When I was a graduate student investigating food safety in the produce industry, I saw a lot of transactions and product movement while I was in packing sheds . Repacking, trading pallets ("I’m short on product but I need to fill an order") and cash sales of lower grade products (that ended up at farmers’ markets and ethnic grocery stores) were all pretty common. These transactions are messy, documentation and separation-wise, and provide a challenge to traceability within the supply chain. 

While it is part of a good food safety culture, can help with market differentiation and allows investigators to find the source of a problem (something to learn from for next time), a good traceability program doesn’t keep raw poop or vomit off of foods.

Food safety czar Mike Taylor stated the investigative utility of a good traceability program in an FDA announcement today, “We can prevent illnesses and reduce the economic impact to the food industry if we can more quickly determine what foods may be causing an outbreak and what foods can be eliminated from consideration." 

As part of the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act implementation, Taylor’s shop within the FDA is required to establish a couple of pilot projects around food:

One involving produce and one involving processed foods. Signed into law in January, the act also directs the FDA to establish recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods to help in tracing products.

The pilots will evaluate methods and technologies for rapid and effective tracing of foods, including types of data that are useful for tracing, ways to connect the various points in the supply chain, and how quickly the data are made available to the FDA.  

The FDA announcement states that the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will carry out the two projects and explore good traceability practices and evaluate tracking methods/systems.