You’ve got question about traceability, food safety, the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) and PTI compliance, sustainability and the TRUETRAC software system.
We’ve got answers!
1. What is the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI)?
2. Why do we need the Produce Traceability Initiative?
3. Who oversees the Produce Traceability Initiative?
4. What are the benefits of the traceability process?
5. What does my organization need to do to copmply with PTI standards?
6. What is “supply chain traceability”?
7. What is the difference between item level traceability and supply chain traceability?
8. What is the ‘TRUETRAC System’?
9. Who do I talk to about getting a price quote on TRUETRAC Software?
1. What is the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI)?
The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) is a voluntary, industry-wide effort designed to help the fresh produce industry maximize the effectiveness of current track and trace procedures while developing a standardized industry approach to enhance the speed and efficiency of future traceability systems. Industry participants cover every segment of the produce supply chain.
2.Why do we need the Produce Traceability Initiative?
The produce industry handles an estimated 6 billion cases of produce in the United States each year. However, produce industry leaders have recognized that a more systematic, industry-wide approach would enhance overall supply chain traceability in speed and efficiency. The use of standards in the supply chain across the produce industry will significantly enhance the ability to narrow the impact of potential recalls or similar problems, protecting both consumers and industry and supply chain members.
3. Who oversees the Produce Traceability Initiative?
The PTI is an industry-led, supply chain-wide Initiative governed by a 34-member Leadership Council. The work is carried out by volunteer-led working groups in the areas of Implementation, Master Data, Technology, and Communications and is administered by Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), GS1 US, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA).
4. What are the benefits of this traceability process?
- Enhances and maintains the confidence of consumers and government regulators, supporting the produce industry’s commitment to food safety.
- Limits the scope and costs of food safety-related recalls to suspect product only, providing a return on the industry’s investment by allowing non-implicated produce to remain in distribution and on store shelves.
- Food safety-related investigations can occur more efficiently, expediting tracking while minimizing business disruptions and costs.
- Companies can keep their own internal traceability systems while modifying them to achieve external traceability by including the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) and lot number, which allows trading partners to “talk the same language” about produce items.
- The information can be stored electronically throughout the supply chain, permitting electronic searching and analysis that will produce answers more quickly.
- From an operational standpoint, product information is consistent across the industry and around the world.
5. What does my organization need to do to comply with PTI standards?
Companies must first read and understand the milestones of the Produce Traceability Initiative. The milestones, available online at ProduceTraceability.org, define a roadmap to industry wide adoption of the initiative. The milestones are :
- Obtain company prefix
- Assign GTIN numbers
- Provide GTIN information to buyers
- Show human-readable information on cases
- Encode information in a barcode
- Read and store information on inbound cases
- Read and store information on outbound cases
The requirements of each milestone will impact each company in different ways and may require modifications to internal systems or processes. Consult with a TRUETRAC representative to find out more about how these milestones might affect your organization.
6. What is “supply chain traceability”?
Supply chain traceability, as this relates to the produce industry, is the system by which fresh fruits and vegetables are tracked as they move through the network of supply chain trading partners. Traceability across an industry-wide supply chain creates an environment where each carton of fresh produce can be tracked, both up and down the supply chain. For instance, once the product is harvested and packed, it is inserted into commerce and moves between trading partners. Once the product arrives at its final destination, the route of each carton that was received can be traced back through each trading partner’s system back to the original source supplier, called a ‘trace-back.’ Once the origin of the product and the “lot” it is associated with has been identified, all the product from the lot can then be traced as it moves through each trading partner and finally to its end destination. This process is called a ‘trace-forward’. Knowing the destination, the source, and the trace-back and trace-forward information, illuminates the route each carton of fresh fruits and vegetables follows as they move through commerce.
7. What is the difference between Item Level Traceability and Supply Chain Traceability?
Item level traceability is the mechanism where each consumer item is identified with a number at packing time and that number is associated with the origin of the product. Supply chain traceability refers to the mechanism that tracks the cartons (outer packs) as they travel through commerce. Outer packs could be represented in various units such as sacks, bins or cartons but represent the unit that is bought and sold in the supply chain. Typically, these units are palletized shipped and recorded as they travel from trading partner to trading partner. Because individual items are not read as they move through the supply chain, they will not suffice as a tool for supply chain traceability. Individual items ultimately reach the end consumer and can be useful for connecting the consumer back to the original source. Item identification systems ‘leap’ over the trading partners in the supply chain and are invisible to the route that was taken through a complex commercial shipping channels. To learn more read about it on our blog.
8. What is the ‘TRUETRAC System’?
The TRUETRAC System is a Web- and mobile-based software and information platform that connects traceability — at both the supply chain unit (carton, sack, or bin) and individual consumer items (clamshell, bag, item sticker) — with food safety data and crop production data. Designed and built as a suite of technology products to satisfy the needs of producers of fresh produce, the TRUETRAC System is comprised of integrated traceability and food safety software that ties traceability, food safety information and crop production data together in a single database accessible by permission only. The system satisfies many core internal business needs, but is also can be used as a consumer marketing tool for suppliers, using QR codes to connect consumers with valuable messaging about the source of their food and other useful pieces of information.
9. Who do I talk to about getting a price quote on TRUETRAC software?
Call us toll-free in the U.S. at 1-800-548-1901. We have a national account management team in every region of the United States, Canada and Mexico. We can also be reached by email at information@truetrac.com.
