Produce Traceability Initiative: The Latest Updates
July 19, 2011 The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) Leadership Council has been very active recently in analyzing how the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will affect traceability programs at the grower/shipper level. The PTI will soon communicate new ways to share information and engage with industry members who want to learn more or are working to implement the PTI. In the meantime, here are some updates from the PTI Leadership Council, which includes Ron LeMaire (Canadian Produce Marketing Association [PMA]); Gay Whitney, GS1; Bryan Silbermann (PMA); and Tom Stenzel, United Fresh Produce Association.
Are you waiting for FDA to finalize traceability regulations to implement the FSMA before you begin implementing the PTI? That may put you behind the curve. Citing the produce industry as traceability leaders in the food industry, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael Taylor recently told the PTI Leadership Council, “We know we are going to need to build on and embrace the work that industry has done.” When informed that some industry members are delaying implementing the PTI until FDA regulations are finalized, Taylor discouraged that notion, responding,
“When real progress is being made, we encourage that and don’t want our process to be an obstacle.”
Case label formatting best practices have been updated to provide field pack flexibility, in particular to help companies implement Milestone 4 (“Show human-readable information on cases”) and Milestone 5 (“Encode information in a barcode”). This best practice was updated in response to industry requests for technical guidance in developing the GS1-128 barcode and the addition of the four-digit voice pick code that helps overcome a major barrier to implementing the PTI within distribution centers using automated voice pick systems. This update to the best practice also amends its lot numbering protocol, in response to requests for more flexibility to accommodate field pack operations.
New case studies show why and how leading companies, including Paramount Citrus, Frontera Produce, and Growers Express, are adopting PTI. These case studies are available on the PTI website’s “Resources & Tools” page.
Why isn’t our industry’s “internal” current traceability capability enough? What are the benefits of moving to chain-wide, electronic traceability? What are the costs involved with implementing the PTI? What are the benefits? These are just some of the questions that are most frequently asked — and have now been answered — by the PTI. View these FAQs on the PTI website.
The PTI administering organizations will debut a series of webinars this summer to help companies implement the PTI. Two educational tracks will be offered: one for beginners, and another for companies already in the midst of implementation. Speakers from across the supply chain will deliver the training. All webinars will be offered free of charge.
If you can’t participate in a live broadcast, all sessions will be recorded for playback from the PTI website. We will contact you with specific information, and instructions on how to register for these new educational events in the near future.
Ongoing food safety concerns demonstrate how critically important produce safety is to the health of consumers, and to the health of the marketplace.
While the industry’s injury is nothing compared to the human toll, the torrent of media coverage has added insult by often confusing epidemiology with traceback. The result is that the produce industry has been blamed for not being able to locate the source. In fielding calls about the outbreak in recent weeks, PTI spokespersons have worked hard to educate reporters that epidemiology comes first, traceback second.
More information on any of these updates can be found at www.producetraceability.org.