A Message from the Director

Transcription

1 Fall 2017 Newsletter A Message from the Director As we reflect on the changes in seasons, the colors of the leaves and the transition from summer to winter, one thing I cannot help but notice is the dramatic changes that have occurred in the field of traceability technology in With the launch of several blockchain traceability pilots to the launch of global voluntary best practice setting initiatives like the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability, it has become obvious that nothing is permanent but change. In fact, I recently read a headline that said blockchain is the future of food traceability. A few weeks later, I read another headline that said blockchain is now obsolete and hashgraph is the next big thing. I predict soon, we will read that hashgraph is on its way out and duzafizz (ok, I made up that word). The point is, technology will always be changing and as long as we focus on the underlying principles and goals of traceability distribution, interoperability, security, trust and transparency it does not matter what is the next big thing in technology. At the Institute of Food Technologists, through initiatives like its Global Food Traceability Center and IFTNext, we continue to remind ourselves of this while being optimistic about the future of technologies in the science of foods such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. Project Updates GFTC Releases a Special Traceability Supplement in the Journal of Food Science GFTC is proud introduce our latest publication, Collaborating Toward Interoperable Full- Chain Food Traceability in the Journal of Food Science. This supplement was funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and is a collaborative effort with FishWise, Future of Fish, and the World Wildlife Fund. While several sectors have taken great steps to implement food traceability within their supply chains, they are others that are still far behind. This supplement takes a critical look at the seafood sector, examining recent developments and research. We invite you to check it out on the Journal of Food Science website! GFTC Releases 2 New Promotional Videos on Traceability GFTC has just developed two new public service videos on traceability and its importance in the food sector. Both videos are geared towards small to mid-size enterprises.

2 The first video targets C-level executives to help them better understand the importance of traceability in their business operations and encourage them to commit to implementing it. The second video targets implementers making them aware that resources abound to make effective traceability a cost-effective reality that can improve business efficiencies. We are excited for the release of these videos and hope you check them out! Global Outreach United States Roundtable on Beef Sustainability Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Foodservice Roundtable Our Ocean Malta October 5-6, 2017 Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) Annual Meeting Abuja, Nigeria October 22-25, 2017 China Fisheries & Seafood Expo 2017 Qingdao, China November 1-3, 2017 Dubai International Food Safety Conference Dubai November 19-21, 2017

3 Visit GFTC at These Upcoming Events! Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions Annual Meeting Seafood North America Boston, MA March 11-13, 2018 Seaweb Seafood Summit Barcelona, Spain June 19-21, 2018 Traceability in the News Major Industries in New Zealand adopt blockchain technology to power applications Major industries in New Zealand including e-commerce, logistics, and information technology have started to adopt blockchain technology to secure and process data in a decentralized manner. New level of food transparency arrives with traceable turkeys Consumers can see exact which family farmer raised their Honeysuckle White holiday turkey through a first-tomarket blockchain solution. Lessons learned from big interoperability in government The distributed nature of data assets in the public sector is even more complex than that in the private sector. NEW TECHNOLOGY: Tracking your food from field to fork - via your phone The Soil Association are encouraging the nation to try organic by allowing shoppers to trace organic food from supplier to shelf with a simple scan from their mobile phone. Global Food Traceability Market Research Report Global Food Traceability Market Report 2017 is a professional and deep research report in this field. For overview analysis, the report introduces Food Traceability basic information including definition, classification, application, industry chain structure, industry overview, policy analysis, and news analysis, etc. Large U.S. food service companies lag on sustainable seafood, says Greenpeace According to Greenpeace s latest annual report on the state of the global fishing industry, the vast majority of the largest food service companies in the U.S. are doing far too little to protect ocean ecosystems and seafood industry workers. Partner News Food Protection and Defense Institute Launches Food Adulteration Incidents Registry to Assist in FSMA Compliance The Food Protection and Defense Institute s Food Adulteration Incidents Registry (FAIR) is a compilation of historical and current economically motivated and intentional adulteration incidents of foods on a global scale. FAIR supports food defense efforts and compliance with FSMA regulations by collecting and reporting adulteration incidents, both economically motivated and intentional, thereby helping identify hazards and vulnerabilities. Data is routinely curated from publicly available sources and includes food adulteration incidents motivated by terrorism, sabotage, and fraudulent economic gain. Reported public health harm for incidents is included in the registry. The

4 user-friendly dashboard includes a variety of search capabilities, incident summaries, interactive graphs, maps, and references. Subscriptions to all available incidents and visualization may be purchased through the FPDI homepage at Corporate subscriptions are also available. Please contact fpdi-idb@umn.edu for more information. About GFTC The GFTC desires to become the global resource and authoritative voice on food traceability by serving all aspects of the food system - from agriculture to the consumer through the generation of knowledge in research gaps, delivering applied research, objective advice and practical expertise about data collaboration and food product traceability for private benefit and public good. Find out more about GFTC at About IFT Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is committed to advancing the science of food. Our non-profit scientific society more than 17,000 members from more than 90 countries brings together food scientists, technologists and related professionals from academia, government and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org. Pass it On Have a contact who might be interested in GFTC? Feel free to pass on our newsletter! Ask a Question Have a burning question about traceability you need answered? Want to give a suggestion to improve the work being done by the Center? Feel free to us at traceability@ift.org. A huge thank you to all our sponsors for their commitment and support of the Center find out more about them here: Change Address Contact IFT Institute of Food Technologists. All rights reserved. Institute of Food Technologists 525 W. Van Buren St. Suite 1000 Chicago IL USA You received this because you are subscribed to Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) from Institute of Food

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