Beginner’s Guide to Traceability and Trackability

“It represents an opportunity to ensure that all supply chain partners have the same data in their databases, which would contribute to a faster and more accurate traceability structure,” says Fernandez. “But ultimately, it’s going to be up to the industry to come together to define the need and determine specific use cases for blockchain. While it is currently being evaluated by industry, we’ve also seen companies already implementing event-based traceability standards with the same type of scalability and versatility as blockchain, such as Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS). Blockchain can be a vehicle for EPCIS, which is a method for reporting transactional information to the item level, or even serialized item level, and it works within the GS1 System of Standards—the same system many companies have been using for item identification, barcoding, and data exchange for decades.”

“Without traceability, it is impossible for food companies to execute a precise stock withdrawal or recall,” says Katy Jones, chief marketing officer for FoodLogiQ, which provides cloud-based software for food safety and traceability solutions, and enables food companies to create a single source of truth that can be used to achieve end-to-end traceability. “Food companies can reduce the time and costs associated with investigations and stock withdrawals by implementing the right technology. Tracking products’ status and escalation points in real time benefits everyone: from leadership to food safety to public relations.”

Jones says that many professionals are still manually managing processes through spreadsheets and emails. “It takes a long time to manage suppliers and track their performance, capture quality incidents, and even longer to respond to recalls,” she says. “Leading companies are leveraging technology to achieve full visibility and end-to-end traceability within the supply chain.”

The Road Ahead

“It’s important to note that, while traceability is being prioritized now, full supply chain visibility does not happen overnight,” says Fernandez. “It takes time for all supply chain partners to fully implement and leverage standards, train a workforce, update technological capabilities, and work through other factors necessary for full traceability to be in place.

“Through more collaboration among businesses, industry groups, and regulatory agencies, the industry will achieve a clearer view of products as they move through the supply chain in the next 3-5 years,” continues Fernandez. “But it’s up to manufacturers, distributors, retailers, as well as solution providers, to join together to fully implement the standards and best practices that can enable the next phase of the industry’s evolution.”

Jones says that success in trackability and traceability is all about transparency. In the near term, more and more stakeholders in the food supply chain will be adopting ways that allow for clear transparency. When problems occur, they are getting better at swiftly intervening to correct problems.

“In the future, the data gathered through enhanced traceability programs will support radical, verifiable transparency,” says Jones. “Imagine being able to tweet out the farm where the lettuce came from in your restaurant or chart the exact journey of the walnuts in your salad, all in real time. Recalls are highly targeted and food waste is greatly reduced. All of these things are possible with enhanced traceability.”

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Romeo is a freelance writer based in Chesapeake, Va. Reach him at [email protected].