Food Traceability

PLEASE COMPLETE THE TRACEABILITY SURVEY & FAX IT IN. THANKS!

IS FOOD TRACEABILITY AN ISSUE FOR YOU?

Traceability? Every participant in the fresh foods supply chain has a system in place for tracing incoming and outgoing products. After all, the 2002 Bioterrorism Act requires one step back and one step forward tracing. For the most part today's tracing systems are in-house developed, non-automated, and often do not integrate efficiently with trading partners up or down the supply chain. Today the question is, does your traceability solution continue to meet your needs? Can you track the source of every ingredient in a comingled product? Do your case or bulk level tracing systems carry all the way down to the packaged items in your deli and bakery counters?

IDDBA has been collaborating for several years with other fresh foods trade associations to address these issues. We co-developed the Industry Roadmap: Building the Fresh Foods Supply Chain of the Future – go to (www.iddba.org/pdfs/roadmap.pdf). This Roadmap proposes to apply to the fresh foods industry the same industry standards for identifying, marking, and tracing that are solidly in place for fixed-weight packaged goods. The Roadmap lays out in detail a standards-based solution that applies to all categories of fresh foods.

But that's only the first step. We need an industry-wide plan to migrate all of us from our current non-standard product tracing systems to a single system that works throughout the supply chain. Do we need a deli system, a bakery system, a fresh meat system, and a produce system? Maybe, but the ultimate goal is a single system that supports all categories of fresh foods. Since this work requires significant commitment and resources, the best approach might be to solve this problem one food category at a time, as each industry decides that the benefits justify the cost.

Since publication of the Roadmap, the Produce Marketing Association and its partners have pioneered a case level solution for their membership. They have initiated and driven the Produce Traceability Initiative (www.producetraceability.org) through to an action plan to provide automated, standards-based, case-level traceability for all produce products. Implementation of this plan entails seven steps, the first of which has already been accomplished, and the last of which is scheduled to be complete in 2012. The PMI Action Plan lays out specific steps to automate electronic traceability through the supply chain. It offers a blueprint for other perishable categories. Here are the milestones that we face as we tackle the traceability issue.

The Produce Traceability Initiative has developed a toolkit that lists best practices for each step of the PMI Action Plan, for use by individual companies implementing the plan. All this can be seen in detail on the Produce Traceability Initiative (www.producetraceability.org) website.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE TRACEABILITY SURVEY & FAX IT IN. THANKS!

MINI TRACEABILITY SURVEY

The Produce Traceability Plan from PMA is very well done and offers a jumping off point for all perishables. To help us determine the next steps for the industries IDDBA represents, we need more info. We know that you're busy but we're hoping you would take just a few minutes to complete this very quick little survey and fax it to us at 608.238.6330. It takes a little more thought than just checking a box.

These are not easy questions to answer. Any change from the product identification and traceability systems currently in place will be expensive. There may be other more critical requirements for system-level investments. After all, our current homegrown traceability systems (almost always) do the job. You can be assured that as a member of the Fresh Foods Trade Association, the IDDBA is remaining involved in this issue. We are ready to assist in leading a traceability initiative for our members when the time for change arrives. But we need your help. Your responses are very important and very much appreciated. Thank you.

(click here for print friendly PDF of the survey)

1) Do the deli and bakery sectors need to lead or to follow the other fresh food sectors?

2) Is it better to step out ahead now or wait for government-imposed traceability mandates, and possibly dictated solutions?

3) Is traceability needed all the way down to shelf-ready consumer items, or does case-level traceability suffice?

4) May we contact you for clarification? Name_________________ Phone ___________________