T

ake a moment to consider some of the foods we find at the supermarket: eggs, tomatoes, coffee — maybe even chocolate chip peppermint brownie ice cream. Now, try to imagine all the steps and processes that the food went through to get all the way to those shelves.

Although the ice cream likely went through more processing than the tomatoes, most food items found in a supermarket likely completed a multitude of steps and passed through many hands before ultimately reaching their destination in the freezer or on the store shelf. The decision of food suppliers to record these steps could make a significant difference in the effect food products have on public health in the event of an outbreak or recall.

When it comes to food, the variety of traceability systems in the marketplace nearly parallels the number of ingredients in that pint of chocolate chip peppermint brownie ice cream. Not only do most competitors use different systems and technologies, most firms along the same supply chain — from farm to processing plant to retailer — record and translate their data in different ways.

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