Challenge

Full traceability throughout the entire value chain is essential for food safety. If there is a fault in a product without traceability, we will not be able to identify the cause of the nonconformance, take action or be able to trace where the product has been sold for efficient recall from the market. If a situation occurs when people get sick because of a product and we cannot trace it efficiently, this represents a direct risk for food safety. Today's consumers are conscientious; and want to know a product's origins and how it has been handled. This requirement would be impossible to meet without a well-developed traceability system.

Our ambition in this area

Lerøy shall be the foremost seafood company in terms of tracking and extended tracking technology.

How we work in the area

Lerøy have full traceability for all seafood products, input factors for products and raw materials for salmon and trout feed.

Lerøy’s in-house developed tracking system, Fishtrack, provides all customers with access to online tracking information for a product, all the way from parent fish to processing. In essence, the customer has a CV for the fish they have purchased, including information on broodstock fish, juvenile fish, sea farm location, feed, treatments, quality analyses etc.  We achieve this by linking the Farming segment’s traceability system with the ERP system used by our Sales Department. One unique code follows the fish throughout the value chain, with related traceability information.

Lerøy can now track and block any product on the market within 4 hours, along with associated raw material batches and batches of finished goods.

For whitefish and wild catches, information on fishing sub area, fishing gear, catch date, landing date, production date and processing facility is available.

The Group have launched a product traceability system on the customers Blockchain solution (i.e IBM). Products with a full traceability, consumer facing QR code are now available for consumers in shops. The Group is working on a similar solution for whitefish products.

How we measure our impact

The Group carries out traceability tests/recall drills every year to ensure that our system is efficient and robust. 100% of the processing facilities must perform a drill each year.

Target and result

In 2023, 33 traceability/recall tests were carried. No serious nonconformances where detected

You can read more about the recall test here

Action taken due to result 

Lerøy was one of the first companies to establish a traceability portal with direct access for consumers in Norway, with the “gladlaks” concept. Consumers can use a code on the packaging to gain full traceability information specific to the salmon they have bought, and more detailed information on the concept and on Lerøy’s fish farming methods.

We have now made further developments to the concept and can offer traceability information to BlockChain systems for several European customers. Products have now been launched on the market with a QR code providing consumers with full traceability information on the product, where it was farmed and processed along with related information.

The customers have access to a map where they can see the location of the juvenile fish facility, the farming location or the slaughter facility where the product has been farmed or processed. This boosts confidence in the product and in all parts of the value chain.

Lerøy is constantly seeking opportunities within tracking technology to remain the foremost seafood producer in terms of traceability. Lerøy can offer a comprehensive seafood tracking portal for our customers.

Lerøy is also participating in the EU project, to  development of a product environment footprint pilot (PEFCR) to be able to calculate an correct environment footprint for each of our product combined with our traceability solutions.