This manual aims to offer a practical contribution to the answer to this question, through a schematic presentation of information and examples on the technologies available to introduce, print, manage the traces (for example name of the packaging, lot number, etc.) throughout the different levels of the packaging system.
Issues of consumer security in general, and food safety in particular, have induced the European Commission to publish a set of Directives and Regulations. Such legislation framework has introduced the duty of traceability, that allows to go back to all the supply chain actors in case of a risk.
The present practical guide intends to show to the companies who manufacture or use food packaging how they can face the development of a traceability system. EU legislation explicitly quotes the term traceability, but many of the systems in use distinguish
between:
• Trackability, as the process allowing to follow the product from upstream to downstream of the supply chain, and recording information in any stage of the production
• Traceability, as the process recollecting and connecting all the information recorded previously, so that it is possible to go back to the global history of the product and to any concerning responsibility in any different stage of the production.
To supply the most comprehensive framework of the legislation, the first two chapters of the manual are dedicated to the traceability of food and feed (EC Regulation 178/2002, entered into force from January 1st, 2005) and to the traceability of the packaging for food contact (EC Regulation 1935/2004 entered into force in October 27th, 2006).
In addition to these two binding regulations, some voluntary norms contemplate the registering of additional information beyond the minimum required by law. The adoption of such voluntary norms allows the companies to monitor their production phases in a more detailed way and, in case of Certification, to benefit of some plus in terms of commercial valorisation of their product.
Chapters 3 and 4 show the terms, schematize some sample processes and summarize what is reported in the Code of industrial guidelines on traceability of materials and articles for food contact, with reference to the main typologies of materials used for food contact.
In the following chapters, the main methods of coding and the principles of the technologies used by packaging producers, food companies, warehouses and large scale retailers are shown.
In particular, chapter 7 focuses on RFID technology and its various possibilities of application, chapter 13 shows practical case studies in food-packaging business, and finally chapter 14 examines the goals of a traceability system set out not only to comply to a legislation duty, but above all to increase the security of the whole system composed by the food product and its packaging: therefore, to increase the security of the consumer.