Drivers o Food safety o Reduce costs o Maintain reputation. Benefits o Increasing market potential o Meeting consumer expectations

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1 20 Research & Develpment Fact Sheet Traceability What is traceability? Traceability is the ability t trace and fllw a prduct thrughut all stages f prductin, prcessing and distributin and allws identificatin f: Where a fd prduct is; Where it has been; What was dne t it alng the way; And that adequate labelling is maintained at all stages. Traceability may take a number f different frms depending upn the amunt and type f infrmatin being dcumented. Whatever level f cmplexity is adpted, the minimum legal requirement is the ability t prvide recrds t the cmpetent authrities fr any given prduct, t identify the surce f all raw materials and the custmers t whm the prduct was supplied. This is ften termed the ne up, ne dwn apprach. Wh needs traceability? The seafd industry increasingly perates n a glbal scale with fish surced and marketed wrldwide. Supply chains have increased in distance, duratin and may crss many cuntries n rute t the cnsumer. T ensure the quality and safety f prducts, infrmatin n the prvenance f gds needs t be cmmunicated thrughut the supply chain. This is a requirement fr all cmpanies invlved, regardless f the scale f peratin. Traceability perfrms many rles within the seafd industry frm fd safety t fraud preventin and can help guard against sub standard prduct impacting upn public pinin and reducing sales. Furthermre, retailers nw request additinal prduct infrmatin fr marketing purpses and t satisfy cnsumer awareness. As such, there are definite benefits t be gained frm implementing a traceability system beynd cmplying with the minimum legal requirements. Benefits f traceability Drivers Fd safety Reduce csts Maintain reputatin Benefits Increasing market ptential Meeting cnsumer expectatins Prcess cntrl and factry efficiency Standards and legal requirements The mst significant E.U. legislatin relating t traceability is regulatin N. 178/2002 which cvers fd law and fd safety. This came int frce in January Within this regulatin Article 18 cvers traceability and states the requirement fr fd prducts n the market t be adequately labelled. Further infrmatin n EU fd law can be fund at n.htm FS Traceability

2 2 FS Dec 2008 Traceability Other legislatin cncerning traceability includes: Directive 2001/95/EC. Cvers prduct safety and requires cmpanies t have the ability t trace gds back t prductin and have systems t recall unsafe prducts. Directive 93/43/EEC. Cvers hygiene and requires all fd handlers t exercise due diligence. Directive 91/493/EEC. Cvers hygiene and health cnditins specific t the seafd industry. Labelling regulatins: Directive 2003/89/EC. Requirement fr all ingredients t be labelled n the final prduct. Cuncil regulatin N 104/2000. Requires all seafd prducts be labelled t include: Further infrmatin n seafd labelling can be btained frm: Seafish key features dcument Fish Labelling Regulatins and Traceability Fd Standards Agency centes/labelregsguidance/ Wh enfrces traceability? Lcal Authrity Envirnmental Health and Trading Standards Officers Prt Health Authrities Fd Standards Agency Enfrcement is carried ut by inspectin and business advice. Frmal actin may be taken depending n circumstances. Levels f traceability Traceability can be divided int tw categries which may be used tgether in ne all encmpassing system: Internal traceability cncerns the ability t identify and fllw a prduct within a single cmpany r factry. External r chain traceability refers t the flw f infrmatin between business partners in a supply chain. Each system deals with the same basic principle t give a unique identificatin t individual sales units r prducts and t fllw these when they transfer frm ne part f the prcess r chain t anther. Internal traceability systems The main rle f internal traceability is infrmatin management. Each prduct batch is assigned a specific identificatin cde, which is then advanced thrugh a prcessing peratin alngside that particular batch. The success f this system relies n the integrity f each batch being maintained thrughut the whle prcessing chain i.e. the prduct ID is transferred with the prduct during prcessing. This can be dne in a number f ways, depending n the level f technlgy available. External traceability Often referred t as the net t plate sequence, this invlves infrmatin exchange in parallel with the prduct thrughut the whle supply chain. This enables infrmatin cllected by any ne business t be available t all ther businesses in the chain. In reality there are a limited number f systems able t prvide whle chain traceability due t the added cmplexity invlved in develpment.

