In the information age, food traceability is becoming increasingly important in the supply chain. Thanks to the use of advanced technologies such as blockchain and MES (Manufacturing Execution System), it is possible to ensure greater transparency and safety throughout the production process : from the raw material to the final consumer. In this article we will look at how food traceability is changing in Italy and what the benefits are for the various actors involved in the supply chain.
However, let us make a small clarification, which will help us understand the importance of using new MES solutions in the agribusiness sector.
Food traceability: what the regulations say
As of January 1, 2005, European Regulation 178/2002 (Reg. 178/02) made food traceability mandatory throughout the European Union. This required all companies in the sector (food and feed) to implement a product traceability system, capable of tracing the entire path of food, feed, food-producing animals and any other substance intended to be part of a product, through all stages of the food chain, up to distribution.
Food supply chain traceability and retraceability
Traceability is, therefore, a fundamental system within the agrifood supply chain that is based on the identification of the actors and operations involved in the processes of growing, producing and distributing food products.
Its main purpose is to ensure greater food safety by providing accurate information about the origins and quality of products, monitoring and controlling each stage of the production process, and ensuring that the required quality standards and regulations are met.
We can say that traceability is a kind of subsystem, within food quality management. In fact, one of the advantages of traceability and retraceability is that they allow for the identification of possible problems throughout the food chain, giving the opportunity for timely action to resolve them.
Traceability and traceability: the differences
Let us go into the differences of the two terms.
– The term traceability describes the ability to follow the history or journey of a product: that is, to identify and record all the steps through which a food was produced, processed, stored and distributed before reaching the final consumer.
– Traceability is a more specific concept and refers to the ability to follow the backward path of an individual food product within the supply chain through all the documentation collected. This means that at any point in time one is able to identify the origin of a product, when and how it was processed or transformed, what ingredients were used, and what supply chain it followed.
These two processes (traceability and retraceability) enable health authorities to quickly identify the source of a potential food problem or contamination and, if necessary, take timely action to prevent the food from reaching consumers.
What do consumers think about food traceability?
Compared to a few years ago, consumer awareness has also changed, and terms such as traceability or retraceability are now in the public domain.
According to a study conducted by SIMA on a sample of 191 consumers on olive oil traceability, it was found that traceability plays an important, if not essential, role in the relationship between product authenticity and consumer willingness to pay.
In particular, consumers who are informed about product authenticity tend to be more aware of the importance of traceability and, at the same time, this generates greater food safety.
Blockchain is changing agribusiness
Among new technologies, we cannot fail to mention blockchain: it is a digital technology that is revolutionizing several sectors, including the agrifood sector. Thanks to its ability to guarantee transparency and security of production chains, it is also emerging as a fundamental tool to protect Made in Italy on international markets.
This technology makes it possible to permanently and transparently track a product’s journey from origin to the consumer’s table. In this way, consumers can make informed decisions and have the ability to accurately verify where what they eat came from. In addition, blockchain is also a very powerful weapon in the fight against food fraud, allowing it to be traced back to every stage of the production and distribution process.
What is an MES for food traceability?
The MES (Manufacturing Execution System ) is a computer system that allows the monitoring and management of a company’s entire production process. By collecting data from the different stages of production, the MES provides a complete and detailed view of the process, identifying any critical issues and optimizing production.
AGRONET, the MES of agribusiness.
AGRONET is a powerful MES software created specifically to support companies operating in the agribusiness sector in the efficient and automated management of their business processes. This tool greatly improves the collection and analysis of information, while facilitating data sharing among all the different areas of the company and the actors involved in the production chain. With AGRONET, companies can reduce inventories, minimize waste and, as a result, lower the invisible costs associated with such inefficiencies.
AGRONET’s versatility is undoubtedly one of its strengths: it can be customized and expanded with additional features to best suit the specific needs of each farm and department.
AGRONET, being an MES software, extends from the daily management of production processes to the detailed management of the elements entering and leaving the process itself. Among its many features is:
– possible to monitor and manage supplier qualification;
– the delivery and storage of main raw materials;
– the movements between silos (blending);
– the production of semi-finished products;
– the packaging of products;
– the monitoring of processing;
– the intelligent management of logistics with warehouse mapping;
– quality control;
– and, of course, the traceability and retraceability of products.
In addition, AGRONET can be integrated with state-of-the-art production machinery to adhere to Industry 4.0 standards.
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