Traceability: Key for Food Safety of livestock from Farm-to-Fork

Nowadays consumers are extremely aware of their diet as well as how it is produced and distributed.

- Reshma R G, Bhavana M R & Dr. R. Meenatchi

Introduction:

For the past ten years, there has been significant worry over the progressive increase in food-borne illnesses by a supply of contaminated food, whether it comes from plant or animal sources. Food safety is currently the foundation of sustainable development and is essential to the food industry as well as to consumers.

A robust traceability framework furnishes food enterprises with comprehensive visibility into their products by supplying essential data at every stage in the supply chain network. Traceability is extensively used as a risk-managing strategic method to disrupt the distribution of hazardous food within the supply chain network, enabling producers and authorities to withdraw or recall food items as needed. When a plant or animal disease epidemic occurs, an effective traceability system may significantly decrease the response time. It has the ability to quickly and accurately pinpoint the specific cause, element, or origin as well as the country of origin and whereabouts of the product. Animal identification and traceability systems have arisen as a significant concern, particularly following the emergence of animal diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.

According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), traceability denotes the capacity to monitor food as it progresses through particular steps of production, processing, and distribution. Fundamental principles in food traceability system consist of four essential elements: product identification, information for tracking, product movement pathways, and tools enabling traceability. Identification of a product begins with its physical attributes, which include volume, weight, measurements, and packaging.