Food Supply Chain Traceability Research Articles

Purpose of the review: O ver the past 5 years, numerous regulations have been drawn up and implemented, which have had a direct im pact on f ood sale from very s mall and medium-sized enterprises, as well as between countries. These activities require cont inuous monitoring by inspection agencies on trade policy, safety and risks analysis, with stringent management practices an d precaution readiness for emergencies. Food safety, quality, clai m validity and proof-of-origin are important for fresh produce , both for clients and customers locally or abroad. As a result, various governmental inspection services and third-party certification age ncies are available for regulat ing the export and import of food commodities. Today, we are facing globalisation of our food-s upply chains. This article foc uses on better understanding and defining food quality, entities and system components. New tools t o identify failure mode and effic iency in processes, as well as practical cases of traceability are referenced and und er v alidation. Directions for future research: Im proving technological skills and competency, as well as training in engineering, applied scien ce and technology, computer technology, economics and logistics must become high priority in relation to food quality, safety, and failure a nalysis on systems relevant to traceability dom ains. Very little or no benchmarking is performed or accessib le to the industry. More research and ad aptation is needed on modelling entity-relation and quality, in combination with sensors an d advanced computing. Setting up interactive associations on traceab ility, computer science, econ omics, efficient logistics, as well as s haring on a common hub, expertise and problematic cases wo uld speed up international efforts to produce and trade safe pr oduce. Creating and making automatic identification and data capture information technology available at regional and nat ional centres, where producers, processors, distributors and inspection agencies would bring in or improve confidence levels an d, secure access to data, know-how, and practical training and a dvice is of utmost im portance. These are challenging prospects fo r all parties involved in agri-food safety.

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