The recent Salmonella outbreak in eggs highlights a crucial need for an effective product tracing system. According to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a product tracing system would make it possible to identify foodborne illness outbreaks earlier as well as contain the outbreak faster. A report issued earlier this year from IFT to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended guidelines that would establish a comprehensive product tracing system to track the movement of food products effectively from farm to point of sale or service.
In the case of the massive shell egg recall, it has come to light that contaminated chicken feed is likely to blame for the Salmonella outbreak, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP). “We don’t know if the feeding ingredients came to the facility contaminated or if the feed got contaminated at the facility,” said Jeff Farrar, the Associate Commissioner for Food Protection at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Farrar told reporters the chicken feed in question had only gone to two Iowa farms—Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms—and not been distributed elsewhere in the country. “We are looking at all possibilities here of how contamination could have gone into the feed or on to the farm,” Farrar said. “This contamination can come in through numerous routes—including rodents, shared equipment, workers—so we are looking into all those possibilities in our investigation.”
The initial Salmonella outbreak from shell eggs began months ago, but the source of the outbreak is just now being discovered. It is possible that a revamped product tracing system would have enabled the outbreak source to be pinpointed earlier. Now, product tracing continues to be vital in order to identify the potentially contaminated ingredient in the feed.
“Product tracing is a critical part of the food safety legislation that is currently under review because it serves to protect and improve the food supply, not only here in the United States but throughout the global food system,” said IFT Vice President Will Fisher.
The recommendations from IFT and the expert panel include:
- Creation of a standard list of key data or information to be collected
- Standardization of formats for expressing the information,
- Identification of the points along the supply chain, internally and between partners, where information needs to be captured
- Comprehensive record keeping that allows the linking of information both internally and with partners
- Use of electronic systems for data transfer
- Inclusion of traceability as a requirement within audits
- Required training and education on what compliance entails
The report concludes that setting clear objectives for those in the food supply chain is the most appropriate approach to effective product tracing. Principally, the system should be simple, user friendly, and globally accepted, as well as have the ability to leverage existing industry systems.
“The safety of the food supply requires a comprehensive and coordinated effort among all stakeholders throughout the system from farm to fork including growers, farm workers, packers, shippers, transporters, importers, wholesalers, retailers, government agencies, as well as consumers,” according the panel’s findings. Through a concerted effort, product tracing can help protect the public health, boost consumer confidence, and manage costs faced by affected industries in the supply chain following a food safety incident.
Source: Institute of Food Technologists
