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In
the same way as scientists fit a chip to the leg or back of
an animal to follow all their movements, food that have a
traceability system allow producers, manufacturers and health
authorities to follow their track from their origin until
they reach the consumer’s hands.
Traceability is a system by which the history of the food,
its use and location can be recovered by means of registered
codes. The purpose is to be able to have quick access to the
food information throughout the entire nutrition chain.
Traceability today is only mandatory in the beef meat sector.
One kilo of veal fillets, whether prepared on a hypermarket
rack or dispatched by the butcher, must reach the consumer
incorporating a series of identification data, from the farm
where the animal was bred and fattened, to the abattoir and
quartering room, to the distributor who sells them. In 2005,
the obligation to have a traceability system includes all
the other food sectors that have already started to prepare
for when this moment arrives.
The OCU, along with the consumer associations of the Conseur
group (Belgium, Italy and Portugal) have undertaken a project
on traceability, financed by the European Commission, which
we are giving details of below.
A HIGH-SCALE PROJECT
The project on traceability in which the OCU and other consumer
associations of the Conseur group (Belgium, Italy and Portugal)
take part, is financed by the European Commission. The project
is developed in 4 phases.
Research. The objective is to
establish the most representative inventory possible of the
present traceability systems (official and private ones) in
the meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable sectors in the 4
countries, in collaboration with the authorities, producers
and distributors.
The analysis. The different systems are studied in
depth in this phase to draw conclusions: what are the basic
principles? in what aspects do they guarantee a greater food
safety? what are their peculiarities? what practical use
does it have for the consumer? etc.
The recommendations. The objective is to propose
independent, clear and objective recommendations to the
European Union, aimed at fostering and developing, but also
at harmonising the traceability systems.
The information. Lastly, we will inform the producers,
distributors and other levels, and also consumers, about the
conclusions of this project.
WHAT IS TRACEABILITY?
To be able to trace a food from its origin until it reaches
the consumer’s hands is what is known with the name
traceability, a relatively new concept in the world of food
safety, so new that the consumer does not yet know it.
In May 2003, the OCU asked 310 members what they knew about
traceability. Almost all those interviewed (95%) said that,
when buying a food product, they would like to have as much
information as possible about it, either on the actual label,
if the product is packed, or else on the counter when it is
sold loose. The consumer wants to know where the products
he buys come from, pull the thread of the route they follow
and, if possible, from the start. He does not know however
that it is precisely this that is behind the concept of traceability.
When they are asked outright about the meaning of this term,
more than half the consumers interviewed (54%) said they did
not know what it meant. And only 8% were correct in saying
it is a control system. But when asked to mention some traceability
system, only a very few of them (3%) ventured to say something
and the majority relate the bar code to a possible line of
information about the product.
When asked what criteria they consider most important when
observing a food product, 32% put the expiry date in first
place and 22% said it would be the complete life of the food
product; however the manufacture batch number, which is directly
related with traceability, is the lowest percentage of the
answers.
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