Considering that the consumption of food directly correlates with health and safety issues, there is a growing awareness of the importance of food origins and processing details in this day and age. The ability to track and trace food and all other substances that will eventually be consumed through all stages of their production, processing and distribution is known as food traceability[i], and is being increasingly recognised as a crucial component of the food and beverage industry when it comes to identifying and responding to food-related health risks to protect public health.
The value of food traceability especially lies in the fact that if any sort of contamination or other concern detrimental to human health emerges along the food processing, production and distribution chain, the presence of traceability measures will allow food manufacturers and/or health authorities to determine the source of the issue, identify and isolate it to prevent spread, as well as take other necessary steps like withdrawing any contaminated product that has already made it to the market and issue health warnings and advisories to consumers. This is vital not only to protect the consumers and avert potential major health crises in the community, but also to provide some form of protection for the business operators and ensure accountability for public safety.
Food traceability around the globe
So far, one of the most mature proponents of food traceability worldwide is Europe. In 2002, the European Union (EU) enforced the General Food Law, making traceability a compulsory component of all food and feed businesses, necessitating that all of these businesses have special traceability systems1. This means that the origin, and movement of all European products must be readily accounted for by their manufacturers, processors and distributors, and this information must also be readily available to be reported to the relevant authorities where requested. For example, animals that are slaughtered for human consumption must be tagged with details of their origin, and when sent to the abattoir, also have the details of the abattoir tagged on. Apart from the General Food Law, the EU has also published well-established guidelines on food traceability which are publicly available, meaning that pleading ignorance or unawareness is not possible for businesses.
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The value of food traceability especially lies in the fact that if any sort of contamination or other concern detrimental to human health emerges along the food processing, production and distribution chain, the presence of traceability measures will allow food manufacturers and/or health authorities to determine the source of the issue, identify and isolate it to prevent spread, as well as take other necessary steps like withdrawing any contaminated product that has already made it to the market and issue health warnings and advisories to consumers. This is vital not only to protect the consumers and avert potential major health crises in the community, but also to provide some form of protection for the business operators and ensure accountability for public safety.Food traceability around the globe
So far, one of the most mature proponents of food traceability worldwide is Europe. In 2002, the European Union (EU) enforced the General Food Law, making traceability a compulsory component of all food and feed businesses, necessitating that all of these businesses have special traceability systems1. This means that the origin, and movement of all European products must be readily accounted for by their manufacturers, processors and distributors, and this information must also be readily available to be reported to the relevant authorities where requested. For example, animals that are slaughtered for human consumption must be tagged with details of their origin, and when sent to the abattoir, also have the details of the abattoir tagged on. Apart from the General Food Law, the EU has also published well-established guidelines on food traceability which are publicly available, meaning that pleading ignorance or unawareness is not possible for businesses.
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