Shellfish Solutions Inc. — Department of Commerce SBIR Phase II: 9.1.01

Description

The Centers for Disease Control estimates Vibrio (parahaemolyticus & vulnificus) causes 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, most commonly from eating raw or undercooked seafood such as oysters. However, according to the co-chair of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference: “Our current [tracking] system…is inadequate.... More than half of all traceback investigations fail because the information in the value chain is lost.” In Phase I, Shellfish Solutions piloted a digital traceability and marketing system that is lower cost than the existing largely handwritten system and more powerful: Saving users significant amounts of time while improving compliance. The value extends beyond regulatory compliance. QR codes embedded on the regulatory tags gives farmers/harvesters the opportunity to tell their unique story directly to chefs and consumers--connecting the consumer with the producers of their food. The increasing toll on consumer health from unsafe food is leading companies and regulators to look for a high quality, easy to use, and cost-effective digital traceability system. Without such a system many companies will not be able to meet the increasing regulatory requirements. Phase II will add features necessary to make this system commercially ready for shellfish harvesters and Wholesalers in the US.