There is no such thing as true simplicity in the modern supply chain; encompassing a variety of suppliers, distributors, best practices, and regulations, today’s global and complex supply chain presents many significant challenges.

It’s also abundantly clear that some industries and products add more complications than others. Anything that is shelf-stable or requires minimal turnover should streamline processes, but perishable products are a whole other matter.

With food and beverages, in particular, supply chain issues go beyond efficiency and profit margins alone: implement the wrong approach, and it is entirely possible for supply chain concerns to negatively impact consumer health and safety.

The good news? Track and trace solutions promise to help bridge this gap. These systems bring much-needed insights to supply chain processes, even down to the individual product level. We’ve seen a rapid expansion of track and trace in recent years and now, driven by advanced software and sensors (and backed by strict regulations), this effort is about to take yet another step up.

Also known as food traceability, track and trace drives transparency throughout the entire food supply chain. This delivers valuable insight not only into product locations, but also, into many factors that can determine whether food or beverage products are safe for consumption.

Complications can be expected, so we’ve compiled a detailed guide to traceability’s impact on supply chain management. Keep reading to learn how this works, why it’s important, and which guidelines must be followed to ensure both compliance and consumer safety.

Understanding Food Traceability

Food traceability determines how various consumable products navigate the supply chain — from production to distribution and every step along the way. This calls for the application of unique identifiers, along with extensive documentation. Advanced sensors provide valuable insight into food products, including their locations and environmental conditions.

• Critical tracking events (CTEs). Any supply chain occurrence that involves harvesting or cooling qualifies as a CTE. Examples include harvesting, cooling (prior to initial packing), transformation, shipping, and receiving, among others.
• Key data elements (KDEs). Bringing context to critical tracking events, key data elements highlight relevant details that can shape how CTEs are understood. Examples include locations, quantities, and time frames. Different KDEs may apply to different CTEs.
• Food traceability list (FTL). Designed to determine the specific foods that call for extra traceability records, the FTL includes several types of cheese, produce, and seafood, as well as products that contain any of these ingredients.

Given these complications, a robust traceability plan is a must. This reveals how organizations will abide by strict recordkeeping requirements. This calls for an extensive understanding of the Food Traceability Final Rule. Traceability plan essentials include:

• Descriptions of procedures for maintaining records.
• Details revealing how foods from the FTL are to be identified.
• Insight into how lot codes are assigned for foods from the FTL.
• Contact information so any questions about traceability plans can easily be answered.

The Need for Track and Trace in the Food Industry

Track and trace solutions promise to improve public health and safety — and that, alone, makes traceability crucial. Beyond this, however, track and trace can improve operational efficiency and sustainability, potentially leading to lower costs among consumers while also reducing the potential for food waste. This is also important from a compliance standpoint, as a variety of strict rules and regulations underscore modern traceability initiatives.

Regulatory Framework and Requirements

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) plays a powerful role in shaping today’s most relevant and impactful track and trace efforts. Signed into law in 2011, FSMA aims to bring a more proactive approach to food safety, revealing the numerous opportunities for improvement throughout the modern supply chain.

More recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded recordkeeping requirements via its Final Rule on the Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods. This plays into the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint, prompting rapid strategies for identifying and dealing with contaminated food. This approach centers around the detailed record keeping of KDEs as they relate to CTEs.

Traceability Technologies and Systems

Track and trace has come a long way in the last several years, with improvements sparked by technological advancements and emerging methodologies. Key opportunities that promise to drive better outcomes include:

• In-house color label printing. The wait for pre-printed food labels can be frustrating, especially when manufacturing delays or evolving regulations enter the picture. In-house label printing solutions are highly scalable, making it easier to adjust in response to changes that can otherwise be difficult to predict. This approach enables “just in time” printing, which ensures that labels are only printed when they’re needed.
• Temperature-tracking labels. Speaking of cutting-edge labeling systems, temperature-tracking solutions take this concept to a whole new level. They provide a simple, yet effective visual indication of possible spoilage by changing colors when exposed to heat. This can provide reliable insight into product freshness and safety.
• Cold chain logistics. Encompassing a range of temperature-controlled technologies, cold chain logistics allows for the effective management of perishable products, with the primary goal of ensuring high quality and safety. With integrated track and trace solutions, transparent data can confirm everything from temperature to humidity. As a result, perishable products can travel further while still minimizing the risk of foodborne illnesses.

Benefits of Track and Trace

Track and trace systems promote full visibility throughout the entire scope of the food supply chain. This, in turn, makes it far easier to identify and mitigate problems as they emerge. Benefits abound, ranging from improved public health to operational efficiency, enhanced quality control, and even sustainability.

