A robust, digitalized 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 through 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 globalized 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 programs (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 through 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 raw materials and products.
In addition to storing information about raw
materials and products 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 digitalization 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 utilized
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 through 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 minimize
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 standardization 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. Synthesizing the tracking data of multiple
food industry partners could revolutionize 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.
