The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), designed to help the produce industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, is developing a response to the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) 10 recommendations released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These recommendations are in the document entitled Pilot Projects for Improving Product Tracing along the Food Supply System Final Report.
With the coordination of its four administering organizations—Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), GS1 US, Produce Marketing Association (PMA), and United Fresh Produce Association—the PTI community will work to collect industry feedback and commentary on each of the 10 recommendations outlined in the report.
The FDA is seeking comments on the pilot project final report as a next step in the process of submitting the findings to Congress and developing proposed traceability rules in support of the Food Safety Modernization Act. Volunteer members of PTI have been working toward whole chain case-level electronic traceability in this industry-led initiative for more than five years with the involvement of industry stakeholders.
“The produce industry has been looking forward to these traceability recommendations to make sure that we can move confidently with the traceability best practices that we have collectively developed in the PTI,” said Mike Agostini, senior director–produce, Wal-Mart Stores, co-chair of the PTI Leadership Council.
The pilot projects were designed to explore and demonstrate methods for rapid and effective tracking and tracing of food, including types of data that are useful for tracing and ways to connect the various points in the supply chain.
For more information about CPMA, visit www.cpma.ca. To learn more about GS1 US, access www.GS1US.org. More on the PMA can be found at www.pma.com. For more information about United Fresh, visit www.unitedfresh.org.
