Comparison of Global Food Traceability Regulations and Requirements

Abstract

Abstract:The food traceability regulations of 21 Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries were examined with attention to whether these regulations are comprehensive for all food commodities and processed foods. The countries were evaluated based on responses to a series of questions that were developed to allow assessment of their traceability programs. The questions sought background information on whether: mandatory traceability regulation(s) exists at the national level within a given country; regulations include imported products, and the nature of required documentation for imports; an electronic database(s) for traceability exists and, if present, its accessibility; and labeling regulations allow consumer access and understanding of traceability. The examination ranked the countries that have specific traceability regulations for all commodities, both domestic and imports, as "Progressive," while countries with less broad or stringent regulations were ranked as "Moderate," and countries that were still in the developmental stage of mandatory or industry-led traceability requirements were ranked as "Regressive." Aggregate scores were developed from all of the rankings, determined on the basis of the questions, for each of the 21 countries, to provide an overall world ranking score. The aggregate scores were "Superior," "Average," or "Poor."

Overview on Untargeted Methods to Combat Food Frauds: A Focus on Fishery Products

“…In Regulation 882/2004, issued by the European Parliament and the Council on 29 April 2004, all the official controls (OCR) to be performed in order to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health, and animal welfare rules were detailed. In particular, article 53 of the regulation gives the Commission the mandate to recommend coordinated plans annually launched in accordance with a program; such plans should be organized on an ad hoc basis, in particular to establish the prevalence of hazards in feed, food, or animals [92]. The implementation of regulations on traceability and certificates of origin of fish products becomes more problematic when they concern foods imported from developing countries.…”

“…In recent times, Regulation 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council, issued on 25 October 2011, concerning Food Information to Consumers (FIC), and Regulation (EU) 1379/2013 on the Common Market Organization of fishery and aquaculture products (CMO) gave a more extensive legislation framework about identification and labeling of fishery and aquaculture products [93,94]. In particular, regulation 1379/2013 contributed to the implementation of the traceability protocols for these products, indicating that "for the purpose of consumer protection, competent national authorities should make full use of available technology, including DNA testing, in order to deter operators from falsely labeling catches" [92].…”

Seafood traceability: current needs, available tools, and biotechnological challenges for origin certification

“…It is acknowledged that, within the international food trade, there is an increased understanding of traceability concerns and a commitment to improve traceability, which would also contribute to minimizing illegal and unreported fisheries [19]. This is particularly notable for the EU, because it currently has superior seafood traceability regulations and requirements compared with the top countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [20]. However, a new integrated approach will be required to deal with the incorporation of national economies into the Single Market and the increasing complexity of the seafood supply chain ( Figure 1) brought about by developments in seafood processing and new distribution patterns.…”

“…However, a new integrated approach will be required to deal with the incorporation of national economies into the Single Market and the increasing complexity of the seafood supply chain ( Figure 1) brought about by developments in seafood processing and new distribution patterns. A recent study on seafood traceability regulations and requirements enforced in several countries concluded that seafood traceability is still facing serious challenges and noted a lack of information on routine audits of traceability practices [20]. The implementation of seafood traceability regulations is also problematical for addressing issues associated with certificate of origin, especially when seafood products are imported from developing countries.…”

IoT-Based Techniques for Online M2M-Interactive Itemized Data Registration and Offline Information Traceability in a Digital Manufacturing System

“…Information tracking and tracing is mandatory for some industries, such as the food and feed industry [6]. The functionality of itemised data collection, information tracing and process optimisation in digital manufacturing has gone beyond the conventional observation or monitoring process, which includes: (1) identification of individual items such as packages, products, and components, (2) online collaborative operations and decision making between machines, (3) data analysis for industrial process optimisation, and (4) product information traceability for quality control and other purposes.…”