Source Certain part of industry win at Queensland Seafood Awards 2022.
Perth-based scientific technology company Source Certain’s recent win at Queensland Seafood Industry Awards night for their contribution to the prawn industry’s national provenance program is a reinforcement of the critical role the company continues to play in protecting some of Australia’s major export industries.
The Research, Development and Extension Award recognises demonstrated excellence in the contributions of individuals, partnerships, businesses, and organisations towards a sustainable and profitable Australian seafood industry. Moreover, the program was technically challenging, end-user driven and addressed high priorities for the industry – trust, transparency and market access.
Specifically, the award celebrates the Australian Council for Prawn Fishers (ACPF), Australian Prawn Farmers Association (APFA) and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) funded initiative which saw the development and implementation of a program that demonstrated the authenticity of the Love Australian Prawn brand. This program was the first of its kind and scale in the seafood industry.
Queensland is home to most of Australia’s farmed prawn production sites as well as significant wild harvest fisheries. The initial program involved investment into developing a Provenance Database for farmed and wild-caught Australian prawns including the collection and despatch of more than 1,500 Australian samples across 35 wild-harvest sources and 17 prawn farms.
The samples were then analysed by Source Certain’s forensic laboratory and entered into a Provenance Database giving the industry a means to use forensic technology to verify the provenance of Australian claimed prawns down to individual fishery or specific pond on a farm whilst also verifying species.
The Australian prawn industry’s Provenance Database now contains more than 3,000 samples.
Source Certain Managing Director, Cameron Scadding said: “This award recognises the leadership position that the Australian Prawn Industry has taken. Australian Prawns made a commitment to transparency, knowing that this was a critical component of their social licence to operate. They have invested in robust scientific processes, ensuring that the supply chains delivering their products can be trusted. We thank the industry for the opportunity to work with them in this important area and to Janet Howieson from Curtin University who has led the industry and FRDC funded project.”
ACPF Chair, Annie Jarrett added: “We want consumers to have the confidence that when they buy Australian wild prawns, that’s what they are getting. With this provenance technology, consumers can track our Australian wild prawns back to the fisheries where they were caught and can also trust our other provenance claims, such as Marine Stewardship Certification.”
Kim Hooper, APFA Executive Officer said: “Consumers care where their food is from and this technology is an important tool in demonstrating provenance back to an Australian farm and helps build integrity and transparency in the supply chain. It is a ‘win win’ for farmers, customers and consumers as it will give the public certainty that if it says Australian, then they are purchasing Australian prawns.”
On the back of the successful program, a four-year industry commitment to continue the program nationally has been approved.
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