A robust, digitalised food traceability system can yield tremendous benefits for productivity, profitability, compliance and PR. Here we look at the role of an intelligently networked production environment in improving food traceability.
Traceability
is one of the most important building blocks of food safety. For food
processors and manufacturers, the ability to trace all of their products and
ingredients is crucial in day-to-day operations as well as in crisis management
situations, such as product recalls.
The era of
Industry 4.0 has opened significant opportunities for improving food
traceability. This article from the food safety and detection experts at
Sesotec explains the foundations of food traceability and the key role of
intelligent production equipment in improving the speed and precision with
which food industry businesses can trace their products.
What is food
traceability?
Food
traceability, also known as product tracing, is the capacity to follow the
movements of a food product throughout the supply chain and stages of
production. Food traceability maps a product’s complete journey thru the food
industry, from raw ingredients to final distribution.
Why is food
traceability important?
Food
traceability is a crucial pillar of food safety. It facilitates the rapid
identification, location and retraction of products that are found or suspected
to be hazardous.
Product
tracing capabilities are invaluable in the case of a product recall. When
manufacturers can trace precisely which batches were distributed where, they
can act quickly to have the defective products pulled from store shelves.
Beyond
product recalls, food traceability can also help to identify food safety issues
in their early stages, thus preventing their proliferation.
Especially
in a globalised food industry, food traceability is more important than ever
before. With increasingly complex supply chains and tight profit margins,
inadequate food traceability can put consumers at risk, lead to a tremendous
volume of food waste and exacerbate the public relations fallout associated
with food recalls.
Requirements for food
traceability
Food
traceability is a fundamental part of food safety regulations. In order to
comply with legal requirements (such as EU Regulation 931/2011) and third-party certification programmes
(such as IFS Food V7), food industry businesses must be
able to prove they have a working food traceability system in place.
At minimum,
all food products and raw materials that pass thru a food processing facility
must be traceable “one step back, one step forward.” To comply with these
standards, food processing businesses are required to implement systems and
methods to keep track of the respective source and destination of all incoming
and outgoing products and raw materials.
In addition
to storing information about products and raw materials themselves (such as
date of delivery, volume, batch numbers, etc.), food traceability systems must
also include up-to-date contact information for every supplier and recipient.
In the event that a problem is identified, such documentation serves to that
ensure up- and downstream partners can be granted access to all data that is
necessary to locate and withdraw the defective food products.
The digitalisation of food traceability
Beyond
stipulating what information must be documented to ensure food traceability,
food safety regulations and standards do not specify what kinds of technology
should be used to ensure food traceability. In its most elementary form, a
physical log book with handwritten entries could theoretically suffice as a
food traceability system.
In this era
of Industry 4.0, however, food industry businesses commonly implement
sophisticated, digital solutions for product tracking. An intelligent network
of data management systems and devices within a food processing facility can ensure
food traceability compliance while at the same time delivering valuable data
insights into a company’s production processes.
How digital product
tracking works
Contaminant detection devices are ideal pieces of equipment for
improving product traceability. This is because metal detectors and x-ray
inspection systems are often utilised at key junctures in the food production
process (e.g. incoming goods inspection, end-of-line product inspection and critical control points throughout processing) where food
safety documentation is already required.
Sophisticated
contaminant detection technology can be connected to a central data management
system in order to automate process analysis, monitoring, data storage and
reporting. For each batch of products inspected, the log book software on a metal
detector or x-ray device generates detailed reports that can be designed to
include all necessary product tracking data. As a food moves thru the different
stages of production, the tracking data can be automatically updated and
supplemented.
The benefits of digital
product tracking
The integration of intelligent product
inspection devices into a food traceability system can give a food processing
company the ability to identify and locate defective products in real-time. The log book software can
automatically generate and archive reports, replete with up-to-date tracking
information, in compliance with food safety regulations for record keeping. Should
a product recall become necessary, the speed and thoroughness of digital
bookkeeping can be the difference between a swift and well-managed recall and a
public relations disaster.
In addition
to helping manufacturers quickly remove contaminated products from circulation,
a sophisticated food traceability system can also provide data insights that
help determine the source of the contamination. These contaminants could be the
result of issues with the supplier, improper handling or machine wear and tear.
Such information can prove useful in a number of ways, from supplier relations
to process evaluation. It can also minimise the food waste associated with recalls; by
isolating the cause of contamination and the affected batches, the manufacturer
can reliably confirm which products are safe to remain in circulation.
Conclusions: towards
the standardisation of digital food traceability
The state-of-the-art
in networked product tracking and inspection technology offers a number of valuable
advantages for food processing and manufacturing businesses. But because there
is currently no industry-wide standard for data
communication protocols, the potential of such technology is hemmed by differing data formats
from company to company. Highly efficient food traceability can be fostered by
one player along the supply chain, but upstream or downstream partners may
store their tracking information in incompatible data formats, thereby slowing
communication between companies.
OPC UA protocol has begun to establish itself as
the leading candidate for a universal communications standard across industry. Were
the entire food industry to adopt OPC UA protocol for networking production
equipment, seamless communication between partners could proceed in a safe,
efficient and compliant manner. Synthesising the tracking data of multiple food
industry partners could revolutionise food traceability, leading to significant
reductions in wasted food and energy resources and vastly improving consumer
protection.
E-Book: Food Safety - What food processors need to know
The food industry is among the most regulated industries in the
world. Manufacturers and processors must comply with a multitude of laws,
rules, regulations, ordinances, and guidelines in order to produce and market
foods in different regions.
This e-book
is meant to offer a comprehensive overview of the varying and influential
factors shaping the future of
food manufacturing and processing. We hope you find many valuable and
interesting pieces of information inside.