3 3 FS Dec 2008 Traceability Paper-based traceability systems These usually take the frm f purchase rders r sales and invicing systems already in place. These existing systems can be linked t prduct mnitring during prcessing fr an all rund traceability system. Advantages Disadvantages Cheap Can be based arund existing sales dcumentatin Easily mdified t suit peratins Bar cde traceability Labur intensive entering and retrieving recrds Recrds nt easily summarised therefre limited strategic use Unreliable due t peratr errr An effective bar cde traceability system cmprises three main parts; hand held scanners, label printers and a cmputerised data management system. This technlgy permits infrmatin t be transferred quickly and accurately t a cmputerised database. Advantages Disadvantages Quick, reliable data entry Wide range f infrmatin can be entered and stred Central database easily analysed fr audits and reprting Easily used t incrprate external traceability with internal factry peratins Higher cst t install Pssible risk f electrnic malfunctin s paper recrds may be necessary as a back up Technlgy based systems / RFID (Radi frequency identificatin) These systems use radi frequencies t transmit and receive electrnic data between a transceiver and a micr-chip. Transceivers are typically in the frm f hand held scanners althugh can be incrprated int drways r weighing scales. With the micrchip r RFID tag placed n a fish bx, this prductin unit needs nly be passed by a transceiver and the crrespnding infrmatin is autmatically transferred r added t the central database. Advantages Can be custmised t users specific needs Can be used t prvide detailed management infrmatin Real time availability f recrds Data transferable thrughut supply chain Reduced labur and increased efficiency as vlume and cmplexity f data increases Disadvantages Expensive t install Reliance n ID tags thrughut the prcess which adds t capital expenditure Increased staff training Transfer f infrmatin between cmpanies requires all cmpanies within a supply chain t have cmpatible systems

4 4 FS Dec 2008 Traceability Traceability fr the catching sectr Fish is generally landed in bxed units. Each unit shuld be accmpanied with the fllwing infrmatin. Tracefish Tracefish prvides a series f vluntary standards which relate t infrmatin recrded at each stage f the fish supply chain. Each piece f infrmatin is given a unique identity cde and is classified by means f imprtance. Vessel ID Date f capture Place f capture (e.g. FAO fishing zne) Species (cmmn and scientific) Net weight f each unit This infrmatin is usually generated frm a label printer linked t a set f mtin cmpensated scales. Cuncil Regulatin N 2847/93 and 2371/2002. Require all vessels ver 15m t be mnitred by satellite and that member states maintain recrds n vessel identity, psitin and catch data. Shall Shuld May Cmpulsry infrmatin e.g. name and address f prcessing establishment Recmmended infrmatin e.g. prduct temperature Additinal infrmatin e.g. fish quality schemes Further surce f vessel specific systems can be fund in the Seafish reprt: Develpment f an Integrated Weighting, Labelling and Frward Infrmatin System fr Fishing Vessels (SR538). Authr: M. Bulter Date: June 2001 The advantage f this includes ease f prduct recall and that stred infrmatin is easily transferred t electrnic database and can be manipulated fr analysis. Further infrmatin frm Tracefish is being updated as part f the Seafd Plus EU prject - ntal_activ.27.0.html

5 5 FS Dec 2008 Traceability Traceability sftware Many traceability slutins are available n the market with mst f the prviders based in Eurpe. Mst packages stre and share data in XML frmat. While there has been limited uptake by either an entire chain r sectr f the industry f the whle chain Tracefish standard, mst sftware slutins have the capability t accmmdate a sea t plate apprach. Brand name Fishtrace Tracesft Tracetracker Wisefish Traceway Trace2000 Cmpany Traceall, UK Tracesft, UK Tracetracker, Nrway Maritech, Nrway Nesc weighing, UK C-Trace, UK Applicatin Seafd althugh als generic fd / perishables Generic fd industry Generic fd industry Seafd specific Generic Fishing vessel specific peratins e-lgbk Data frmat XML, web access XML XML, web access XML XML XML Supply chain applicable Yes N Yes, Glbal Traceability Netwrk Yes. System is mdular N Yes, is designed fr vessel stage f the supply chain Website t.c.uk r.cm ish.cm weighing.c. uk cec.eu.int/sh eel/partners hip/ctrace.htm

6 6 FS Traceability References: Derrick, S. & Dilln, M. (2004). A Guide t Traceability within the Fish Industry. Humber Institute f Fd and Fisheries. E.U. Trace prject. Fish Labelling Regulatins and Traceability. Seafish Key Features. Traceability in the British Clumbia Seafd Sectr. Sectin 2.0 Traceability systems in practice. May Traceability verview. May traceability slutins are available n the market with mst f the prviders based in Eurpe. Cntact: Mark Edmnds T: E: m_edmnds@seafish.c.uk 18 Lgie Mill, Lgie Green Rad, Edinburgh EH7 4HS t: f: e: seafish@seafish.c.uk w: SIN: supprting the seafd industry fr a sustainable, prfitable future