In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, attention turned to bioterrorism threats involving the water supply, food supply, and even air supply throughout the U.S. As it pertained to food, the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 mandated that food processing companies maintain source information on their ingredients so that in the event of any type of bioterrorism on the food supply, the Food and Drug Administration could identify where contaminated food is as well as from where it came.
More specifically, Title III of the Bioterrorism Act gave the FDA the task of monitoring all food sources. This, in turn, was passed on to food processing and manufacturing facilities so that they would maintain source information for their ingredients. Title III states that all food processing companies must maintain immediately previous, current, and future source information for their ingredients and end products. As such, traceability of food ingredients became an important business process for facilities and plants throughout the country.
Food Traceability FDA Compliance Translates to Safe Brand Reputation
Even though food traceability is mandated by the FDA and Bioterrorism Act of 2002, implementing traceability protocols in food processing facilities provides other business benefits as well. In addition to source information gathering, food traceability functions as a quality control. If a shipment or batch is found to have contaminants or adulterated ingredients in it, traceability capabilities will allow plants to ascertain from where the bad ingredients came. Therefore, the plant’s brand does not suffer because the contamination was not their fault, or at the very least, they can then stop using the offending supplier for their ingredients.
The knowledge afforded through traceability for food processing businesses allows them to protect their brand rather than see their brand tarnished through traceability concerns such as not knowing from where a bad ingredient or contaminated mix came.
Food traceability information is available at www.matrixcontrols.net. You can also reach experienced quality control and traceability experts by calling 800-722-6839 or emailing sales@matrixcontrols.net.