Traceability technology for fresh produce improves by leaps and bounds
echnology evolves by leaps and bounds each year, and for companies competing for business in the crowded field of food traceability, it’s no different.
Last year saw start-ups, new programs and better software as the produce industry poured more focus and money into meeting the Produce Traceability Initiative’s voluntary milestones. The goal of the PTI, led by the major produce trade groups Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh, and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, is for full supply chain traceability from farm to retail stores by 2012.
Companies like RedLine Solutions Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., worked on software and hardware through traceability pilot programs in places like Salinas, Calif., while other companies such as KPG Solutions Inc., Longwood, Fla., and YottaMark, Redwood City, Calif., announced plans for or started new traceback platforms for consumers.
Fresh ideas for a green future
Our future may depend on the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs. A changing climate could fundamentally transform Ireland and the rest of the world. We’ll need to use our own resources – food and agriculture businesses will be vital for the survival of both individual communities and the nation as a whole.
The Green Dragon team innovation challenge, a new initiative from Agri-Aware, is gently laying the first seeds for the emerging green revolution. The competition challenges both Junior (first to third year) and Senior (Transition to sixth year) students to develop a business idea into a useful and potentially profitable product or service.
Benefits Of Real-Time Traceability, Cradle-To-Grave
Manufacturing companies are increasingly under more pressure to be compliant. Whether mandated by the government, customers, third-party auditors or quality standards such as ISO, companies must prove their ability to track and trace inventory, goods and other items in order to remain compliant and competitive in the local and global marketplace.
At a Bioterrorism Compliance Seminar held several years ago in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Southwest Regional Director Dennis Baker challenged the audience to consider a scenario: Should forward- and back-lot tracking compliance be done manually on paper, or should the FDA require this tracking to be computerized? While Baker said the FDA considered making automating lot tracking mandatory, the agency ultimately decided against it because competition was already successfully making that demand.
IF We had an Undersecretary of Food Safety…
IF there was an undersecretary for food safety this is what they should be doing…
1. Tattoo on a body part that you use every day the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Mission Statement:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.
2. Push for tax credits for workable food safety innovations for small, medium, and large producers and support small and medium-sized agriculture by growing local and regional markets for meat.
…
11. Make better use of technology to ensure traceability of all food so that when an outbreak occurs authorities can quickly identify the source and limit the spread of the contamination and stop the disruption to the economy.
Will RFID tags be the traceability solution after all?
Did you happen to see reference to the traceability study in Europe that used RFID tags to track produce? The Financial Times from Jan. 26 covered the issue.
The crux of the FT coverage looked at the possibility that RFID, disappointing so far in their transformational effect on the supply chain, will have better effect in the future supply chain. The concept of “shared supply chains” will take on more weight, as shared logistic increase transportation efficiency and somehow minimize the carbon footprint, said sources quoted in the story..
For fresh produce, the story refers to the Vers Schakel project, which looked at the benefits of using RFID tags on lettuce containers to track the produce through the supply chain.
Canada – Leaping ahead of USA in traceability
he Traceability Cattle Identification Regulation repeals the Traceability Livestock Identification Regulation.
“Traceability is key in providing assurances of food safety and managing animal health issues,” said George Groeneveld, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“Alberta has taken a leadership role in Canada in developing a traceability system. These adjustments not only enhance Alberta’s system, but also provide some flexibility to producers in meeting requirements.”
There are two parts to the new regulations: tagging requirements for cattle identification and cattle move-in reporting for feedlots.
Food Safety iPhone Apps: HarvestMark
You probably already use your iPhone to get directions, play music, or look up movie times, but did you know you could use it to track your food from farm to fork?
iPhone applications have quite a bit to offer on the food front. If you’re in St. Louis and you must know where the closest Filipino restaurant is, iWant, Urban Spoon, or Yelp applications can help you in a jiffy. You can also use iPhone apps to find an open table at a nearby restaurant, track calories and ingredients, or calculate your tip.
