Developer of tide-to-table tracker wins $500K grant

A technology that would help the shellfish industry trace the journey of the product from tide to table has won a $500,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Small Business Innovation Research Fund.

BlueTrace, the company formerly known as Oyster Tracker, says the grant brings $1.8 million to the total of funds it has raised to help advance the technology’s development and expand the company’s team.

“Using the current BlueTrace system, shellfish producers and dealers track key data elements for oysters, mussels, clams, geoducks and other shellfish from harvest through a complex chain of custody that often involves over five steps. Using the mobile BlueTrace system, users track food safety issues and produce mandated shellfish logs and tags. The average client saves over 30 percent on their compliance costs while improving accuracy and keeping their product safer,” said the Maine-based company.

It added that it now has over 120 clients, which include over 100 farms and 20 distributors. “Companies are signing on with us because regulatory compliance is getting more difficult with the Food Safety Modernization Act, and consumers want to know more about the provenance of their food,” said company co-founder, Chip Terry.