Communicating the Seafood Supply Chain Part 3: Demystifying Processing and Transportation
In our previous article, we explored the importance of clear communication of the seafood supply chain direct from the boots on deck businesses in our sector in building consumer trust and counter misinformation.
Now, we're turning our eye to the crucial but often misunderstood stages of seafood processing and transportation. For seafood brands and businesses, effectively communicating these processes can clarify the complexities involved in executing sustainable and ethical practices, ensuring consumers integrity from ocean to plate.
A Complex Road, Explained
As industry folks know, the journey of seafood from the point of harvest to plate involves several critical stages, with processing and transportation being among the most intricate. The catch? A high percentage of our consumers don't. Or they have a confusing bag of bits and pieces that don't tell a full and accurate story. This is where it's important to remember the principal we've been driving home - communicate simply, clearly, and intelligently. Your customer base is smart, but they don't know what they don't know.
Breaking communication down into stages as we have below is a great way start to building a supply chain literacy among your consumer base:
Processing:
🔹️Initial Handling: The first steps post-harvest, such as cleaning and gutting, which are vital for maintaining seafood quality.
🔹️Preservation Methods: Techniques like freezing, canning, and smoking to extend shelf life and retain nutritional value.
🔹️Value-Added Processing: Creating ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat products that meet consumer demand for convenience.
Transportation:
🔹️Cold Chain Logistics: Maintaining optimal temperature conditions from processing facilities to retail outlets to ensure freshness and safety.
🔹️Global Supply Routes: Navigating international trade regulations, shipping routes, and logistics to deliver seafood worldwide.
Communicating the complexity of these stages to consumers can be a challenge, but also presents an opportunity for businesses to build trust and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and ethics by dispelling common misconceptions and sharing well communicated facts.
Environmental Impact:
False: All seafood processing and transportation are major contributors to environmental degradation.
Fact: Advances in technology and logistics have significantly reduced the footprint of these stages. Sustainable practices, such as energy-efficient processing facilities and eco-friendly packaging, are increasingly common.
Quality and Freshness:
False: Long transportation routes compromise the quality and freshness of seafood.
Fact: Modern cold chain logistics and rapid transportation methods ensure that seafood reaches consumers in optimal condition, retaining its quality and nutritional value.
Ethical Practices:
False: The seafood industry neglects ethical considerations in processing and transportation.
Fact: Many companies are committed to ethical labor practices, ensuring safe working conditions and fair treatment for workers throughout the supply chain.
When we're telling the supply chain story, it's not just about saying, “We do it well, believe us.” It's about showing the facts in action so that consumers can feel good about purchasing and enjoying it.
To help share these benefits, here are some ideas on strategies and methods of communication that seafood brands can adopt:
Transparency and Traceability:
🔹️Detailed Information: Provide clear and detailed information about each stage of processing and transportation. Use easy-to-read labels and QR codes that link to website content offering insights into the journey of their seafood.
🔹️Traceability Programs: Implement and promote traceability programs that allow consumers to track the origin and journey of their seafood, enhancing trust and confidence.
Visual Content and Storytelling:
🔹️Infographics and Videos: Use infographics and behind-the-scenes videos to visually explain the processing and transportation stages. Highlight sustainable practices and innovations.
🔹️Narratives and Profiles: Share stories of workers and facilities involved in processing and transportation. Emphasize their dedication to quality, sustainability, and ethical practices.
Educational Campaigns:
🔹️Focus on Benefits: Run social media campaigns that educate consumers on the benefits of processing and transportation practices. Highlight how these processes ensure quality, safety, and sustainability.
🔹️Simplified Messaging: Break down complex information into simple, digestible messages. Use clear language and relatable examples to convey key points.
Partnerships and Certifications:
🔹️Collaborations: Partner with reputable organizations, chefs, and influencers to amplify the message. Collaborations can add credibility and reach a broader audience.
🔹️Third-Party Certifications: Obtain and showcase certifications from recognized bodies to validate sustainable and ethical practices in processing and transportation.
Follow Up - Building Consumer Trust
By openly addressing the challenges and communicating the intricacies of seafood processing and transportation, businesses can build stronger relationships with consumers, but they are not a static one-time-shot solution. Here are some actionable ideas to help enhance the follow through in your communication strategy:
🔹️Regular Updates: Keep consumers informed with regular updates on processing and transportation practices, innovations, and improvements.
🔹️Interactive Platforms: Create interactive platforms where consumers can learn about and engage with the supply chain. Use social media, websites, and apps to facilitate this interaction.
🔹️Feedback Mechanisms: Encourage consumer feedback and use it to improve transparency and communication efforts continuously.
The processing and transportation stages of the seafood supply chain are complex but essential for delivering high-quality, sustainable, and ethically sourced seafood to consumers. With transparency, storytelling, educational content, and partnerships, seafood businesses responsible for processing and transport can effectively communicate these steps along the supply road, counteract misinformation, and build trust with their audience. In doing so, they contribute to a more informed and conscientious consumer base, ultimately benefiting the future of the entire seafood industry.
