Traceability – Potentials and Issues – 2010/01/15
Traceability – Potentials and Issues – 2010/01/15
Good Day, (Le français suit)
Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would like to keep you informed of traceability news from around the globe. We hope you will find this material current, of interest and applicable. We welcome your feedback.
US: Traceability Interoperability Summit: Traceability Institute LLC’s Traceability Interoperability Summit 2010 will be held in Denver, Colorado January 21 and 22, 2010. The event will begin a process that will put into place the necessary environment, tools, standards and methods to help the nation’s food suppliers, retailers and service providers to maintain a high level of product safety and quality in an ever challenging business arena. http://www.traceinterop.com/
US: Emerging Food Issues in 2010: The produce industry wants the FDA to enforce the so-called "one up and one down" requirements of the PTI, but not impose anything that's not already in the plan. FDA opted to end 2009 without distributing its own traceability regulations. The Colorado Springs-based Traceability Institute LLC is organizing a Traceability Interoperability Summit on January 21-22, 2010 summit in Denver with fresh produce traceability being the hot topic. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2009/12/2010s-emerging-food-safety-issues/
Canada: Ontario Forum on Agri-Food Traceability: The Ontario Forum on Agri-Food Traceability will take place in Guelph, Ontario on January 28, 2010. The event aims to answer questions such as “How can you benefit from traceability?” and “How should Ontario’s traceability system continue to evolve?” www.ontraceagrifood.com/admincp/uploadedfiles/Ontario%20Forum%20on%20Agri-Food%20Traceability%202010.pdf
US: Fifth Annual Responsible Sourcing Summit: STR Responsible Sourcing is organizing the 5th Annual Responsible Sourcing Summit-GPS: Navigating the New CSR Landscape on February 25 and 26, 2010. The conference offers insight into how to effectively tackle some of the most salient supply chain issues the CSR arena. This includes gaining insight into innovative traceability strategies to secure the supple chain in its entirety from the farm to the factory. For more info visit http://www.strquality.com/responsiblesourcingsummit http://www.webnewswire.com/node/495489
US: Southeast Convention Focuses on Food Safety: Food safety remained a top issue at the 2010 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference on Janunary 7-10, 2010 in Savannah, Georgia, which drew upon some of the biggest industry names in food safety. Elliot Grant, founder and chief marketing officer for YottaMark, Redwood City, Calif., said there are a lot of benefits in adopting the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) technology and in the retail flow of information with your customers. PTI buys you an advantage in the market if retailers require people that have a PTI label. http://thepacker.com/Southeast-convention-focuses-on-food-safety/Article.aspx?articleid=974020&authorid=657&feedid=215&src=recent
Canada: CCIA to Expand Phone, Web Services: The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) plans to extend their call centre hours of operations to 6:00am - 6:30pm MST at 1-877-909-2333 (BEEF), and upgrade their website to include both French and English messaging for its web content and to have electronic versions of current print publications. Website is available at http://www.canadaid.ca/. http://www.country-guide.ca/west/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000353246&PC=FBC&issue=12302009
Canada: RFID Deadline Extended for Alberta Cattle: The Alberta government said that it would repeal its Traceability Livestock Identification Regulation and replace it with a new Traceability Cattle Identification Regulation taking effect March 1, 2010. Alberta's cattle producers will have until individual cattle are 10 months old to apply radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to their animals. The new rules will also expand the reporting requirements for move-in information to include some smaller feedlots. http://www.manitobacooperator.ca/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000353297&PC=FBC&issue=01022010
Canada: Mandatory Livestock Traceability Questioned: The federal government continues to move towards mandatory livestock traceability by 2011. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says that “Everyone recognizes we have to go there…as the U.S. pushes to the next level of BSE, we have to have something else to sell to our trading partners out there.” Ritz also stated that countries such as Japan and South Korea are demanding greater traceability of livestock. He notes for cattle over 30 months of age, having a database of the exact age and locations of the cattle will make a huge difference. http://www.fcc-fac.ca/newsletters/en/express/articles/20100108_e.asp#story_1
Canada: New Animal Health Act Will Soon Come Into Effect in Ontario: Bill 204, the Animal Health Act, 2009, was passed in December by the Ontario legislature. The act will provide important tools to help support government and industry partners, including: controlling the spread of any detected disease or hazard and supporting a future traceability framework. For more information on the bill visit: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/inspection/animalhealthandwelfare/CompendAnHealthAct.htm
