Tempting chicken, meat and fish products are displayed in rows at the supermarket. But what do they contain?
"With traceability, it will gradually become possible to check the product's history," says Scientist Kathryn Donnelly.
"For example, a consumer can enter a product code at the supermarket and information appears on a computer screen or they can carry out a similar search via the internet at home."
For the authorities, traceability will make it easier to check that laws and regulations are followed correctly.
It will also become much quicker and easier to withdraw products from the market if they become a health hazard. The scope of a withdrawal can be limited to the products which are actually affected. Producers with flawless products can quickly document that these are in order.
Traceability in brief
Traceability means that it is possible to access the product's history - from its origins, what has occurred in the production process, as well as how and when it was transported between each link. There are two types of traceability:
- Internal traceability: tracing of information about a product within the company
- Chain traceability: tracing of information through all production and transport links until it reaches the consumer
In order for a product to be traceable, it must have a unique number which follows it all the way to the consumer. It is necessary to register if the product is divided up or mixed with other products along the way. If a product is divided into several units, each unit must receive a separate number so one may be distinguished from another.
The tracing of products may be done manually by making registrations on paper. However, automatic registration is far more efficient and enables electronic tracing. In this way, a document about the products can be forwarded from one company to the next by e-mail.
Alterations to the product can be added to the document and forwarded along with the product.
Profitable for all
Authorities and consumers alike are constantly demanding more information about foodstuffs. For many producers, the introduction of traceability is profitable.
As the demand for documentation of products increases, so does the company's costs. The United States has recently introduced extensive regulations about documentation of how foodstuffs are produced and which company supplied the raw materials.
American authorities must have complete documentation at least four hours before the product arrives in USA.
"For companies which export foodstuffs to USA, this has led to a lot of extra work entering the information manually," says Scientist Kine Mari Karlsen. "This additional work is avoided with the introduction of electronic traceability."
Creating confidence
Companies currently save a lot of information about raw materials and products, but few forward this. No firm rules exist about what information should be forwarded and how this should be done.
Future EU and Norwegian legislation will set comprehensive demands for the traceability of foodstuffs. However, supermarket chains wanting better documentation and control of what they sell are already making demands about traceability.
Traceability provides companies with a tool which can be utilised to improve the products. It will enable easier controls to ensure the products and raw materials are up to standard.
It will also enable analysis of how different raw materials and production processes influence quality. Producers, for example, will be able to investigate whether taste variations in meat or farmed fish are related to the type of feed used.
"Companies with traceability and good control systems provide confidence," says Karlsen. "Traceability is a win-win situation for everyone."
Fiskeriforskning is currently developing methods to measure the cost and benefits of traceability.
More news about traceability: Where does the fish come from?
