FoodLogiQ Traceability
The Connected Food Chain
The FoodLogiQ supply chain is built to accelerate traceability, enable supply chain visibility and strengthen food businesses. FoodLogiQ Connect processes thousands of documents, powers the resolution of thousands of quality incidents, and hosts millions of Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) across global supplier and business locations.
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Critical Tracking Events Captured
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Locations Supported
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Quality Incidents Detected
What is Traceability?
Traceability defines the ability to identify a product through locations, forms and processes over time, from creation to shipping and use. Traceability in the food system is closely related to safety, business continuity and efficiency, and quality assurance, as true traceability enables transparency by way of actionable data.
Traceability is here to stay, putting companies that prioritize supply chain transparency at an advantage as the industry evolves, and as regulations emerge.
Traceability in the Food System
Understanding Traceability
Traceability in the food system describes the ability to trace any product sold for human or animal consumption at all stages of creation, production, transformation or shipping.
Traceability is achieved through keeping records on product or business information (Key Data Elements), at all points of exchange or development (Critical Tracking Events).
Standards and regulatory requirements for what constitutes a Key Data Elements or Critical Tracking Events can vary.
Enabled by technology, and based on standards proposed in the FDA’s FSMA 204 rule update, traceability in the food system could look like…
Growing
At the farm, a seed is grown into a cantaloupe melon....
The farmer stores information about the seed and species. They also keep records for when the seed was purchased, and the businesses or locations from which the seed was supplied, conditioned, packaged and sprouted. Coordinate data on growing is recorded, and the farmer creates records containing harvesting data.
This information is stored electronically, and can be later used to predict yield and resilience by seed strain, conditions and treatment.
The grower generates a traceability lot code for the cantaloupes.
Shipping to First Receiver
A separate business unit in charge of cooling prepares the melons to be shipped in trucks, placing GS1-128 barcodes on each case of melons.
The farm location, business and product identification, traceability lot code and farmer point-of-contact are recorded. Harvesting information is also captured.
The melons are transported via truck to a cooling facility.
The First Receiver
The business unit in charge of cooling is the first receiver of the cantaloupes, keeping the lot of melons shelf-stable in an offsite facility. Here the fruits are refrigerated at an optimal temperature.
They keep records on the farm from which the cantaloupes originated, location identifiers for where the product has been cooled, as well as date and time information of the event. IoT temperature monitoring is captured in a central supply chain data platform, enabling deeper insights into optimal shelf life ranges for these melons.
The cooling facility also packs the melons, keeping records of the date, time and location this occurred.
Manufacturer Receives Product
A food manufacturer that produces ready-to-eat fruit cups purchases the lot of cantaloupe melons.
The cooling warehouse transports the lot of cantaloupes to the manufacturer, recording the time, location and products being shipped. The manufacturer, as the receiver, creates records for the product receipt upon arrival at their facilities.
Transformation
After receiving the cantaloupes, the food manufacturer begins to process the product, in order to create fruit cups to be sold at major retailers across the region, as well as some foodservice establishments.
The manufacturer cuts, commingles and packages the cantaloupe melons with honeydew melons and grapes, and packages the fruit salad in a plastic cup.
A new traceability lot code is created for the fruit cup product. Records of the transformation event time and location are captured, as well as the quantity and traceability lot code for each ingredient used in the fruit cup, like the cantaloupes. If the melons are recalled, this information will help identify which fruit cup products have been impacted.
The manufacturer creates a new product identifier and traceability product description for the cases of fruit cups, and creates records for batch quantities, including the number of cups, cases and pounds created.
The manufacturer prepares the product for shipping…
Distributor Transports Product
The distributor scans the GS1-128 barcode as they receive the product, and keeps electronic records on the quantity, date, and product information of the fruit cups. The fruit cups are then stored at the distributor’s facilities, where they are prepared for shipping to a variety of retail customers.
Distributor Ships to Clients
A distributor ships the fruit cup product to large retail customers, recording shipping data elements. The retailers receive the product, keeping electronic records of the transaction and the products received.
The distributor associates this digital record with an invoice for the exchange. By comparing scan data to supplier invoice data stored online, the distributor ensures that they have paid the correct amount for the product received.
Retailer Receives New Inventory
A major retailer receives the product, keeping records on the transaction and products received.
The fruit cups are scanned into an inventory management database. Used in conjunction with shopper cards, this data is invaluable for managing product turns by shop location.
Point of Sale: Retailer
The retailer serves the fruit cups at their foodservice cafeteria, located adjacent to the shopping area.
Food Safety Incident
A customer falls ill and it is determined they have been infected with salmonella. After an investigation by the FDA, the fruit cup is identified as the source. The retailer initiates a product recall.
Smarter Food Safety
Fruit cup products with matching traceability lot codes, as well as fruit cups created within the same week of the compromised product, are removed from the foodservice station, retail shelves…
And extracted from the food system…
Tech-Enabled Traceability
Efficient Transparency
The first step in adopting traceability technology is achieving strong, digital management of your supply chain.
Technology can be leveraged to capture, store and share digitized data elements of key events (Critical Tracking Events).
Traceability technologies include IoT devices, scanning technologies, RFID, automated systems and supply chain transparency software.
Together, traceability technologies create an ecosystem that ensures visibility, compliance and enables business innovation.
Getting Started with Tech-Enabled Traceability
Know your supply chain. Extract at-risk or recalled products while minimizing waste. Protect your time, inventory and budget.
Learn how you can participate in the intelligent food system and join the connected chain with FoodLogiQ Connect.
With a Commitment to Traceability, sweetrgreen Has the Magic Recipe for Success
"A robust traceability platform is critical to safe food. Because of our business model and decentralization, we work with many growers and distributors. We are the critical link between these stakeholders and our consumers, and it’s our job to protect the future of their food. FoodLogiQ Connect allows us to do this in a fast, efficient manner, with full visibility into our supply chain.”
Robin Kalsbeek
Supply Chain R&D Manager
sweetgreen
See FoodLogiQ in Action
75%
Increase in Supply Chain Transparency
90%
Reduction Time to Locate Tainted Products
30-50%
Waste Reduction During Product Withdrawals or Recalls
