Food safety, traceability and sustainability blog

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).

What You Need to Know About the FDA’s New Proposed Traceability Rule

The FDA has formally released the proposed traceability rule for FSMA section 204. Learn how the drafted legislation may apply to your own food safety, data and product tracing programs.

On September 21, 2020 the FDA released a long awaited proposed rule to achieve farm-to-table traceability in the food system. The drafted legislation falls under section 204 of the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011, and signals a major milestone for the agency’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative to accelerate transparency and consumer protection innovation within the food industry. Learn what requirements your business may become liable to, proposed timing of compliance dates and how to take the first steps to ensure your team is prepared to evolve with more advanced industry requirements. The full 55 page document will be available until January 21, 2021 for public comments and recommendations.

The FDA's Leafy Greens Action Plan

The FDA has published the 2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan to combat foodborne illness and outbreaks caused by leafy greens.

The leafy green industry has fallen under intense scrutiny in recent years due to outbreaks like the 2018 romaine lettuce recall and the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak of 2019. Between 2009 and 2018 alone, the FDA stated they have identified “40 foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected link to leafy greens.” The impact of these outbreaks on both public health and food businesses has surfaced persistent vulnerabilities in the leafy greens industry’s food safety practices, which investigations found to be compounded by poor visibility into a complex supply chain.

2020 FSMA Dates for Food Businesses

As a new decade begins, it is important to ensure your food safety “house” is in order. Many Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) deadlines have already passed, meaning that most food brands are required to be FSMA compliant today. For smaller businesses, specifically, there are a few key dates still on the horizon.

A Food Brand's Guide to: The Transparency Today's Consumers Need

Grasp key findings from FoodLogiQ’s survey of over 2,000 consumers in our latest E-Book, “A Food Brand’s Guide to What Consumers Care about in the Age of Transparency."

The consumer mindset about food has changed significantly in recent years. While diet fads come and go, consumers’ interest in healthy ingredients and concern about the origin of their food has graduated from a passing trend to a full shift in public consciousness. We are now living in an age of transparency.