Proceedings of the November 2011 Traceability Research Summit

Abstract

Fifty thought leaders in the area of food traceability met for a 3rd time to discuss methodologies and finalize the principles that define their vision for traceability. Participants in the summit included representatives from industry, trade associations, government, academia, consumer groups, and more.One main focus of this summit included a discussion on the current regulations and voluntary initiatives in place regarding traceability. Overall, it was recognized that the recommendations from this summit group would be more specific and stringent in comparison to these current regulations and initiatives. The participants sought to be leaders in the traceability arena, with their recommendations leading the industry to optimal traceability systems and methods.Participants agreed on many principles for their vision of traceability, emphasizing the importance of access to traceability data. They discussed having industry be asked for "basic" tracing data prior to the need for a large-scale investigation, having standards for sharing data, and having the data in electronic form. Participants foresaw the importance of capturing data electronically in the future, although they recognized that many firms do not currently do this. The group also saw a need for a transition period to implement changes, and to provide implementation training and resource aid to small businesses.Summit participants discussed specific definitions and examples for key data elements and critical tracking events that could be used by industry to capture tracing data at specific points within the supply chain. Overall, participants refined the goals of the summit group and started to identify specific ways to achieve those goals.

Towards a decision support framework for technologies used in cold supply chain traceability

“…One way to improve the gateway system is to introduce the concept of Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) as defined by Hickey and Bhatt (2013) where the basic CTEs are identified as:…”

“…In addition to these modifications, a central information system could be used to keep track, store data and share relevant data with other actors in the SC. Hickey and Bhatt (2013).…”

Making Traceability Work across the Entire Food Supply Chain

“…The essence of these fundamental points was used to develop the principles listed below to guide development of traceability objectives and requirements (as described in the Proceedings of the November 2011 Traceability Research Summit by Hickey and Bhatt, ): The goal of traceability is to enable access to relevant and reliable information as rapidly as possible, so that it can be assimilated and analyzed and decisions be made. Information accessibility is a key characteristic for traceability—this will drive speed of response and precision of analysis. More detailed data may be required in certain scenarios, but any system should focus on the minimum data needed for 1st response before tackling further inquiries that “drill into” more detailed data inquiries. Reporting and sharing of product trace data should be based on specific requests from regulators or a valid trading partner. For purposes of internal record‐keeping, electronic data gathering and storage are considered preferable to manual (human data entry) practices, although it is recognized that manual record keeping may be necessary for some instances. The basic data required for initial traceability requirements (1st response) are relatively small.…”

“…The essence of these fundamental points was used to develop the principles listed below to guide development of traceability objectives and requirements (as described in the Proceedings of the November 2011 Traceability Research Summit by Hickey and Bhatt, 2013):…”