‘Traceability’ Not Just a Good Idea–It’s the Law
With the U.S. Congress back in session, there is hope that work on food safety legislation will soon pick up steam. One of the issues that will be part of that discussion is “traceability.” In the food safety context, the term is meant to refer to the ability to track specific food within the chain of distribution, preferably from “farm to fork.”
There are currently federal regulations on the books regarding traceability. It is not clear, however, that these regulations are sufficient, or that they are being adhered to. A focus on improved traceability will benefit all stakeholders in the food safety discussion (isn’t that everyone?).
BGI completes labeling portfolio with PTI-compliant traceability software solution from TraceGains
The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) is an industry-wide effort chartered by the Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Produce Association, and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, and is aimed at creating a traceability process that will enable the quick and efficient electronic tracking and tracing of produce cases between supply chain members.
TraceGains, Inc., the leader in affordable turnkey Produce Traceability Initiative compliance and traceability software solutions, is proud to announce that Barcode Graphics has joined its reseller and service provider partner program, to be able to implement and support PTI-compliant printing, labeling, and traceability solutions.
Growers work toward traceability goals
No one can say mushroom grower-shippers have put food safety on the back burner.
The industry has come up with its own commodity-specific good agricultural practices — known as MGAP — and many companies are meeting the milestones put forth in the Produce Traceability Initiative.
“The food safety angle is always on your mind,” said Gary Schroeder, director of Dole Mushrooms and president of Oakshire Mushroom Farm Inc., Kennett Square, Pa. “It becomes part of every decision you make.”
MSC assessment starts for Swedish Baltic cod fishery
Swedens Eastern and Western Baltic cod fisheries have started their assessment against the Marine Stewardship Council standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.
The Swedish fishery is the third Baltic cod fishery to enter assessment this year following the Denmark Eastern Baltic cod in August and the Germany Eastern Baltic cod which entered assessment in November. If the fishery is successful, then Swedish Baltic cod will be eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel once Chain of Custody traceability has been established.
Tracing Food: Why Japan has the right idea on meat production
Factory farms are feeding millions of people globally with unsustainable beef, pork and chickens. These large-scale producers of livestock in the United States and Canada have been jeopardizing the food supply for too long. According to a web-site devoted to changing the way we think about our food, the problems associated with factory farming include: excessive numbers of animals confined closely together, disregard for animal welfare, misuse of pharmaceuticals, mismanagement of animal waste, and socially irresponsible corporate ownership.
Japan – Full traceability on meat is par for the course so what is problems with USDA
Factory farms are feeding millions of people globally with unsustainable beef, pork and chickens. These large-scale producers of livestock in the United States and Canada have been jeopardizing the food supply for too long. According to a web-site devoted to changing the way we think about our food, the problems associated with factory farming include: excessive numbers of animals confined closely together, disregard for animal welfare, misuse of pharmaceuticals, mismanagement of animal waste, and socially irresponsible corporate ownership.
In the documentary film Food Inc, released in 2008, Robert Kenner takes the veil off North American factory food production and exposes the underlying and inherent problems associated with the disconnect between customers and the farmers and companies that increasingly supply their meat. The film and subsequent book make it very clear that the small group of companies that control the North American food production are unwilling to discuss their business with journalists and the media. These North American companies are beyond secretive, and have often resorted to lawsuits and thinly hidden threats if anyone associated with their business speaks publicly or cooperates in anyway with journalists or documentary film makers.
Gov’t auditors say food-tracing program flawed
A crucial part of the nation’s rapid-reponse plan — the ability to trace food through the supply chain during an illness outbreak or bioterrorism attack — is seriously flawed, an independent watchdog agency has found.
Federal auditors found that nearly half the food manufacturers they surveyed that are supposed to register with the Food and Drug Administration failed to give the agency accurate contact information, according to a report to be released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general’s office.
