Food safety, traceability and sustainability blog

The Role of Quality Assurance in the Age of Tech-Enabled Traceability

Learn about the role food quality assurance plays across the industry, as well as the importance of adopting digitized methods in support of the future of traceability.

While quality assurance (QA) is an indisputably vital factor across industries and their respective supply chains, it is of utmost importance within the food supply chain. Food quality assurance consists of a series of practices utilized by food and beverage companies to guarantee that their products are meeting industry, brand and consumer standards, in addition to safety regulations. In turn, these practices generate consumer trust, allowing customers to develop confidence in these brands and their ability to satisfy quality requirements, as well as generate products that are safe for consumption. 

RFID and Supply Chain Digitization in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety

Zebra Technologies and FoodLogiQ discuss how RFID is shaping the modernization of the food supply chain, and what food system stakeholders are doing to prepare for new regulations.

Last year, the FDA launched a new forward-looking campaign to drive long term adoption and consensus around supply chain modernization. The New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative is a major step towards building a tech-enabled food system through incremental changes in culture, proliferation of new technologies and clarity around interoperable standards. Many of these changes will soon be codified in updates to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204, which have been outlined in a proposed traceability rule published in September 2020.

Longtime partners FoodLogiQ and Zebra Technologies recently released new functionality as part of the FoodLogiQ Connect Winter Release in order to achieve a more efficient and effective food technology ecosystem. FoodLogiQ Director of Content and Growth Marketing Anna Ploegh sat down with Zebra Technologies Director of RFID Business Development Susan Flake and FoodLogiQ VP of Supply Chain Strategy and Insights Julie McGill to discuss how RFID is shaping the modernization of the food supply chain, as well as how supply chain digitization will enable food companies to better participate in the New Era.

FoodLogiQ Commentary on the FDA's FSMA 204 Proposed Rule

In September 2020, the FDA released a long awaited proposed rule update to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204. This week the period for public comments on the rule officially closed, marking a deadline for organizations and businesses to provide feedback and guidance on the drafted record keeping requirements. Read an abridged version of FoodLogiQ's comments on the traceability rule below.

Getting Acquainted with FSMA and Traceability

There has been a lot of chatter within the food industry about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Smarter Food Safety and the complex forthcoming FDA requirements that will fall under the umbrella of traceability regulation. It’s more important than ever to be gaining understanding around the key concepts driving food safety innovation and the next wave of recordkeeping requirements. For those looking to get a cursory understanding of the current landscape, FoodLogiQ has gathered key resources for understanding the state of FSMA and Traceability in 2021.

Understanding Traceability Events

Capturing and storing the right supply chain event data can help companies visualize their entire supply chain and achieve tech-enabled traceability. Stitching together product and ingredient events at the batch-lot level can increase transparency, reduce time to locate tainted products and minimize waste from withdrawals and product extractions.

Participants in the global food system need to speak the same language in order to reap these benefits. And, in recognition of this need, efforts are being made across the industry to build connections between stakeholders to enable interoperability, while standards bodies and regulators are also seeking to normalize food traceability data elements and practices. Understanding food traceability events is the key to understanding where the industry is headed in terms of supply chain modernization and transparency, specifically the evolution of two key concepts: Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and Key Data Elements (KDEs).