Last week we hosted an Industry Workshop in collaboration with two of our Research and Development projects – FishEUTrust and PROFIUS at our AquaBioTech Group premises. The aim of the event was to get a better understanding of the Maltese seafood industry needs and challenges and to investigate what kind of support different actors within the value chain could need, especially when it comes to consumer trust.
The workshop stimulated a two-way discussion on traceability and transparency in the seafood supply chain and got stakeholders opinions on what the Maltese industry needs from an industry and governance perspective to boost production and strengthen its position in European markets. It also acted as an platform to increase awareness of opportunities related to fish side-stream reutilisation and reduction of waste within the circular economy.
The attendees were representatives from various Maltese organisations with different backgrounds, both industry and governance, giving different point of views during the discussion sessions. The outcome of the workshop was very fruitful, and we are happy to have kickstarted such conversations within the Maltese seafood industry. The discussion sessions make it clear there is a need for further communication within the industry on several topics, as well as the need for training at all levels of the supply chain and quintuple helix. ABT as the Malta Living Lab of the FishEUTrust project aims to facilitate this in the future workshops and activities.
Learn more about the projects:
FishEUTrust established 5 Co-creation Living Labs in the Mediterranean Basin, the North Sea and the Atlantic Sea. These will enable innovation and process validation and demonstrate the project’s supply chain solutions. Examples of supply-chain innovation include creating sustainable business models, protecting cultural and culinary heritage, short food supply chains, exploiting underused fish species, and innovative engagement activities to stimulate positive consumer behaviour. The project will also develop tools to maximize trust by guaranteeing the quality, safety, and traceability of seafood products.
PROFIUS aims to address challenges in the supply chain related to lumpfish and tuna side-streams by developing preservation solutions for maintaining quality and improving utilization of the entire biomass. Improved preservation methods will be developed to enhance quality and shelf life of lumpfish roe and thereby reduce waste. A major bottleneck for success of further utilization of the side-streams from tuna is their short shelf life. PROFIUS is studying the processes responsible for the chemical and microbial deterioration of these side-streams and develop strategies to prevent them.
