Glossary

The basis for this glossary has been the compilation of all traceability-related terms.

The glossary will be expanded regularly as FQcode adopts or revises new definitions, or as new terms make their way into the traceability jargon. Comments on the glossary are welcome and should be sent here.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Bioterrorism: Is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. [top]
BRC: The British Retail Consortium is one of the leading trade associations in the United Kingdom. They represent all forms of retailers from small, independently owned stores, to big chain stores and department stores. [top]
E. coli bacteria: The 2006 North American E. coli outbreak was an outbreak of foodborne E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. By October 06, 2006 199 people have been infected, including three people who died and 31 who suffered a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating spinach contaminated with the E. coli. [top]
EAN: Is a barcoding standard which is a superset of the original 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC) system developed in North America. The EAN-13 barcode is defined by the standards organisation GS1. [top]
See also: GS1
EPC: The Electronic Product Code, (EPC), is a family of coding schemes created as an eventual successor to the bar code. The EPC was created as a low-cost method of tracking goods using RFID technology. [top]
EurepGAP: EurepGAP (GAP is an acronym for Good Agricultural Practices) began life in the late 1990's as a common standard of farm management created by technical representatives of several European supermarket chains, with inputs from major suppliers. [top]
External Traceability: The External Traceability provides standard links between each member of the supply chain. [top]
FDA: Is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics in the United States.
Food Safety: The degree of confidence that food will not cause sickness or harm to the consumer when it is prepared, served and eaten according to its intended use. [top]
GS1: GS1 is a global organization dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains globally and across multiple sectors. The GS1 System of standards is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. [top]
See also: GTIN
GTIN: Global Trade Item Number is an identifier for trade items developed by GS1 (comprising the former EAN International and Uniform Code Council). GTIN is an “umbrella” term used to describe the entire family of GS1 data structures for trade items (products and services) identification. [top]
See also: GS1, EAN
HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that addresses physical, chemical and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection. HACCP is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions, known as Critical Control Points (CCP's) can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards being realised. The system is used at all stages of food production and preparation processes. [top]
IFS: Is a German developed common audit standard called International Food Standard or IFS. In 2003, French food retailers from the FCD have joined the IFS Working Group. It has been designed as an uniform tool to ensure food safety and to monitor the quality level of producers of retailer branded food products. The standard can apply for all steps of the processing of foods subsequent to their agricultural production. [top]
Internal Traceability: Complementary to external traceability, the internal traceability helps a company identify products within its enterprise. [top]
ISO 9000/14000: The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment (cause adverse changes to air, water, or land), comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and continually improve on the above. ISO 14000 is similar to ISO 9000 quality management in that both pertain to the process (the comprehensive outcome of how a product is produced) rather than to the product itself. [top]
NRA: The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States comprised of 60,000 member companies; a total of more than 300,000 restaurants. [top]
PMA: The Produce Marketing Association is the leading global trade association serving the entire produce and floral supply chains by enhancing the marketing of produce, floral, and related products and services worldwide. PMA members are buyers and sellers from every segment of the produce and floral supply chain. [top]
Recall: A product recall is a request to return to the maker a batch or an entire production run of a product, usually due to the discovery of safety issues. The recall is an effort to limit liability for corporate negligence (which can cause costly legal penalties) and to improve or avoid damage to publicity. Recalls are costly to a company because they often entail replacing the recalled product or paying for damages caused in use, albeit possibly less costly than indirect cost following damages to brand name and reduced trust in the manufacturer. [top]
See also: True Traceability, Rapid Recall System
RFID: Radio-frequency identification is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. [top]
RSS: RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. [top]
Tracing: Tracing is the ability to identify the origin, attributes, or history of a particular traceable item located within the supply chain by reference to records held (GS1 Traceability Standard). [top]
Tracking: Tracking is the ability to follow the path of a traceable item through the supply chain as it moves between parties (GS1 traceability Standard). [top]
Traceability: The traceability system records the history, processing or transportation of an item in order to improve its quality or protect against food safety problems. Whole food traceability is comprised of both tracking and tracing. [top]
True Traceability™: True traceability means quick access to any and all product modification details. Is not a matter of one step up/one step down. True Traceability™ is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries. [top]
See more: True Traceability™
USDA: The United States Department of Agriculture is a United States Federal Executive Department. Its purpose is to develop and execute policy on farming, agriculture, and food. It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities and end hunger, in America and abroad. [top]
Western Growers: Western Growers has been dedicated to improving the competitiveness and profitability of their membership. Is dedicated to providing quality services and programs that benefit and enhance the competitiveness of the members in the Arizona and California fresh produce industry. [top]