Traceability importance growing for food supply chain

Food traceability will become more important for the supply chain industry, according to Advanced Business Solutions.

The software provider is advising supply chain logistics companies that unless they invest in the right technology to improve traceability, they risk damaging consumer confidence.

Bar codes, electronic business standards, data synchronization and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and labelling will become more widely used to aid food traceability.

The firm said that the ability to track, trace and monitor the journey of all food stuffs will become increasingly important in the UK logistics sector.

Graham Gittins, West Midlands regional chairman of chartered institute of logistics and transport, said: “Food traceability is still a big issue for the industry, particularly since the horsemeat scandal earlier this year.

“When these kinds of high profile events happen, consumers and retailers want to know where the food comes from, how it was prepared and how it got to its end destination.

“The demand is for complete traceability, and the inability to provide this information damages consumer confidence, and that can be costly.”