Congress set up the program after the Sept. 11 attacks to keep food safe from bioterrorism and to allow quick tracebacks when contaminated food reaches consumers.
The report follows a series of high-profile food safety problems in the U.S. involving everything from disease-ridden ground beef to the largest peanut butter recall in history.
A key lawmaker called the findings “appalling.”
UK flags new rules to strengthen meat traceability
New supply chain regulations designed to beef up the ‘farm to fork’ traceability of cattle, sheep and goats sent to slaughter will come into force in the UK from the beginning of next year.
Slaughterhouse operators and livestock keepers will be obliged to provide Food Chain Information (FCI) for all cattle sheep and goats from 1 January 2010 under new European Union legislation, the Food Standards Agency said yesterday. The regulation will apply to all those animals sent either directly to slaughter or sold through livestock markets.
The agency cautioned that once the new rules come into force, meat from cattle, sheep or goats without FCI information will not be passed for human consumption, as it urged slaughterhouse operators to prepare for the changes now.
Food traceability program sucks: US government
Federal auditors found that nearly half the food manufacturers they surveyed that are supposed to register with the Food and Drug Administration failed to give the agency accurate contact information, according to a report to be released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general’s office.
Companies that manufacture, process, pack or hold food that is eaten in the United States are required by federal law to provide their address and basic contact information to the FDA, so investigators can follow suspect foods through the supply chain.
After interviewing managers at a sample of 130 such companies, however, government investigators found that 48 percent didn’t give the agency accurate information. More than half were unaware companies had to register, and about a quarter provided no emergency contact information, because current rules don’t require it.
FDA, FSIS Explore Traceability Options
Federal food safety agencies held a two-day public meeting this week to discuss what kind of food traceability policies should be pursued to increase the speed and accuracy of foodborne illness and recall investigations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the two bodies that share jurisdiction over the food supply, heard input from consumer advocates, the food industry, public health experts, and companies offering high-tech traceability solutions.
Though many different opinions were presented on tracing food from farm-to-fork, there was one thing everyone agreed on: we need to be better at it.
“Despite dedicated efforts, our capacity to trace tainted product is seriously limited,” Jerold Mande, deputy under secretary of food safety at USDA told the audience. “We often don’t have all the information we need to protect public health.”
Barcode Traceability and Your Food
When you stroll through the aisles of the grocery store, countless thoughts run through your head. Is this food safe? Has it expired? Does it have what the package says it has? Was it produced in a facility that may contain peanuts? In order to provide these questions, and many others, with answers, traceability is key.
While some form of traceability is already required in certain areas of the US, Canada, the European Union and select countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, more and more industries are actually implementing their own traceability programs to ensure the safety of their products, making traceability a crucial aspect in the supply chain.
Survey gives feedback on produce traceability
One year after the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) Steering Committee unveiled its action plan to enhance the produce industry’s traceability capability, companies across the produce supply chain have the opportunity to share feedback via a new online survey.
All industry members involved in the produce supply chain are encouraged to participate in the online survey, which can be accessed at www.producetraceability.org. The survey, which is being conducted by United Fresh Produce Association and Produce Marketing Association (PMA), will help the PTI Steering Committee and administering associations assess PTI adoption to date and identify additional support needs.
Food Traceability: The Missing Ingredient from Your Supply Chain
Over the past few years, security precautions have been put in place to protect this country from domestic and international terrorists, health-related outbreaks, and even financial shenanigans among others. In spite of that, however, the most important pipeline-the food supply-has mostly been ignored and even neglected. The European Union has had food traceability regulations in place since 2005 with the U.S. taking a less than direct approach with voluntary, mostly arbitrary programs. With the U.S. Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 2749) having already passed the House and a similar Senate version (S510) on the fast track, mandated system-wide traceability is coming. While food safety may be the catalyst, the benefits extend beyond food safety and into the supply chain by increasing visibility, and potentially long-term profitability.