Percorrer por autor "Costa, Gisela"
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- Towards inclusive digital traceability in fisheries: Expert perspectives and the European Union regulatory frameworkPublication . Costa, Gisela; Pita, Cristina; Rangel, MafaldaWith the globalization of aquatic food markets and rising legislative demands, traceability systems are gaining traction both as tools for tracking products, as well as potential levers for improving management, equity, and social responsibility across supply chains. However, their current implementation in fisheries often reinforces existing power imbalances, raises concerns about unequal burdens on supply chain actors, exposes interoperability challenges and the existent restricted information flows to consumers. To better understand digital traceability dynamics in fisheries, experts from a range of sectors (including the fishing industry, research and technology) were interviewed (n = 43) to identify key incentives and barriers about these systems. The study proposes a conceptual framework linking influencing factors (drivers, challenges, and solutions) to key dimensions of digital traceability systems, including governance, costs, data ownership, and technology use. Findings reveal that economic factors dominate both as primary drivers and as barriers to adoption of digital traceability. While stakeholders recognize benefits such as improved market access or enhanced consumer trust, they also highlight implementation and maintenance costs as continuous major challenges, particularly for small-scale fisheries and businesses. Experts also emphasize the importance of developing context-specific and interoperable solutions, supported by adequate financial and technical assistance. Additionally, regulation can be a powerful catalyst for the adoption of digital traceability in fisheries, but to be effective, it must go beyond just aiming for legal compliance to also foster inclusivity, resilience, and shared responsibility across fisheries value chains.
- Transforming aquatic food systems through digital traceability: a review of global challenges and opportunitiesPublication . Costa, Gisela; Pita, Cristina; Ferreira Alexandre, Teresa Sofia; Roumbedakis, Katina; Pontes, João; Hübel, Michelle; Rangel, MafaldaAquatic foods are among the most extensively traded food commodities globally, with increasingly complex supply chains and rising consumer demand for sustainable, ethically sourced, and legally compliant products. In this context traceability systems have emerged as vital tools for enhancing transparency, accountability, and resilience within these supply chains. This study presents a systematic review of the literature to identify key challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of digital traceability systems in aquatic food supply chains. The review synthesizes evidence on diverse technologies, governance frameworks, and supply chain dynamics. The findings reveal that while technological innovation, such as blockchain and digital traceability platforms, show promising solutions for improving data management and efficiency, and enhance consumer trust, several barriers persist. These include high implementation and maintenance costs, technological barriers (e.g., complexity of data management and usability), stakeholder disinterest, unequal access to digital infrastructure, gaps in international cooperation and regulatory frameworks, and issues of system interoperability. Conversely, traceability presents multiple benefits, including enhanced supply chain efficiency, market access, stronger stakeholder collaboration, and alignment with consumer preferences for sustainable products. It also contributes to combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, enhancing fair labour practices, and promoting compliance with international standards. We conclude that inclusive, context-specific approaches (tailored to the diverse characteristics of fisheries, aquaculture, and small-scale operations) and crosssector collaboration are essential to address the challenges inherent in globalized supply chains and realize the full potential of traceability systems in advancing more sustainable, transparent, and resilient aquatic food systems.