Produce Traceability Initiative Action Plan

 

Traceability in Produce Today

This Action Plan has been prepared by industry leaders as part of the Produce Traceability Initiative launched by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association in October 2008. This initiative is designed to help the industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, while developing a standardized industry approach to enhance the speed and efficiency of traceability systems for the future.

A Steering Committee representing every segment of the produce supply chain from farm to store and restaurant, as well as involvement from nine U.S. and Canadian trade associations, has met five times in person since January 2008 and devoted numerous additional hours in collaborative discussions and sub-groups. These recommendations represent the consensus of that committee. A list of organizations endorsing this Action Plan can be found at this link,

The Steering Committee has endorsed an industrywide commitment to case identification based on GS1 standards for the effective management and control of supply chains. GS1 is a global standards organization with affiliates representing 145 countries worldwide in over 25 different industries with a membership in excess of 2 million.

The GS1 system provides standard protocols that help uniquely identify trade items (products and services), logistic units, locations, assets, and service relations worldwide. The Steering Committee recommends that the produce industry universally adopt the use of the GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). This number is analogous to the UPC used at the item level. What the UPC does for item level identification, the GTIN does for case level identification. Both numbering protocols are managed by GS1. The systematic use of GTIN identification numbers at the case level will enhance total produce supply chain traceability by allowing direct standardized interaction between differing internal coding systems that are unique to each company.

The Produce Traceability Initiative sponsored by the three associations will provide industry members with extensive education, outreach and guidance on implementing these recommendations over the next several years. The Action Plan below provides only an outline of key steps and milestones recommended. Comprehensive background information on each of these steps and the addition of best practices to assist the industry on accomplishing these milestones will be provided to the industry apart from this document.

 

Milestone #1

Obtain Company Prefix Complete by Q1 2009

At the heart of the GS1 numbering system is the requirement that each "brand owner" obtain a unique GS1-issued company prefix, which allows for unique identification of products from that company. This company prefix will then become part of all GTINs assigned to cases of produce from that company, and immediately serve to identify the "brand owner" of that product throughout the supply chain. Companies that repack produce into a new container or alter the case configuration or makeup of the product inside in any way, will become the new "brand owner" and thus will also need to obtain their own unique company prefix.

Milestone #2

Assign GTIN Numbers Complete by Q1 2009

Brand owners must then assign specific 14-digit GTIN numbers to all of their various case configurations based on the combination of their company prefix and a reference number. This reference number represents various attributes of the case and of the produce inside the case. It is highly recommended that companies use the GTIN Assignment Strategy provided by the associations as a guide to allow for consistency across the industry.

Milestone #3

Provide GTIN Information to Buyers Complete by Q3 2009

After determining the GTINs of their own case configurations, brand owners must then communicate this information and corresponding data to their buyers. This is necessary so that the buyer can understand the information represented by the GTIN once the number is scanned at the receiver location.

Milestone #4

Show Human Readable Information on Case Complete by Q3 2010

At this milestone, all of those packing the product should be ready to print or affix human readable information specifying the GTIN and lot number on every case of produce shipped. The GTIN and lot number should be shown together on at least one side of the carton in order that buyers and receivers can quickly read the information.

Milestone #5

Encode Information in a Barcode on Case Complete by Q3 2010

Concurrently, those packing the product should be ready to encode the GTIN and lot number in a GS1-128 barcode, which can be accurately scanned and recorded by buyers and receivers. The human readable information should be shown directly below or above the barcode.

Milestone #6

Read and Store Information on Inbound Cases Complete in 2011

All buyers, receivers and subsequent handlers of cases should have systems in place to read barcodes and electronically store the GTIN and lot number from each case of produce received. This will provide readily accessible information on all produce received into each handler’s inventory throughout the supply chain, allowing companies to quickly track product within their own control by GTINs and lot numbers

Milestone #7

Read and Store Information on Outbound Cases Complete in 2012

All buyers, receivers and subsequent handlers of cases should have systems in place to read and store the GTIN and lot number for all outbound cases of produce. This final step provides complete information on when the product left your facility, thus completing electronic connectivity of case data across the total supply chain.

The recommendations made here by the Produce Traceability Initiative Steering Committee are not presented lightly. This is a comprehensive program to standardize industry traceability practices throughout the entire supply chain. Implementing these recommendations will require business process changes for all companies in the supply chain, with costs borne by all sectors. Some of these changes and costs may be significant, depending on each company’s readiness to adapt. Yet, both the Steering Committee and association leaders believe this is a critical step forward to enhance total supply chain traceability to better serve our customers, to expedite tracebacks and recalls, and more narrowly isolate potential recalls or other problems when they do occur.

This effort will require the leadership commitment of companies in every segment of the business, and support from government and trade associations to educate and assist the industry in implementing these systems. That commitment begins with the following companies that endorse this Action Plan and intend to work to implement these programs according to the specific milestones and timeline presented.

Company Endorsement as of October 9, 2008

                                          Amerifresh, Scottsdale, Ariz. 

Ballantine Produce Co., Inc., Reedley, Calif. 

C.H. Robinson Company Worldwide, Eden Prairie, Minn. 

Consumers Produce Co., Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Domex Superfresh Growers, Yakima, Wash. 

Driscoll's, Watsonville, Calif. 

Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., Oviedo, Fla. 

Food Services of America, Scottsdale, Ariz. 

Food Lion, Salisbury, N.C. 

Fresh Express, Salinas, Calif. 

Fresh Innovations, LLC, Yuma, Ariz. 

Friedman's Freshmarkets, Butler, Pa. 

Frontera Produce, Ltd., Edinburg, Texas 

H‐E‐B, San Antonio, Texas 

International Foodservice Distributors Association, McLean, Va. 

L&M Companies, Inc., Raleigh, N.C. 

Mann Packing Company, Inc., Salinas, Calif. 

National Grocers Association, Arlington, Va. 

Naturipe Farms, LLC, Salinas, Calif. 

Pandol Brothers, Inc., Delano, Calif. 

Pro*Act, Monterey, Calif. 

Procacci Brothers Sales Group, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Safeway, Inc., Pleasanton, Calif. 

Schnuck Markets, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. 

SUPERVALU/W. Newell Co., Urbana, Ill. 

Sysco Corporation, Houston, Texas 

Tanimura & Antle, Salinas, Calif. 

The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, Ohio 

The Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam, B.C., Canada 

Tom Lange Company, Inc., Springfield, Ill. 

U.S. Foodservice, Inc., Rosemont, Ill. 

UniPro Foodservice, Inc., Roswell, Ga. 

Wal‐Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, Ark. 

Wegmans Food & Pharmacy, Inc., Rochester, N.Y.