FAQs for the Seafood Sector

Across global seafood supply chains, the transition toward standardized, interoperable digital traceability is accelerating, supported by standards such as the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST). Yet much of the information needed for traceability remains trapped in paper records, PDFs, spreadsheets, emails, and other unstructured formats. Through Quantum Leap, IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center is exploring how to bridge this gap by transforming supply chain documents into structured traceability data. The goal is to help more businesses participate in digital traceability as the broader transition to interoperable digital systems continues, recognizing that not all supply chain actors have the capacity or resources to make that transition at the same pace.

Work on Quantum Leap began in 2024 with an initial proof-of-concept (POC) phase focused on testing whether emerging AI technologies could reliably classify supply chain documents, extract relevant traceability information, and transform it into standardized data. Building on those results, the project moved into a minimum viable product (MVP) phase to improve performance, test the approach with additional real-world supply chain data, and make the technology accessible through a web-based application. That phase culminated in a publicly accessible beta version of Quantum Leap in 2026. IFT plans to publish findings from this research and share anticipated next steps for Quantum Leap by the end of 2026.

The FAQs below provide additional information about Quantum Leap, including how the tool works, its relationship to existing traceability standards and systems, how it can be accessed and used, how data is managed, and anticipated next steps for the project.

About Quantum Leap

1. What is Quantum Leap?

Quantum Leap is a research tool that uses emerging AI technologies to transform traceability information from paper records and other unstructured sources into standardized digital data.

It is designed to help bridge the gap between existing supply chain documentation and digital traceability systems, particularly for organizations that may not yet have the capacity or resources to fully digitize their traceability processes.

2. How does Quantum Leap fit within the existing traceability solutions landscape?

Quantum Leap is a research initiative exploring how emerging technologies can help overcome barriers to traceability digitization. It is not intended to compete with or replace commercial traceability solutions. Rather, Quantum Leap focuses on the challenge of transforming information from analog and unstructured sources into standardized digital data that can be used by existing traceability systems.

Traceability solution providers are an important audience for this work. As the technology evolves, we expect others to develop similar capabilities, and IFT plans to openly share the results of our research, including key findings, limitations, and lessons learned, so solution providers and others developing similar tools can build on this work rather than starting from scratch.

3. What makes Quantum Leap different from other digitization tools?

Quantum Leap is not designed to be a traceability platform. It is a tool that focuses on addressing a specific challenge: turning existing analog or unstructured records into structured digital traceability data. This allows organizations that are not yet willing or able to invest in digital solutions to continue using familiar paper-based processes while creating digital data that support interoperability.

Unlike a traditional traceability solution, Quantum Leap is not intended to provide account management, maintain historical records, or integrate directly with other systems through APIs. Users can export the data generated during a session as JSON or Excel files, but the tool itself does not serve as the long-term system of record. In this sense, Quantum Leap is best thought of as a bridge between analog processes and digital traceability systems, rather than a replacement for those systems.

4. How much does it cost?

Quantum Leap is currently free to use for organizations participating in the beta test. The tool is being developed and beta tested as a research project with philanthropic support, exploring how emerging technologies can help organizations that rely on analog or unstructured documentation participate in digital traceability without requiring them to immediately replace their existing processes or systems.

As part of this research, IFT is also exploring how these technologies can be deployed cost-effectively, with the goal of keeping Quantum Leap accessible at no or low cost to the stakeholders it is intended to serve. We expect to share findings from the research and anticipated next steps for the tool by the end of 2026.

Organizations interested in participating in the current beta test can submit the interest form. IFT will follow up with prospective participants based on the availability of remaining spots in the beta test.

Using Quantum Leap

5. Do I need to be a technical expert to use it?

No, Quantum Leap was designed to be intuitive and accessible to users of all technical skill levels. Simply upload your documents into the application and download the resulting output files. In some cases, you may be asked to verify document labels to ensure accuracy, but the process is straightforward and guided within the tool.

6. What documents can the application process? Is there a size limit?

The application can process a wide range of documents containing traceability data – including invoices, bills of lading, transportation records, import forms, processing records, and more. Supported formats include handwritten documents, PDFs, Word files, emails, and images. Currently, uploads are limited to 50 documents at a time (10 MB per document).

7. What languages can the application process?

While the application interface and output files are in English, Quantum Leap can process documents in any language. Accuracy improves over time as more training data in each language is added.

