Why Food Traceability is Essential for Food Production?

The immediate benefit of improving your inventory management with a clearer picture of each item's movement isn't the only reason (and benefit) for implementing food traceability.

Fremont, CA: The ability to efficiently perform product recalls is also a benefit of food traceability for your business. This article explains how food traceability can be implemented. It is possible to track your food products as they travel forward and backward in your food production supply chain.

What are Food Traceability Systems?

Using food traceability systems, you can record, track, and verify a product's history and location along its supply chain.

In addition to being able to monitor your perishable inventory, food traceability will also allow you to perform product recalls and stay compliant with regulations.

You can easily find raw material information from food traceability systems (whether a batch or individual ingredient) and information regarding manufacturing routes for your products.

Product traceability is used in other industries, too, such as:

• Pharmaceuticals;

• Coffee manufacturing; and 

• Cosmetic manufacturing.

Why Are Food Traceability Systems Important?

The immediate benefit of improving your inventory management with a clearer picture of each item's movement isn't the only reason (and benefit) for implementing food traceability.

When a product or batch becomes contaminated, and you need to track it down, the systems you have in place will allow you to implement a food traceability procedure.

You can determine the source of contamination with the help of a system. You may be able to discover if it occurred because of:

• There is a problem with the supplier;

• Is the machine faulty; or

• Employees improperly handle items.

In order to prevent or deal with outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, manufacturers use food traceability systems.

Real-time food traceability 

Then, let's imagine you need to find a batch of things after something happens.

Tracking batches with batch numbers is possible with food traceability systems.

By being proactive, you can find and remove contaminated products from circulation if they become contaminated.

As a result of food traceability, you will be able to see exactly where problems are occurring in your manufacturing process.

Reducing Corrective Actions

It is easy to avoid problems when you have food traceability in place. The tools provided will make it easy for you to recall products if you need to.

When you perform a product recall, you can identify which stores are selling your products and be compliant.

Being Compliant with Regulations 

As governments work to protect consumers and most likely require businesses to register, a food traceability system will help you comply with regulations.

It's also necessary to have a system in place that details the following:

• Movement history of the product;

• A description of the product's process; 

• Identify the market for your products.