Eurofruit Magazine | February 2008

Traceability set to shape future trading environment

Food safety standards have risen rapidly in recent years to their strictest level yet, meaning fresh produce suppliers must embrace traceability and quality standards in order to remain competitive on an ever more globalised market.

That was the standout message from Session Three on Day Two of the Buenos Aires-based Southern Hemisphere Congress 2007, which discussed the various means available to producers and exporters looking to add value by investing in better technology, packaging and logistics.

"In the last 12 years there have been 22 food safety crisis situations, most notably in the US and China," Leonardo Paniceres, of traceability solutions provider FQcode, told assembled delegates. "Concerns are now linked not only to what touches a product during the preparation stage but also how it is treated and handled throughout the supply chain."

Mr Paniceres pointed out that by 2027 an impressive 80 per cent of the world's GDP will be traded between borders, compared with just 20 per cent in 2000, which coupled with the development of the GM food industry and retailers' increasing use of private labels, will make technologies such as traceability more paramount than ever.

"Traceability is one way in which suppliers can add value by providing assurance to consumers that a product meets certain standards on a consistent basis. And, through this we can avoid barriers to trade, commercial limitations, the falsification of products, and poor consumerconfidence."

Gabriel Perrín of the Port Authority of Patagonia Norte, which operates two of Argentina’s leading fresh produce terminals (the Port of San Antonio Este and the Port of Bahía Blanca) explained how full traceability throughout the cool chain can be achieved via innovative logistics systems.

Mr Perrín explained that concepts such as the Thermologistics Pro webbased system, developed by Termometría Argentina and Eclo Ltd, can monitor and control temperature throughout the cold chain via a sophisticated chip, called the Thermochron iButton.

Agreeing with Mr Paniceres, Fernando Rodríguez from the Argentine office of global packaging manufacturer Unitec added that quality has indeed become one of the fundamental and predominant keys to adding value within the supply chain.

"It is vital to use the latest sorting, grading and packaging technologies," he commented. "They are not only more economic and efficient, but they can help suppliers to achieve top quality by selecting and packing fruit according to the best quality, size, colour and shape.

Publicated in February, 2008, Eurofruit Magazine