Do you know where your seafood comes from?
Most consumers know the value of purchasing Australian seafood: you can be certain that it has been responsibly sourced (due to our strict fisheries management protocols), you reduce the distance your food has travelled (therefore benefiting the environment), and perhaps most importantly, you know that you are supporting local producers. 
As discussed in the first two articles of this series, the correct labelling of seafood with its Country of Origin and species name allows Australians to be confident about the provenance of their purchases. Unfortunately, food labelling fraud still exists, mostly in import and export markets. Due to the strong reputation of Australian seafood internationally, some businesses fraudulently claim to be selling Australian product, costing the industry an estimated $189 million annually.
A multitude of industry bodies and research organisations have attempted to tackle this issue from several angles, with technological innovation often holding the key to preventing food fraud.
ÎÛµ¼º½¸£ÀûÍøÖ· has assisted in a variety of projects of this nature, including holding a position as the industry partner in the development and trial of a '' by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (). The scanner utilises X-ray fluorescence technology to determine whether a particular seafood product is from Australia; the model is also able to verify whether a product was farmed or wild-caught. So far, the scanner has been able to detect the origin of Tiger Prawns to 90% accuracy, relying on an extensive database of verified Australian Tiger Prawn sources provided by ÎÛµ¼º½¸£ÀûÍøÖ·.
Similarly, Erik Poole, Innovation and Technical Manager at ÎÛµ¼º½¸£ÀûÍøÖ·, has collaborated with the University of Technology Sydney on a proof-of-concept system called , which explored the possibilities of blockchain technology for tracing provenance, as well as e-eye and e-nose technologies to complete freshness and quality assurance assessments. This research project was particularly important for ÎÛµ¼º½¸£ÀûÍøÖ·'s operations, as it has the potential to be developed further and integrated into our new Digital Trading Platform (set for release in 2022), thus increasing buyers and suppliers' confidence in the provenance of species sold through the Market.
Many seafood producers have been integrating provenance technologies into their products through packaging and QR codes, often also using the blockchain to ensure the security and reliability of the information. , for example, recently partnered with to add traceability QR codes to their product packaging, which allow customers to see the journey of the fish from hook to plate, including which boat caught it and where. This not only confirms provenance, but provides the customer with assurance that the product was caught sustainably in a verified fishery.
Technological innovations such as these will play an important role in the prevention of food fraud in years to come. Most importantly, by demystifying the supply chain and providing consumers with trustworthy information about seafood provenance, the industry can equip Australians with the tools to confidently choose Australian seafood, whenever possible.