Track and Trace Benefits for Public Health and Safety

Many of track and trace’s core benefits relate to public health initiatives. Simply put, traceability is essential for safeguarding vulnerable customers, who are otherwise at risk of consuming foods that could potentially be contaminated. Traceability and transparency promote accountability which drives manufacturers to take the far-reaching steps needed to promote safety.

Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Foodborne illness has long been a huge threat to consumers, and, unfortunately, previous efforts to deal with these illnesses have often focused too much on response, rather than actively striving to prevent outbreaks in the first place.

Track and trace systems provide in-depth insight into the myriad of conditions that influence food safety, and when potential issues surrounding these conditions are uncovered, traceability promotes further investigation. If, through track and trace initiatives, reoccurring food safety issues come to light, manufacturers or distributors can take extra steps to resolve these concerns.

Product Recalls

Traceability can be instrumental in preventing recalls, but it also can improve the recall process and response, should such action prove necessary. First, track and trace systems help to identify when a recall is needed, since these are typically initiated on the manufacturer’s end. From batches to production lines, track and trace solutions facilitate the nearly instant and highly accurate pinpointing of impacted products.

In the event of a recall, track and trace systems make it easier to identify potentially harmful food products. This helps enterprises contain the spread, thereby reducing the number of consumers who actually come into contact with affected foods. Robust traceability solutions can expedite the recall process while also uncovering opportunities for improvement to help prevent future contaminations or future mitigation efforts.

Moving Away from Inefficient Systems

While there’s no denying the importance of safeguarding consumers, there are also financial benefits to consider. The tools and technologies that support modern traceability also promise to streamline product recalls and outbreak containment, thereby improving efficiency and reducing associated expenses. This could be the key to unlocking dramatic workflow improvements, even when unexpected circumstances arise.

Root cause analysis is a central component of this approach. This in-depth problem-solving strategy reveals what, exactly, has caused the contamination in question while also unveiling strategies for avoiding similar problems in the future. This calls for the thorough collection of supporting data, including details from both qualitative and quantitative resources. Examples might include moisture content records, temperature logs, or equipment maintenance schedules.

Following data collection, cause-and-effect diagrams can be compiled to identify potential causes. These should be prioritized and thoroughly investigated. While this process might seem time-consuming, it can actually prove quite efficient and, more importantly, will go a long way toward implementing proactive solutions to reduce the likelihood of future recalls.

Additional Benefits of Food Traceability

In addition to the core benefits outlined above, organizations that implement strong traceability strategies are likely to see these advantages:

• Sustainability. By providing extensive insight into shelf life and general inventory, track and trace solutions can help businesses avoid overstocking and other common issues that lead to spoilage and waste. These insights can also impact transportation and processing methods, thereby uncovering opportunities for simultaneously boosting sustainability and reducing expenses. Finally, traceability helps enterprises convey adherence to strict sustainability standards.
• Supply chain management efficiency. Track and trace systems produce a wealth of data, which can play heavily into modern supply chain management. Data-driven practices optimize demand forecasting, inventory management, and even supplier management. These systems help organizations leverage data across all areas of the supply chain, thereby avoiding data silos and ultimately, boosting quality control.
• Understanding the production process. The production process can be highly complicated, and also, incredibly difficult to understand. Track and trace solutions provide insight into the big picture of production while also revealing what is happening every step of the way. This improved understanding can influence decision-making as it relates not only to production, but also, everything that follows: processing, distribution, and even consumption.

Another important consideration? The New Era of Smarter Food Safety, which expands on the previously mentioned FSMA. Announced as a blueprint in 2020, this highlights key objectives for building predictive analytics and other advanced technologies into track and trace systems. Core elements include:

• Tech-enabled traceability
• Smarter tools for prevention and response
• Retail modernization
• Food safety culture

Upgrade Your Track And Trace Solutions

Track and trace plays a critical role in the modern food supply chain, but it can be difficult to implement. This process involves identifying your goals and current pain points, along with strategies that promise to bridge the gap.

Could you benefit from extra insight as you seek upgraded food traceability systems? Our experts at Peak Technologies can help. We’ve worked closely with many food manufacturing companies and look forward to drawing on our expertise as we help you find realistic and impactful solutions.

We offer a wide range of services, ranging from enterprise label printing to temperature tracking labels to warehouse management software and so much more. Also important: expert guidance to ensure that you select the right approach to meet the unique needs dictated by your sector and your customer base.

We’re eager to help you achieve your ambitious objectives and remain compliant along the way. Reach out today to get started.