Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
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.
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.
Food Trends for 2010
With the new year approaching I thought it would be good to explore some of the predicted food trends for 2010. I thought that I would use the “Top 10 Food Trends for 2010″ that www.foodchannel.com put out and add my own thoughts to their predictions in some future posts. So here we go, Food Channel’s Tops 10 Food Trends for 2010. You can use the link above to head to their site and get some more information about each of their predictions.
New EU traceability laws for slaughterhouses
This new requirement is part of EU legislation that comes into force from 1 January 2010 and will apply to all animals, whether sent directly to a slaughterhouse or sold through a livestock market. The rules already apply to pigs and calves.
Kroger’s traceable teaching tool
Consumers have indicated they want to be more in touch with who grows their food.
“Local” has been a trend for a few years, and it seems to garner more attention each summer.
But how much effort will the value-driven consumer put into really finding out where his or her salads come from?
We’re about to find out thanks to a new program from Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co.
The major chain’s store brand of salads, Fresh Selections, this fall will carry a 16-digit code consumers can enter at HarvestMark.com to learn more about the salad’s origin, packing location, ingredients, and date and time the product was packed.
Redwood City, Calif.-based YottaMark Inc. owns the HarvestMark traceability program.
IBM Debuts Food Traceability iPhone App
Today at the IBM Information on Demand event, IBM will demo a new app that will bring the Internet of Things to the iPhone. The as yet unreleased iPhone app is called Breadcrumbs and it will give consumers access to information about grocery food items. The app will be able to scan barcodes and deliver a summary of the ingredients in a food item, along with when it was manufactured. That data is usually on the food label, but Breadcrumbs goes a step further – it can provide extra information such as product recall data. If a product has been recalled in the past, this app will tell the consumer all of the relevant details.
Rough seas in Iceland
The Chill-on project has been mapping, among other at sea in Iceland. This is not video from the project but can give idea about how rough things can get.
Green logistics
Many companies are discovering their green conscience and making efforts to lower their CO2 emissions. Rail freight specialists are benefiting from the shift from road to rail-based transportation.
EU fisheries code poses challenge to China
China, the world’s leading exporter of marine fish products, needs to adapt its fisheries if it is to meet new EU (European Union) regulations to combat illegal fishing. Under the legislation, which will take effect from January 2010, all fishy materials imported into the European Union will have to be accompanied by catch certificates validated by the nation under whose flag the fishing vessel sails, according to an AFP report from Beijing.
The move is aimed at combating illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network Traffic said in its report titled “Understanding China’s Fish Trade and Traceability.”
via fnbnews.com
Hawaii Plans Trace-Back Program for Fresh Food
About one year ago, a flood in Kauai caused runoff water from a cow pasture to contaminate lettuce growing in a field below. That lettuce, subsequently served in Hawaiian restaurants, sickened at least eight diners. Many of those affected were tourists from the mainland, who ate at number of different restaurants and didn’t show any symptoms until after leaving the islands, and it was several months before the state’s Department of Health was able to trace the contaminated produce back to a particular farm. By that time, all the affected lettuce had already been consumed, and there was little that could be done.
via rfidjournal.com
Making sustainable seafood easier
A new site aimed at chefs and retail buyers is attempting to connect those purchasers of sustainable seafood to supply. FishChoice.com says its Web-based tool, launched in early August, will make it a lot easier for buyers to connect with sustainable suppliers.
The site was developed because 90 percent of consumers say it is important for the food industry to be more proactive in addressing environmental concerns and retail buyers and chefs often don’t have the time to research all the options available to them, according to Richard Boot, the founder and president of nonprofit FishChoice.com.
Tesco becomes UK’s first retailer to display carbon footprint on milk
Supermarket giant Tesco has become the first UK retailer to display the full carbon footprint of milk — one of the top-selling products in its stores.
From today, all Tesco own-label full-fat, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk ranges will display the carbon footprint label as part of an on-going drive to help shoppers make “green” purchasing decisions. It has pledged to “footprint” 500 products by the end of the year. The new labelling will not apply to organic milk, where greenhouse gas emissions are generally much lower than for conventional milk.
via Guardian.co.uk
China must adapt to EU rules on fishing – traceability
China, the world’s leading exporter of marine fish products, needs to adapt its fisheries if it is to meet new EU regulations to combat illegal fishing, according to a report released on Monday.
Under the legislation which comes into force in January 2010, all fish materials imported into the European Union will have to be accompanied by catch certificates validated by the nation under whose flag the fishing vessel sails.
via AFP
Apple grower employs traceability technology
One of New Zealand’s largest apple growers has adopted Dunedin-designed traceability technology to ensure its fruit was not subjected to food fraud.
Taylor Corporation sells one million cases of apples a year and has employed Oritain Global to independently certify the origin of its fruit.
via odt.co.nz
Are RFID’s Benefits to Apparel Retailers Real or Hype?
hen RFID Journal and others write about using radio frequency identification to track clothing items in retail stores, we often say the technology can lead to an increase in sales of 5 percent to 10 percent. American Apparel, in fact, has reported a whopping 14 percent increase from RFID (see American Apparel RFID Project Featured in Video and American Apparel Expands RFID to Additional Stores). CEOs at retail chains seem to dismiss this as so much hype, but the reality is that not only can RFID can boost sales by 5 percent or more, most or all of that revenue increase flows to the bottom line.
Consumers play a part in food safety
Much has been in the news lately about the safety of our nation’s food supply. A safe food supply involves three components — the growers, food processors and the consumer. The main emphasis for a safe food supply is on prevention and, as a consumer, you can contribute to your own food safety.
Lexmark Accessory Turns Laser Printer Into RFID Tag Printer
The Lexmark RFID UHF Option was released this week as a $2,500 accessory to the company’s T654 monochrome laser printer. When equipped with this option, the printer can produce individual Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that can be attached to individual files, hardware, or other items for easy tracking and access.
US demand for active and intelligent packaging to rise by 8.3%
US demand for active and intelligent packaging will climb 8.3% pa through 2013, driven in part by food safety concerns and losses in perishables as per Freedonia. Intelligent packaging will grow the fastest, propelled by time-temperature indicators and other products that offer product differentiation, traceability and interactive features. Revenues will rise to almost US$2 bln in 2013, well above the overall packaging industry.
EU funded Pharma Traceability project team publishes successful pilot findings BRIDGE pilot reveals full supply chain traceability is feasible today
he BRIDGE (Building Radio frequency Identification solutions for the Global Environment) Pharma Traceability Pilot – the first project to implement an international supply chain-wide traceability system based on mass serialisation techniques – has published its findings, recommendations and conclusions in the project’s Evaluation Report. The project team found that full supply chain traceability systems within an open, cross-border supply chain is feasible in the European Pharmaceutical sector. The full report is available to the public on www.bridgewp6.euand www.bridge-project.eu.
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