Enhanced Food Tracing Guidelines Recommended

A report commissioned by the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) is recommending clear food tracing guidelines be put into practice. Changes to current guidelines will be simpler and globally accepted.

The Institute of Food Technologists is calling for improvements that will trace food from the farm to the table. Disease outbreaks can often be curbed by Common issues that currently exist include the types of data collected about food, how the data are captured, and data sharing within the facility.

The suggested changes will be costly, but the IFT believes that they will ultimately reduce liability and maintain the confidence of consumers.

The IFT is a nonprofit scientific society focused on food. The report will be published in the January 2010 issue of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety.

AUTHOR: Annette Hulbert