The need for the Australian abalone industry to ensure a consistent and strict quality assurance system is in place arose through the David McKinna et al scoping study of the Australian abalone industry – focusing on its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

McKinna reported that current activities provide little or no marketing relevance to Australian abalone because of the lack of total supply chain integration and quality assurance and product integrity systems. He recommended that the Australian abalone industry develop and implement a QA system that results in producing consistently high quality product for the market.

Consultation with abalone processors has revealed a variable level of quality control driven by financial rewards and penalties to divers delivering fish to the factory. Most processors endorse the need for some form of nationally unified scheme.