Mars raises the bar for seafood traceability in petfood

Mars, Incorporated —the maker of Pedigree, M&M's, Ben's Original, and leading veterinary service provider— announced today that it has joined the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) and has partnered with Wholechain, a GDST Verified Capable solution provider, to establish robust, end-to-end traceability across its seafood supply chains.
 

By joining the GDST, Mars underscores its dedication to transparency and traceability, further aligning with global standards demonstrating to customers that seafood products are fully traceable, but also enhances Mars' business and supply chain decision-making, supporting the implementation of CSR policies, risk mitigation and business resilience.
 

Mars has become the first petfood company in the world to commit to meeting the GDST Standard and implement digital interoperable traceability —the capturing of standardized data and exchanging of that data between systems— through their seafood supply chains.
 

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'At Mars, we have been working for more than 15 years, in collaboration with WWF, to drive more responsible fish sourcing, and address the growing pressures on vulnerable ocean ecosystems,' said Andrew Russell, Global Marine Sustainability Lead of Mars Petcare.
 

'By joining the GDST, we are advancing our commitment to responsible sourcing and are proud to work with Wholechain to make meaningful strides in achieving end-to-end traceability across our seafood supply chains.'
 

In signing up to the GDST Standard Mars joins a growing global coalition of companies dedicated to product traceability. With investors increasingly seeing the benefits of standardized digital interoperable traceability, the GDST Standard is emerging as the leading partner for companies seeking to enhance sustainability and traceability in seafood supply chains worldwide. GDST serves as a vital platform, working to develop standards that allow for interoperability across supply chains.
 

To meet the GDST Standard, Mars has partnered with Wholechain, a GDST Verified Capable solution provider.
 

Wholechain, a proven leader in traceability, offers Mars a scalable solution that works not only in seafood, but across multiple commodities. Wholechain is currently supporting Mars in establishing visibility into key points within its seafood supply chain, from origin to finished product. By leveraging Wholechain's platform, Mars can enhance product integrity, mitigate risk, and help ensure responsible environmental and social sourcing across its operations.
 

'Mars' commitment to adopting GDST standards and prioritizing traceability is a powerful example of industry leadership,' said Jayson Berryhill, CEO of Wholechain. 'We are excited to work with Mars to turn their commitment into action, providing the technological support needed to deliver full visibility across their seafood supply chain.'
 

Mars' partnership with GDST and Wholechain also supports the longer-term expansion of the GDST Standard into non-seafood commodity markets. Huw Thomas, Director of GDST explains:
 

'Companies with supply chains including non-seafood commodities —such as palm, soy, beef, chicken— are already exploring utilization of the GDST Standard in realizing their digital interoperable traceability ambitions. The learnings Mars will be taking from implementing the GDST Standard for their seafood products across their non-seafood supply chains is anticipated to help to drive wider adoption of the GDST Standard across multiple markets, delivering industry-wide improvements in traceability and accountability.'
 

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M's®, SNICKERS® and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.  
 

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
 

Media Contact
[email protected] 
 

About the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability
The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) is an international, business-to-business platform dedicated to creating global standards and guidelines for interoperable seafood traceability. Founded in 2017 by WWF and IFT, GDST became a partnership Foundation in 2022, guided by a Steering Committee comprising industry leaders that operates under the oversight of the Secretariat, which facilitates collaboration and implementation of its objectives.
 

GDST's primary goal is to establish a common framework for seafood traceability that enables seamless data exchange across the supply chain. Its standards, including the Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and Key Data Elements (KDEs), ensure that traceability systems are interoperable, addressing industry-wide challenges like combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and improving sustainability practices.
 

The GDST has 95 Partners, including major seafood processors, retailers, software companies, NGOs and global brands. Notable partners include MSC, Wholefoods, Metro, Thai Union, and WWF. GDST also works closely with international organizations like the FAO to align its standards with global fisheries management and policy frameworks.
 

Contact
Huw Thomas 
[email protected]
For more information: www.thegdst.org
 

About Wholechain
Wholechain is a blockchain-based traceability solution built to enable trust, coordination, and transparency in fragmented supply chains. Wholechain works across commodities, allowing businesses to manage risks and increase efficiencies while enabling consumers to make more responsible decisions. Wholechain is part of numerous industry initiatives for interoperability including GS1's Seafood Industry Blockchain Interoperability POC, and is a former winner of the Fish 2.0 competition at Stanford for Supply Chain Innovation, and a winner of the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety Food Traceability Challenge.
 

Contact
Mark Kaplan 
[email protected]
For more information: www.wholechain.com


Source: Mars