Traceability Systems.

There are three types of traceability:

1. Internal traceability systems – This is where the traceability starts and ends in your facility. The beginning is usually where the first raw ingredients are mixed or introduced at goods-in, and the end is the finished product when no more processing or packaging is required.
2. Forward traceability systems – Forward traceability systems allow you to track any products that leave your facility. The traceability begins when products depart, and ends with the final customer.
3. Backward traceability systems – A backward traceability system enables you to track ingredients and materials before they reach your facility. It allows you to know the original source of certain ingredients and therefore gives you visibility on the quality of what you’re sourcing.

There are also some traceability systems that achieve ‘farm to fork’ traceability , where they track the entire supply chain. These systems allow you to trace ingredients and raw materials from their origin through to delivery, processing, packaging, shipping and then eventually to consumption.

Overall, traceability gives you complete visibility of where your ingredients, materials and stock come from and go to. This guarantees the quality and safety of the food you’re processing, producing and packaging. Some of the benefits of installing a traceability system include:

• Recipe formulation – Automate and set up production processes, manage ingredients and gain complete control over your manufacturing procedures. Also, create your own recipes or Bill of Materials, set precise tolerances for recipe ingredients and design and build broader production plans.
• Stock control – Giving you the ability to better manage goods, ingredients and materials using the integrated stock control module. Also, with automated FIFO/FEFO stock rules and real-time stock level feedback, reduce stock wastage and ingredients.
• Process weighing – Control and streamline weighing processes through automated and precise weighing within allocated tolerances for every batch and mix size, as well as on-screen application of ingredients for operators.
• Quality control – Quickly identify contaminated products or ingredients, minimising the risk of consumption and food safety issues. This builds consumer trust, brand loyalty and reputation.
• Reduce costs – Implementing a traceability system minimises cost and expenditure in your business by reducing product giveaways, waste and introducing paperless traceability.

The primary purpose of a traceability system is to track a specific product, ingredient or material from and to any point in the supply chain. This can be from the point of origin through processing, packaging, distribution, and finally, product consumption. This is known as ‘farm to fork’ traceability in the food industry.

That said, traceability’s start and end points can vary from facility to facility. For instance, one facility might determine the start of traceability to be at goods-in when the first ingredients or materials were added to the very start of the production process. Meanwhile, another facility might determine traceability once the product leaves the factory or even the origin of the raw materials before they’re processed.

Installing a traceability system into your business is a smart decision to ensure compliance, waste reduction, quality control and consistency. Also, by providing other benefits like allergy and contamination prevention, having a traceability system will benefit your brand by encouraging customer loyalty and trust.

However, before you get started on implementing a traceability system, there are a few things you’ll need to consider first:

• What your long-term operational goals are.
• What trends in your business sector could change how the product is made?
• Have any new manufacturing or food safety regulations recently been introduced that you must comply with?
• If any supply chain changes are likely to happen, how could they impact how your food product is transported or distributed?
• How are the needs of your customers changing?
• Any foreseeable changes in your organisation that are likely to occur.

Implementing traceability within your business is straightforward once you have a system like the Stevens Traceability system. Here are our steps on how to implement one:

1. Define your objectives

Determine what your primary need for traceability is within your organisation. Maybe it’s for ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, quality assurance, or managing recalls and withdrawals effectively. Once your traceability objectives are determined, you will have direction and clarity on the extent of traceability for your businesses.

2. Choose the extent of your traceability system

You’ll need to determine the scope and define the boundaries of where the traceability begins and ends. This will ultimately affect the type of traceability system you choose to implement.

For instance, you may want complete visibility of the supply chain from the ingredient origin through processing, packaging and production and finally, to the consumer. Or alternatively, you may only be interested in internal traceability, where you can track and trace ingredients, materials and food products within your production facility.

3. Notify and train relevant employees

Now that you’ve defined your objectives and the type of traceability system you require, you should notify all relevant employees, particularly those who work in the supply chain. If you use software for traceability, like the Stevens Traceability System, ensure you and your team undergo training to achieve an efficient product recall or withdrawal procedure.

4. Communicate with shareholders for transparency

Communicate with shareholders that you have implemented traceability. Explain your overall business objectives related to this change and the outcomes you hope to achieve. This will help them understand your goals and build transparency and trust.