8. How accurate is the extracted and standardized data?

Accuracy varies depending on the type, format, and quality of the source documentation. In testing to date, Quantum Leap has achieved approximately 99% accuracy in document classification, 88% in extracting traceability information, and 82% in transforming that information into standardized data. These results reflect testing conducted as part of the research and should not be interpreted as guaranteed performance across all document types or use cases.

Users should review the extracted and standardized data for accuracy before using it in downstream traceability systems. As part of the research, user corrections are used to improve the tool’s ability to recognize, extract, and standardize traceability information across different types of supply chain documentation.

9. How does the tool handle handwritten or poor-quality documents?

In cases where the data may be difficult for the system to interpret, it will prompt the user to verify the output. This user verification step not only improves accuracy in real-time but also actively trains the model, progressively reducing the need for extensive user input over time.

Data, Privacy & Technology

10. Where is my data stored?

Documents uploaded to Quantum Leap are stored in a secure, private storage environment and are not publicly accessible.

While a user is working in Quantum Leap, the latest version of their active set of documents is also stored locally in their browser. This allows users to resume their work if they lose their connection, encounter an error, or need to leave before completing the process. Once a session is completed, users cannot retrieve the Input or Output from that session through Quantum Leap. This is an intentional security feature designed to limit access to historical records through the application.

11. How does the tool manage user data privacy?

Data security and privacy are core considerations in the design of Quantum Leap. Uploaded documents and associated data are maintained in a secure, private environment and are not made publicly available or provided to other Quantum Leap users.

As part of the research, uploaded documents and user corrections may be used through Quantum Leap’s human-in-the-loop learning process to improve the tool’s ability to recognize and extract traceability information. This learning can improve performance for an organization’s specific document types while also contributing to improvements in the tool more broadly.

The Quantum Leap beta uses multiple layers of access and security controls. Users must sign in through a verified Microsoft or Google account, and access is limited to email addresses that have been approved for participation in the beta. Quantum Leap is also intentionally designed not to function as a repository for historical records: once a session is completed, users cannot retrieve the Input or Output from that session through the application. Together, these measures restrict use of the beta to authorized participants while limiting the amount of historical supply chain information that can be accessed through the application.

12. Can Quantum Leap integrate with existing traceability platforms or compliance systems?

The current Quantum Leap beta does not directly integrate with traceability or compliance platforms. Users can download the structured data generated by Quantum Leap in standardized formats, such as CSV or JSON, which can then be imported into or used by other systems.

This approach allows organizations to use Quantum Leap to transform analog or unstructured documentation into structured digital data while continuing to use the traceability or compliance systems that best meet their needs.

13. Will Quantum Leap be open source?

The current version of Quantum Leap was designed as an open-access, hosted tool because, at the outset of the research, this approach offered the most practical way to maximize accuracy while minimizing the amount of input required from users. As our research has progressed and the underlying AI technologies have advanced, we are now exploring the feasibility of releasing an open-source version.

We expect to share our research findings and anticipated next steps, including whether and how Quantum Leap could be made open source by the end of 2026.

Standards and GDST Alignment

14. Does Quantum Leap align with traceability standards or regulatory frameworks?

Yes. Quantum Leap includes a built-in analytics module that can assess traceability data against established standards and regulatory frameworks. Current options include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Traceability Rule, the GDST Standard for seafood, and a commodity-agnostic assessment that can be applied across food and agricultural supply chains.

Quantum Leap identifies which expected data elements are present and highlights potential gaps, helping users understand how their existing traceability documentation aligns with the selected framework and where additional information may be needed.

15. Can I use Quantum Leap instead of becoming GDST-capable?

No. Quantum Leap can help transform existing traceability information into data aligned with the GDST Standard, but it does not provide the capabilities needed to exchange that data with trading partners. Even if your data has been successfully processed through Quantum Leap, you still need a way to send it to your trading partners, and they need a way to receive and use it. Becoming GDST-capable means demonstrating that your system can exchange interoperable traceability data with other systems.

16. Will Quantum Leap become GDST-capable?

Quantum Leap is not intended to function as a GDST-capable solution. It generates data aligned with the GDST Standard that can be used by GDST-capable traceability solutions, but it does not provide the functionality needed to exchange traceability data between trading partners.

System-to-system data exchange is a key component of GDST capability and is outside the intended scope of Quantum Leap.

Access Quantum Leap

The Quantum Leap application is currently in a closed beta testing phase, meaning access is through invitation only. If you are interested in participating, please follow this link or scan the QR code below.