Traceability

A Reference Resource List

Compiled by Emerson Library Staff

2009

 

2010 Journal Citations:

 

Bodor, Alison. “Regulatory update for the confectionery industry.” (February 2010) Manufacturing Confectioner. (90) 2:33-36.

This article discusses the regulatory issues of the food industry, and the specific effects on the confectionery industry. Topics include: food safety legislation, traceability, reportable food industry, nutrition is a key component of curbing healthcare costs, dietary guidelines, and labeling and advertising.

 

“FDA release new IFT report on product tracing.” (December 2009/January 2010) Food Safety Magazine. (15) 6:8.

IFT has completed a report for the FDA which offers guidelines on establishing an effective food traceability system. With over 58 food companies participating, the panel of experts from academia, government and industry were able to provide a list of recommendations. Includes a brief overview of these recommendations.

 

Nachay, Karen. “IFT issues report on traceability.” (January 2010) Food Technology. (64) 1:10.

The FDA commissioned IFT to create guidelines for the creation of a comprehensive product tracing system. The study's contributing authors include experts from academia, industry and government with 58 food companies participating. The report is available at www.ift.org/traceability.

 

“Produce codes add a trace of safety.” (May 2010) Food & Beverage Packaging. (74) 4:22-23.

Overview of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) which seeks to offer increased food security in the global food chain. "The idea is to be able to trace all fresh produce at least one step up and down the supply chain at all times by 2012." Discusses costs and challenges to the initiative.

 

Thurston, Colin. “LIMS in food safety traceability efforts.” (April/May 2010) Food Quality. (17) 2:33-35.

Laboratory information management systems (LIMS) can be an effective traceability tool. "A LIMS can control the sample chain of custody, automate data collection from instruments and analyzers, manage data by exception, and facilitate certification." Discusses utilizing LIMS for yogurt production.

 

2009 Journal Citations:

 

Cute, Brian. “Tracking food safety.” (October/November 2009) Food Quality. (16) 5:32-34.

As a national food traceability system moves closer to being legislated, the food industry is preparing for the inevitable changes this will entail. True end-to-end traceability allows regulators to see the entire life cycle and path of a food item. This precision would allow much more effective product recalls, and a safer overall food supply. This article discusses various technologies to track the global supply chain, emphasizing the need for the system to be standards-based and interoperable. Includes a profile of discovery services, which is an open, standards-based software protocol which "provides a referral service that allows food supply chain participants to find the source of date about a given product." This system would allow traceability compliance at a lower cost than large proprietary tracing systems.

 

Cutler, Thomas. “A traceability reality check.” (February/March 2009) Food Quality. (16)1:46-47.

Traceability is not only an acceptable cost of business, but there is mounting evidence that efficient traceability systems are profitable. Discusses IT requirements to "create a single, documented, ingredient/product pedigree system of record." Provides key requirements in an efficient traceability system.

 

Higgins, Kevin. “Managing traceability and public trust.” (March 2009) Food Engineering. (81) 3:45-52.

Case study of Prather Ranch as an industry model, which manages a "detailed record of each animal's genealogy, feed source and medical records... a HACCP card documenting the information is attached to each carcass on the kill floor." Prather ranch utilizes Cattle Pro software for their record keeping. Article outlines the European Union's Regulation 178/2002 and the trace-and-track requirements of the US Bioterrorism Act of 2002. "Only 11% of 251 food and beverage companies made it through 2007 without at least one product recall," according to AMR Research. Discusses the PCA recall and the Chinese melamine-tainted milk scandal. Suggested weaknesses in the U.S. food safety system include fragmented data, unconnected databases, and slow recovery times; all of which leads to a lack of accountability. Discusses SaaS, Reva Systems and RFID tags.

 

Kaye, Simon. “Be safe, use a trace.” (February/March 2009) Food Quality. (16)1:42-44.

Electronic tracing and logistic experts can help avoid global food processing mistakes, which can translate to spoilage, failed regulatory inspections, and litigations over foodborne illnesses. Article sites the most influential in the breakdown of the systemic supply chain as "lack of historical information on natural disasters, customs issues, and other unforeseen delays." Benefits of electronic tracking systems includes automatic alerts, customized reports, real-time updates, searching capabilities, and creates a transparent supply process. Hiring a logistics company can prove to be an invaluable problem-solving resource, and will complete an efficient global supply system.

 

Kelly, Gerald. “Trace to keep safe.” (August/September 2009) Food Quality. (16) 4:30-33.

Article provides a traceability model for food manufacturers, which emphasizes raw material receipt, warehousing, production, and quality control (QC). Discusses the necessity of testing a traceability system once it is in place, to detect flaws and weaknesses. Includes graph of "Examples of Product Recall Events" listing: PCA (2009), Maple Leaf (2008), Chi-Chi's (2003) and Odwalla (1996).

 

Miller, David. “Food product traceability: New challenges, new solutions.” (January 2009) Food Technology. (63)1:32-36.

Currently less than 5% of food manufacturers meet the traceability standards of FDA 306, GFSI, Can-Trace, or the Produce Trace Initiative. However, consumer demand is pushing food companies towards better traceability in the supply chain. New technology is making this an affordable improvement, even for small companies. The article proves a traceability test to see where your company rates in  tracking/recalling and labeling for the supply chain. Traceability is now considered a cost of doing business. The Internet and technological advances have significantly decreased the cost, specifically the web-enabled concept of Software as a Service (SaaS). In fact, 'users have reported that the entire annual cost of their systems were paid for in the labor savings they received from not having to manually collect, organize, read, review and summarize their traceability data."

 

Nachay, Karen. “Tattoos for traceablity.” (October 2009) Food Technology. (63) 10:10.

Laser etching utilizes a carbon dioxide laser beam to etch information into a fruit peel, eliminating the need for sticky labels. The new technology does not create water loss if the fruit is wax coated.

 

Ohlhorst, Sarah Davis & Mejia, Carla. “Traceability in food systems.” (August 2009) Food Technology. (63) 8:62-65.

Overview of the IFT Global Food Safety and Quality Conference, held after the Annual Meeting and Expo in Anaheim, CA. Analyzing the potential and challenges in implementing traceability programs in the supply chain. Includes the following presentations: Sherri McGarry, Farm-to-Form Traceability Overview; Gale Prince, Challenges to Implementing Product Traceability; Stephen Arens, Developing Standards in Traceability Systems; and Panel Discussion.

 

Ryan, John. “Safe trace.” (April/May 2009) Food Quality. (16) 2:14-21.

Describes the development of radio frequency identification (RFID) and sensor technology, risk assessment, traceability, and food safety certification. Offers suggestions for implementing a traceability system, including RFID, Manual, Bar Code and Label Numbers. "RFID is an up-and-coming technology that provides us with the opportunity to get as close to real-time traceability in the produce supply chain as we can get." Describes integrated food safety certification with risk assessment criteria at every point in the supply chain. Includes the following charts: Traceability System; Supply Chain and Feedback Loops; and Hawaii State Food Safety Certification Requirements.

 

Yang, Jia Lynn. “Sysco’s high-tech food distribution.” (June 8, 2009) Fortune. (159) 12:35-30.

Profile of Sysco, a company which ships 21.5 million tons of produce, meats, and prepared meals, supplying one in three food establishments in the U.S. Discusses their food safety system, including their software, databases, scanning systems and robotics. Includes a chart that display's Sysco's Farm-to-Fork approach.