Canada: Electronic Ear Tag Scanners Monitored Under Tough Conditions: Auction markets want to know if show, rain, heat or gloom of night can stop them from identifying animals as they move from trucks to the sales ring. A national research project is testing commercially available electronic identification technology under Canadian conditions to learn whether scanning cattle affects the speed of commerce and whether it adds additional stress to the animals or causes issues for auction mart employees. http://www.producer.com/News/Article.aspx?aid=15393
Canada: Picking Up the Tab for Traceability: The first rule of marketing is to know who the customer is and what they want. In the cattle business, that seems to be the buyers of burger meat as up to 60% of every steer that goes down the chute is eventually sold as hamburger. McDonalds, the largest purchaser of ground beef in the country, is a strong proponent for traceable meat. When asked about paying for the cost of traceability, it was suggested that because of the competitive environment, prices are kept low. The supply of beef needs to decrease in order to double the current value to make the producer profitable again. http://www.agcanada.com/Article.aspx?ID=15717
Canada: McDonalds Vows to Pay for Safety Measures: Traceability in Canada will help to build trust with McDonald’s customers. When asked if the consumer will pay for traceable products, McDonalds suggested that with the right marketing, consumers might be willing to pay slightly more for traceable beef. http://www.producer.com/News/Article.aspx?aid=15524
US: Report Reveals Flaws in US Food Tracing System: A study from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that almost half of 130 food facilities surveyed had failed to provide accurate information to an FDA register used as a vital information source during food emergencies. The report calls for the FDA to tighten up its information gathering and verification procedures. It also called for the agency to seek statutory authority to force food plants to re-register regularly and proposed introducing a registration fee to deter firms from submitting multiple registrations. http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Report-reveals-flaws-in-US-food-tracing-system/?c=9Rm5bLCDn6yEByh%2B5XQGRQ%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly
US: FDA and FSIS Consider Changes to Traceability System: The American Meat Institute (AMI) has urged for changes to the traceability system to be based on risk and the success of meeting the objectives. www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/19117/fda-and-fsis-consider-changes-to-traceability-system
US: Animal Tracing, Food Contamination and the Unsanitary Conditions of US Meat Processing Plants: Animal traceability is gaining governmental support in two key US beef markets, Japan and South Korea, which may lead to the full implementation of National Animal Identification System (NAIS) – which is currently voluntary - under S 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16763
Belize: A National Livestock Registry Database Has Been Created: The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture has handed over to local authorities the National Livestock Registry Database of Belize. The database was created in cooperation with Mexico to ensure that the database was compatible with the Mexican system. Belize will next be looking to export their cattle to the EU. http://www.lovefm.com/ndisplay.php?nid=11240
Australia: Tracing a Better Future: Livestock producers and processors are using National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) to explore new frontiers in animal management and meat traceability. Victorian Department of Primary Industries’ Tony Britt stated there were countless applications of the NLIS technology for both processors and producers. Producers are already using NLIS readers and herd management software to improve the efficiency and accuracy of data capture, resulting in better decision making. http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/01/08/146681_business-news.html
Brazil: Brazil Submits EU Trade Concern to WTO: The Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (ABIEC) is to submit a trade specific concern request to the World Trade Organization to assess the European Commission’s (EU’s) denial to simplify the Brazilian Cattle Traceability System (SISBOV) farm certification system. www.thecattlesite.com/news/29351/brazil-submits-eu-trade-concern-to-wto
UK: UK Flags New Rules to Strengthen Meat Traceability: New supply chain regulations designed to beef up the “farm to fork” traceability of cattle, sheep and goats sent to slaughter will come into force in the UK from January 1, 2010. www.foodqualitynews.com/Publications/Food-Beverage-Nutrition/FoodProductionDaily.com/Supply-Chain/UK-flags-new-rules-to-strengthen-meat-traceability
Scotland: Minister Urges Calm Over Tagging: Cabinet secretary Richard Lochhead reassured sheep farmers that no immediate action is required on new European sheep tagging rules which come into force on January 1, 2010. The rural affairs secretary was reacting to concerns expressed by farmers last week that the Scottish Government has not yet announced how the new rules for the electronic identification (EID) of sheep are to be applied. http://business.scotsman.com/fooddrinkagriculture/Minister-urges-calm-over-tagging.5944402.jp
