Traceability in U.S Food Supply Chains: Improving Food Safety Systems
The Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2011 (FSMA) is the largest update to U.S food safety law since 1938. Its scope and detail created regulations that have improved the public health system although significant flaws regarding traceability remain. Traceability is defined as tracking food from “farm to fork” and is key for foodborne outbreak investigations. This rapid review of existing documents provides an overview of industry practices and government regulations that could enhance the traceability components of FSMA and improve compliance. This review finds that record-keeping exemptions for retailers and restaurants are ineffective for traceability and additional record keeping requirements should be required for high priority foods. More generally, policies that require entities to improve internal traceability are recommended including tools that assist with information sharing.
Zain,
This is very interesting to learn about! I do agree with the idea of traceability as foodborne pathogens are a major cause of disease outbreak. This close control of food is definitely a good policy to research. Looking forward to your future research!