ELECTRONIC TRACEABILITY SYSTEMS VS. PAPER BASED TRACEABILITY SYSTEMS OYSTEIN HELLESOY 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 1
Outline 1. ISO standard recommendations 2. Pros and cons of paper based traceability systems 3. Pros and cons of electronic traceability systems 4. Conclusion 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 2
ISO 22005:2007 recommendations The choice of a traceability system is influenced by regulations, product characteristics and customer expectations Terms such as document traceability, computer traceability or commercial traceability should be avoided In this presentation we will apply the terminology paper based traceability systems and electronic traceability systems 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 3
ISO 22005:2007 recommendations ISO 22005:2007 does not distinguish between paper based and electronic traceability systems. However, traceability systems must be: Verifiable Applied consistently and equitably Results oriented Cost effective Practical to apply Compliant with any applicable regulation or policy Compliant with defined accuracy requirements 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 4
ISO 22005:2007 recommendations Food Traceability Systems should: Support food safety and/or quality objectives Meet customer specifications Determine the history or origin of the product Facilitate the withdrawal and/or recall of products Identify the responsible organizations in the feed and food supply chains Facilitate the verification of specific information about the product Communicate information to relevant stakeholders and consumers 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 5
ISO 22005:2007 recommendations Food Traceability Systems should: Fulfill any local, regional, national or international regulations or policies, as applicable Improve the effectiveness, productivity and profitability of the organization 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 6
Background, mandatory procedures When implementing Food Traceability, a number of procedures need to be established: Product definition, lot definition and identification Documentation of flow of materials and information including media for record keeping Data management and recording protocols Information retrieval protocols Non conformity and corrective action handling Both paper-based and electronic traceability systems can be designed to conform to the above requirements 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 7
Paper based traceability systems Traditional method Includes manual methods where information is transferred from some other temporary media to paper based records Processes are documented by procedures and check lists: By whom (Individuals can sign off if required) Where (Pond, cage, production line, etc.) When (Date and time for each action is normally recorded) How (Reference to process description, recipe etc.) At the end of the production cycle, paper records are archived. Agreed information is passed on to supply chain partners and other stakeholders 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 8
Paper based traceability systems 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 9
Paper based traceability systems, pros Low cost Practical in many instances Comprehensive records can be maintained provided good document management practices are applied Durable if archived in appropriate conditions Signed documents are well established as legal representations 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 10
Paper based traceability systems, cons Document retrieval can be time consuming Quantity of documents to be archived can be overwhelming Paper is vulnerable to humidity, fire etc. Information exchange only at certain times & locations 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 11
Paper based traceability systems, cons Paper can be easily copied or forged Error prone Once lost, the information can not easily be reconstructed Analysis; Statistics and data mining is challenging 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 12
Paper based traceability systems 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 13
Electronic traceability systems Relatively new method Solutions mimic paper based solutions by recording processes, procedures and check lists electronically Make use of a variety of data entry tools Operators are forced to follow the correct process flow 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 14
Electronic traceability systems Some degree of data input control can be applied Agreed data passed on to supply chain partners electronically in electronic despatch notes Data can be made available real time, anywhere, at all times 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 15
Electronic traceability systems, pros Immediate retrieval of records Data can easily be made available to supply chain partners, certification agencies, food safety inspectors, supply chain partners and import authorities Facilitates analysis in terms of statistics and data mining, which can be used to increase production efficiency Can be configured to provide automated alerts 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 16
Electronic traceability systems, pros Can be configured to automatically record: Temperature, humidity, salinity, oxygen level etc. Identifiers (bar codes / RFID / Smart labels) Identity of person recording data Identity of person accessing / trying to access data or modifying / trying to modify data Usage of feed, pesticides, fertilizer etc. Handle large amount of data in a precise manner 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 17
Electronic traceability systems, cons Historically seen as costly to implement (typically provided as part of expensive ERP systems...) Vulnerable to intrusion / data privacy Requires some degree of IT literacy by users Legal significance is growing but not as established as for signed documents Only as secure as the storage media and back up procedures applied 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 18
Electronic traceability systems 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 19
Attention! Neither paper based nor electronic traceability systems provide any guarantee that the information recorded is correct Systems and methodology are only as good as the operating procedures and practices applied Inspection, control and non conformance monitoring is essential to ensure traceability system integrity 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 20
Record keeping Manual vs. Electronic Mortality record (Manual) Mortality record & report (Electronic) 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 21
Record keeping Manual vs. Electronic Water Quality Record (Paper based) Water Quality Record (Electronic) 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 22
Additional benefits available through application of electronic traceability systems Improved productivity Improved paperwork flow in dealing with certification agencies, inspection authorities and government Ancillary functions, such as inventory management, cost of production analysis Reduced cost of maintaining certifications 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 23
Benefits of electronic record keeping SALM SPLAM SALT annual certification effort 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 24
Benefits provided by electronic traceability systems; Higher productivity, Lower cost slow huge effort error prone Information interchange is cheaper, more accurate, more secure and more provable than exchanging printed documents. fast effortless error free 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 25
Conclusion; Paper based traceability systems 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 26
Conclusion; Both Paper based and Electronic Traceability Systems 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 27
Conclusion: Traceability system integrity 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 28
Thank you Oystein Hellesoy General Manager oystein@foodreg.my 12 th May 2008 2008 FoodReg AG All rights reserved 29