Taiwan: Fish Traceability System Offers Safety Model: In response to wide-spread public concerns about the safety of food products, many industrialized nations have begun imposing stringent measures to safeguard the health of their citizens. Over the years, Taiwan has successfully bar-coded nearly 1,000 different species of fish and their supply chain tracking system is now on par with global standards. http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=89904&CtNode=429
Taiwan: Taiwan Pushes Ahead with Efforts to Promote Healthy Agriculture: The Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) reaffirmed that it will continue promoting the existing agricultural and food safety certification systems in 2010 as part of efforts to create healthy agriculture in Taiwan. The systems include an agricultural production and distribution traceability system – a mechanism to trace the origin of produce and another to regulate the planting and distribution of agricultural products. Joining the system is completely voluntary. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1148083&lang=eng_news&cate_img=35.jpg&cate_rss=news_Business
UK: 2010: Free-Range Egg Farmers Face Many Challenges: Under the Lion Code, on-farm traceability marking of eggs is now mandatory for caged birds and this will also apply to non-caged birds a year later. This will mean that free-range producers will have to put equipment in place in order to be able to start on-farm marking on January 1, 2011. In most cases the equipment is probably going to be provided by the packer, but the producer will have to learn how to operate and maintain it. http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2009/12/30/119173/2010-Free-range-egg-farmers-face-many-challenges.htm
US: Official Premises Identification Number (PIN) Tags for Slaughter Swine: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/naislibrary/documents/guidelines/swine_premises_idtags.pdf
Brazil: Brazil Launches Home-Grown RFID Chip: A new RFID livestock identification chip is the first to be designed in Brazil. The product will be launched by Ceitec S.A., a Brazilian company focused on the development and production of application-specific standard products (ASSPs). www.thecattlesite.com/news/29308/brazil-launches-homegrown-rfid-chip
Netherlands: SMARTRAC’s Eco-Friendly, Biodegradable RFID Tag: SMARTRAC is working with manufacturers in Bangkok and Thailand to create a biodegradable RFID tag for asset tracking through the supply chain. As tag life in the supply chain can be relatively short, this eco-friendly solution has the potential to be accepted readily. http://www.rfidnews.org/2009/12/23/smartrac-s-eco-friendly-biodegradable-rfid-tag
India: Radio Ear Tags for Cattle in Tribal Sibarkantha: Nearly a thousand bovines in the tribal-dominated Akodra village of Sabarkantha district will carry bar codes attached with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) ear tags from March, 2010. This is being done with an aim to keep tabs on the history of their health and also provide insurance cover for the cattle in the coming year with the IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance Company – a joint venture promoted by the Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) and the Japan-based Tokio Marine and Nichdo Fire Insurance Co.http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Radio-ear-tags-for-cattle-in-tribal-Sabarkantha/559352
Italy: Lavazza Uses RFID to Track Packaging Materials, Boosting Efficiency: The coffee manufacturer employs EPC Gen 2 passive UHF RFID tags to automate the replenishment of packaging materials supplied by Goglio Cofibox, and used to create products Lavazza sells to consumers. www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7271/1/1/
US: Food Safety iPhone Apps: HarvestMark: California-based YottaMark, Inc., creator of HarvestMark, a traceability system created for the produce industry, is launching a free iPhone app that will enable consumers to trace their fresh food back to the field. Currently, consumers can go to HarvestMark.com and type in the HarvestMark Code located directly on the product to learn more about where the item was grown. The iPhone app will simply give consumers mobile access to the tracing information. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/01/guide-to-food-safety-iphone-apps-harvestmark/
US: Motorola Announces Handheld Reader for Non-Industrial Uses: The MC3090-Z is lighter than the company's other handheld interrogators, has an omnidirectional antenna and supports the ability to determine the locations of specific RFID tags. www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7260/1/1/
Europe: New Strategies of Traceability for Determining the Geographical Origin of Foodstuffs: The determination of geographical origin is a demand of the traceability system of import-export foodstuff. One hypothesis of tracing the source of a product is by analyzing in a global way the microbial communities of the food and links statistically this analysis to the geographical origin of the food. The creation of a biological Bar Code by PCR-DGGE is the way explored by CIRAD Scientific Paper available at: www.trace.eu.org/admin/news/file/Article%20TRACE-Cirad.pdf
AAFC and CFIA do not take responsibility for the hyperlinks or any discontinued web pages linked from this report. AAFC and CFIA do not endorse these sites, nor are they responsible for the accuracy, currency, or reliability of the content. Information offered on sites other than those of the Government of Canada are not subject to the Official Languages Act.