How To Track Food Using Food Traceability Software Systems
Food products are mass produced in the modern era. They are manufactured in batches or consignments of thousands or millions. This makes it impossible for their manufacturers to individually inspect and approve each item. This does not mean, however, that defects are never encountered. So, where a batch has as defect, there is a threat to the public's health and the manufacturer needs to be able to trace the batch and eliminate the products from the market. Food traceability software systems are one way of doing this.
There are different reasons why food needs to be tracked down or monitored. The first is that the food eventually passes its expiry date and is no longer legally allowed to be sold. This is not always a matter of health; some food is not decomposed or even unfit for human consumption. However, the mere fact that its legislated expiry date has passed means that it cannot be sold to the public. This sounds like a purely bureaucratic consideration but the legislation exists and stores cannot bypass it.
The other cause is authentic decomposition, or loss of quality to the extent that the food product cannot be consumed any more. This is usually encountered in the case of perishables like vegetables, fruit and dairy, but it is also possible with canned goods or items which can be stored for a very long time, such as grains.
In order to track down all of these different products, manufacturers can use software systems to record and track a batch or consignment. They can then identify each batch and try to pinpoint its location so as to remove the products from the shelf.
The public, however, can also take steps to ensure that what they buy is still fit for consumption. The trouble is that any system of recording, tagging and location can be manipulated by retailers and producers. The date that you see on the product is not always the correct expiry date. There are certain things that consumers can check themselves to protect themselves from this unscrupulous practice.
Tinned food is easy to check because the packaging easily betrays the expired nature of its contents. A swollen tin, for example, means that air has entered the tin or that the contents are decomposing. In either case, the tin should not be purchased. A dented, rusted or punctured tin should not be bought.
Some products are specifically marketed as long-life or long-term. But this does not mean that they never expire. The temptation for retailers is to stock them for a long time, so that even after one or two years they still have not past their expiry date. But they may yet be expired. If the retailer refuses to remove them from the shelves, the consumer has the right to contact the authorities or the manufacturer.
The public should be safeguarded against the sale of expired goods since this is not merely a matter of taste or quality. Expired perishables can pose a threat to public health and they should be tracked down by their manufacturer and removed from the market as quickly as possible.
There are different reasons why food needs to be tracked down or monitored. The first is that the food eventually passes its expiry date and is no longer legally allowed to be sold. This is not always a matter of health; some food is not decomposed or even unfit for human consumption. However, the mere fact that its legislated expiry date has passed means that it cannot be sold to the public. This sounds like a purely bureaucratic consideration but the legislation exists and stores cannot bypass it.
The other cause is authentic decomposition, or loss of quality to the extent that the food product cannot be consumed any more. This is usually encountered in the case of perishables like vegetables, fruit and dairy, but it is also possible with canned goods or items which can be stored for a very long time, such as grains.
In order to track down all of these different products, manufacturers can use software systems to record and track a batch or consignment. They can then identify each batch and try to pinpoint its location so as to remove the products from the shelf.
The public, however, can also take steps to ensure that what they buy is still fit for consumption. The trouble is that any system of recording, tagging and location can be manipulated by retailers and producers. The date that you see on the product is not always the correct expiry date. There are certain things that consumers can check themselves to protect themselves from this unscrupulous practice.
Tinned food is easy to check because the packaging easily betrays the expired nature of its contents. A swollen tin, for example, means that air has entered the tin or that the contents are decomposing. In either case, the tin should not be purchased. A dented, rusted or punctured tin should not be bought.
Some products are specifically marketed as long-life or long-term. But this does not mean that they never expire. The temptation for retailers is to stock them for a long time, so that even after one or two years they still have not past their expiry date. But they may yet be expired. If the retailer refuses to remove them from the shelves, the consumer has the right to contact the authorities or the manufacturer.
The public should be safeguarded against the sale of expired goods since this is not merely a matter of taste or quality. Expired perishables can pose a threat to public health and they should be tracked down by their manufacturer and removed from the market as quickly as possible.
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