News Articles

July 31, 2008

Tracking options pursued after salmonella scare

The most recent salmonella scare and subsequent recall of tomatoes is providing an extra push for produce handlers to get serious about supply chain technology.

By Allison Manning
Modern Materials Handling, July 31, 2008

While the panic generated by the most recent food recall may have piqued the public’s interest, those in the produce supply chain have already been working on improving traceability and recordkeeping for the past year.

The Produce Marketing Association, Canadian Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association have been holding meetings since January 2007, coming up with milestones and a timetable for getting the industry to achieve a standardized method of electronic record keeping.

The produce industry has been required to keep records of product sources longer than any other segment of the food industry, and the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 mandated that food companies be able to trace their product one step forward and one step back. Many companies do have some sort of electronic record keeping, but it is inconsistent, and a few continue to rely on tedious paper records.

Julia Stewart, public relations director for the Produce Marketing Association, said for some companies, the tracking systems “just aren’t there.”   Read more

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