WHITEFISH

Automated and differentiated calculation of sustainability for cod and haddock products

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The European whitefish catch and processing industry is dominated by SMEs, and it is currently facing several challenges. Worldwide many stocks have collapsed, and environmental organizations warn against consuming captured whitefish. Strict regulations with respect to documentation and traceability have been imposed on the European captured fish industry in the last few years, and fulfilling these generates significant additional cost. While some cod/haddock stocks, particularly in the north-east Atlantic, are still healthy and sustainable there is a problem for these species when they get to the market. This is due to competition from cheap farmed whitefish species, in particular pangasius and tilapia imported from Asia/Africa. The goal of the WHITEFISH project is to strengthen the competitiveness of the European cod/haddock industry by documenting the desirable characteristics of whitefish caught in the north-east Atlantic, in particular relating to sustainability (stock, environmental, economic and social). The specific objective of the project is to develop and validate an objective and transparent method to document the sustainability impact of captured fish products. The method will be based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and it will calculate sustainability impact on production batch level as opposed to generic product type level which is current practice. This will enable differentiated calculation of environmental impact, so that products that look identical may be shown to have different properties, for instance related to food miles or CO2 emissions. The method will utilize existing recordings in the company traceability systems, so that food businesses may perform their own calculations of sustainability without needing to involve external experts. The method will be developed, piloted and tested in this project, SMEs and SME Associations will be trained in the use of it, and it will be published and distributed as a European ‘good practice’ standard.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A new approach to documenting whitefish caught in European seas will provide sustainability and environmental information to consumers.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating within the whitefish catching and processing industries are under pressure as stocks dwindle and stricter regulations are imposed. There is also much more competition from cheaply farmed species, like tilapia and pangasius, which are imported from Africa and Asia.

With EU funding, the 'Automated and differentiated calculation of sustainability for cod and haddock products' (http://www.whitefishproject.org/ (WHITEFISH)) project is developing a method to document the desirable characteristics of whitefish caught in the north-east Atlantic. Such documentation would shed light on the sustainability of fishing, thus boosting the competitiveness of the European cod/haddock industry.

The new method will be known as Batch-based Calculation of Sustainability Impact (BCSI). It will be based largely on existing industry data so that food businesses may perform their own sustainability calculations without involving external experts.

Researchers first consulted relevant SMEs to determine the requirements of the BCSI. An initial version, which was based only on existing data, was tested.

Following extensive additional data gathering, a second version of the method has now been applied to assessing the sustainability of pilot chains.

Once finalised, SMEs and SME associations will be trained in the use of the BCSI. It will also be published and disseminated as a good practice standard in the EU.