I been writing and talking about CTEs and KDEs for while now. These concepts are not “new” they go back to a 2009 publication “Product tracing in food systems”, but I got working with them in 2015 thanks to Tejas Bhatt (we worked on this report - EPLAT). Then, I used them in two FAO publications, the Traceability for Compliance we co authored with Gilles Hosch, and the one I recently co-authored with Kenneth Katafono on Blockchain.
the very basic idea we developed on the EPLAT in 2015.
The definitions are:
CTEs – “points within a business and along the value chain where product is moved between premises or is transformed, or is determined to be a point where data capture is necessary to maintain traceability”; and
KDEs – “the data elements required to successfully trace a product and/or its ingredients through all relevant CTEs”.
As any form of standardised validation and verification structure for data that is to be part of a traceability framework along the value chain needs to be based on regulatory oversight by the authorities in the different types of States, as the concept of “official guarantees” still holds strong in trade and social governance as does that of market access under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well a key element around Catch Documentation schemes aimed to combat IUU fishing.
This highlights the importance of identifying CTEs in the value chain – from the point of capture to the final point of importation – where information is to be collected and of proposing measures to address weaknesses, inefficiencies and gaps.
In order to assist with stablishing those CTEs and KDEs, I been contracted now to write a further book for FAO based on identifying Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and authoritative sources of Key Data Elements (KDEs) as well as supporting verification mechanisms in seafood value chains (both wild capture and aquaculture).
I been quite serious about the issue of diversity and gender balance in our sector, so I try to play a helpful role on those aspects. Furthermore, the usual audience of FAO books is in the global south, so I try to make sure that I have that perspective included. I’m also the first one to recognise all of my limitations, and an inside knowledge of aquaculture is one of them, hence I suggested FAO to work with other authors and suggested my college Yahira Piedrahita from Ecuador who has extensive experience in Latina America and India and I’m also very happy to work again with Vincent Andre who has lots of experience from living and working in Thailand and Indonesia.
Furthemore, I’m not only incredible thankfull to FAO for helping me as a fisheman that had a breack thanks to one of their trainings in 1987all the way to be wirting books for them, but also for being the living example of the need of diversity.
Anyway, this study will seek to provide technical advice to FAO member states in the development, enforcement and effective verification of traceability in seafood value chains (both wild capture and aquaculture origins) as well as evaluating the efficacy of their systems and identifying gaps for those with existing traceability systems.
The idea is to address these objectives through the set- up of a list of minimum requirements for seafood traceability with clearly defined: Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) along the seafood value chain, authoritative sources of Key Data Elements (KDEs) and supporting verification mechanisms.
Yet is our hope that by identifying and documenting CTEs and KDEs and associated verifications the work will be supporting and easing FAO's Members States transition to either low-tech or high-tech digitally-supported traceability systems.
This study will assist the operators and authorities to identify the data that needs to be traced and define the parameters of traceability. This information should be tracked, accurate and easily verifiable. This study will also assist the operators and authorities to achieve the «verifiability » of their traceability systems and traceback procedures. It is anticipated that the final report will serve as basis for future expert consultations to deliberate and adaptation
This is a big job since we have quite a wide hierarchy of information to go over, staring with multilateral sources, then regional and then private and NGOs… and even so, I’m totally aware that there would be sources but most importantly elements of reality that will scape… since no model will ever duplicate the complexities of reality… so wish us luck and strength!