Top 10 stories that defined Europe’s 2014 seafood industry

1. Last but by no means least, a six-month investigation by The Guardian uncovered slavery in the supply chains of farmed shrimp sold by a number of major international supermarkets and retailers. According to the U.K. newspaper, slavery was widely practiced aboard fishing vessels affiliated to the Thai shrimp feed industry. As serious as the allegations were, and they were confirmed to some degree by leading players in Thailand’s shrimp industry, there was no impact on shrimp sales in European retail or foodservice. Nevertheless, it served a strong reminder to retailers and other buyers that they need to get their houses in order and establish measures that ensure complete traceability throughout the entire feed-to-food chain.