Food Quality Magazine ISSUE 03 | JULY 2016
Traceability in the Cheesemaking Field . The Regulatory Ambit and Practical Solutions
Ignazio Mania 1 , Caterina Barone 2 , Giorgia Caruso 3 , Amélia Delgado 4 , Maria Micali 5 , Salvatore Parisi 6
1
Gambino Industrie Alimentari , Carini , Italy ; 2 Associazione “ Componiamo il Futuro ” ( CO . I . F .) Palermo , Italy ; 3 Industrial Consultant , Palermo , Italy ; 4 Food Safety Consultant , Lisboa , Portugal ; 5 Food Hygiene Consultant , Messina , Italy ; 6 Industrial Consultant , Palermo , Italy
Abstract
Traceability systems have become a primary tool for the protection of EU consumer ‘ s safety as they can efficiently control each step of the food supply chain , by helping operators or authorities to withdraw or recall unsafe products . The aim of this paper is to highlight the liability of stakeholders with regards to safety and quality along the supply chain . Starting from the Regulation ( EC ) No 178 / 2002 , the paper firstly analyzes the regulatory framework of any kind of food traceability system , providing a clear view about the scope of article 18 . The situation of dairy industries and cheesemakers may be a good example : reliable traceability procedures should concern five different types of data when speaking of the identification of raw materials , in particular ( cow ’ s milk curd , butter , and caseins ). This approach would reduce the time for data collection and records , with the aim of excluding easily a recall or a withdrawal procedure .
Traceability in the European Union . An overview
The free movement of goods among European Union ‘ s Countries has progressively turned the entire food supply chain into a globalised and interdependent network . The main feature of this matrix is undoubtedly the necessity to guarantee food quality and safety as a priority issue for consumers and authorities ( Pisanello 2015 ) in the European Union ( EU ). At the same time , the awareness of the need of a „ risk-management tool which allows food operators or authorities to withdraw or recall 1 products which have been identified as unsafe “ is raised ( European Communities 2007 ).
The above mentioned needs have transformed traceability 2 in one of the central pillars of the EU food safety policy as a mean of sharing responsibilities between interested stakeholders in the supply chain .
A specific - and compulsory - definition of traceability in food supply chain is provided by the EC Regulation No 178 / 2002 which defines it in the article 18 as „ the ability to trace and follow a food , feed , food-producing animal or substance intended to be , or expected to be incorporated into a food or feed , through all stages of production , processing and distribution “ ( European Parliament and Council 2002 ). The first subparagraph of article 18 provides the breadth of traceability identifying the object of protection and the responsible parties as all operators coming in contact with foods and beverages along the entire production chain
( primary production , processing , and distribution ). In this way , each food business operator ( FBO ) becomes the central figure of the chain .
According to the second paragraph of the EC Regulation No 178 / 2002 , the product tracing tool must be able to make a reliable identification at any specified stage of the food chain ( European Communities 2007 ) where the materials come from ( onestep back ) and where the products are going to ( one-step forward ).
With explicit reference to traceability , the above mentioned Regulation requires FBO only two important abilities ( Federalimentare 2004 ). FBO must be able to identify any person he has been supplied by and , at the same time , the other businesses which his products have been supplied to ( with the exception of the final consumer ). There is also no prescription about the adoption of specific means ( e . g . storage of commercial invoices ); in fact , the choice of the suitable record keeping tools is left to the interested parties .
The obligation is instead expressed in terms of result ( Federalimentare 2004 ). The responsible parties , regardless of the procedures adopted , must be able to provide the essential informations 3 about their supplies and sales to the competent authorities on demand . These infor-
1
A trade withdrawal is undertaken by a company only if the product has not reached the consumer yet . Otherwise , the only tool to use is the product recall which includes notification of the consumer through in-store notices and press releases .
2
The difference between tracing and tracking should be described . Tracking ( or tracing forward ) is the process which follows a product from upstream to downstream ; any operator who comes in contact with that product , in each stage of the production chain , must leave specific relevant informations . Tracing ( or tracking back ) is the reverse process that should allow to collect the previously produced information ( Food Marketing Research and Information Center 2008 ).
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