Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Key Data Elements (KDE) project: rollout in Vietnam

In line with ASC’s commitment to continuous improvement, the Programme Assurance Team (PAT) initiated the Key Data Elements (KDE) project aimed at introducing technology to improve digital traceability. The project aims to enhance supply chain transparency, mitigate risk and provide greater verifiable information to meet industry expectations. This involves using software to capture and convey key data elements from certified farm origin throughout the supply chain. The KDE project has been developed in collaboration with farms, industry and retailers and ASC works together with the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) towards industry alignment and interoperability. Some of the collected data will flow through the entire supply system. These data elements will evolve as the standards, requirements and needs of the supply chain evolve. After some delay mainly because of Covid, we are currently rolling out the project among shrimp farmers and processors in Vietnam and accounts have been set up for importers outside Vietnam. We are grateful to these farm stakeholders for their engagement with the new systems and requirements. Our next steps with the project will be to roll out in other countries and also covering other species. For future updates as the project progresses, please refer to our website.