon traceability implementation in the supply chain, (IV) Determine what perceptions actors have in the chain towards the current traceability systems. This study used qualitative methodology to investigate the current state of traceability systems within fish supply chains in South African. The study was conducted in two provinces: Gauteng and Western Cape. The main concentration was on fish processors (Sea Harvest and Irvin & Johnson), Sea Harvest factory shops, logistics chains, and South African retailers. South African fish supply chains were used to draw a random sample of 40 participants. The data was obtained from interviews, using a questionnaire. SPSS and Excel were used to process and analyse the data. Descriptive statis tics were used to examine the nature and scope of the current traceability system in the companies, as well as the challenges that exist within fish supply chains in South Africa.

The results attained by the study show that 72% of participants were of the opinion that the current traceability system of South African fish supply chains is satisfactorily developed. Furthermore, 75% of participants were of the opinion that the quality of traceability technology within fish and fishery products supply chains in South Africa matches the expectations. Among the participants, 75% were of the opinion that the quality of the traceability system implemented in South Africa fish supply chains matches the expectations. After an increase in food safety incidents and food scandals, many efforts were undertaken to implement proper information technology and to improve the quality of the traceability system. Participants were of the opinion that an advanced traceability system enhances overall supply chain performance, and furthermore elevates information quality and reliability throughout the supply chain.

The industry is faced with the following challenges: Companies are, in some cases, unwilling to invest in a traceability system that needs continuous investment. The innovation used to implement traceability system is expensive, particularly for medium and small-scale companies. There is still a lack of skilled labours. Considering the abovementioned findings, the research recommendations are as follows: training services and skills development should be provided to traceability users; information sharing is essential among supply chain stakeholders “compatibility in data collection and communication technologies and integration of systems at different levels and regions”.