TRACEABILITY OF ANIMAL-DERIVED FOODS: A CRUCIAL ELEMENT FOR FOOD SAFETY

TRACEABILITY OF ANIMAL-DERIVED FOODS: A CRUCIAL ELEMENT FOR FOOD SAFETY

Jyotiprabha Mishra, Nihar Ranjan Sarangi, Bidyut Prava Mishra, Prasana Kumar Rath, Rashmi Prabha Mishra.

¹ Scientist (Animal Science) Krishi Vingyan Kendra, Chipilima, Sambalpur, OUAT, Odisha, ² Addl. Veterinary Surgeon, Jamankira, Sambalpur, FARD, Odisha, ³ Assistant Professor, Department of LPT, C. V. Sc, OUAT, BBSR, ⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, C. V. Sc, OUAT, BBSR, ⁵ Programme Assistant (Fishery Sc.), KVK, Anugul, OUAT, Odisha.

 

Introduction  

Due to the variable and unreliable nature of the food safety monitoring system in India, such as the case of antibiotic in honey, rising usage of milk adulterants, and tainted meat, food safety is a major problem. Sadly, the EU has already imposed a temporary restriction on the export of various fruits and vegetables due to the presence of fruit flies, antibiotic residues, cadmium, and vibrio. These include alphonso mangoes, eggplant, the taro plant, bitter gourd, and snake gourd. Similar to this, the FDA recalled frozen tuna fish in 2012 after discovering salmonella in sampling strips. 2010 saw a ban on the shipment of beef from India to Russia as well as trade restrictions on the nation’s food items. Therefore, it is essential to implement a proper traceability system in place in order to ensure the quality of our food goods and eliminate economic and trade obstacles. Livestock traceability refers to the capacity and procedure for tracking an animal product back through all stages of the production chain to the source of the live animal from which the product was generated (FAO 2007). Within the food sector, traceability is the technique that can ensure the identification of animals or animal products (DALVIT et al 2007). Establishing a network of meat animal producers, processors, and related stakeholders is the goal of livestock traceability. Traceability: The capacity to track and follow a food throughout all production, processing, and distribution phases.

Traceability from farm to fork

When thinking about how safely our food is produced, the traceability from farm to fork is crucial. Cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and deer cannot be moved without a permit. Cattle are farm animals that have been fitted with ear tags for traceability. An animal’s ear tag number corresponds to its unique passport. The passport contains information about the animal’s parents, birth, and all movements up until killing. Since this information is stored electronically, it is readily available whenever it is required. The process of tracing food must start with the farm where the animals are raised, continue with processing in meat plants and other food facilities, distribution to wholesalers and retailers, and end with the customer. Animal tracing can increase trust in certification programmes, particularly when it comes to the animals’ health. The carcass is tagged after the animal has been killed. The tag contains information on the animal’s unique ear tag number, which enables us to identify which farm the animal is from. Throughout the production process, the batch/unique reference number, which can be located on the carcass tag, is utilised to track a product’s movements at each link in the supply chain. When a part, batch, or final product is identified by a special number, product traceability refers to the process of keeping track of all ingredients and parts from the point of purchase to the finished product. The goal of traceability in the food sector is to establish a connection between all of the many processes in the so-called “from farm to work” food chain.

Abattoir

Legal requirements place a heavy on abattoirs to guarantee that animals are handled humanely at all times. By shielding animals from avoidable excitement, discomfort, or suffering, humane slaughter is ensured. In order to safeguard against inclement weather, facilities must provide enough ventilation, lighting, and shelter for staff. To ensure they adhere to the standards for food safety and hygiene, abattoirs are audited and inspected as well.

What does the meat label tell us?

• nation of the massacre (site approval number)
• nation of origin
• dealing with information
• Accreditation
• information about product safety
• The product’s latest processing location can be determined, and audits show where it was grown or made.

 

Key elements

Clarity in identifying the object to be traced is a crucial component of any traceability system.

In a perfect world, the product identifier would be able to: – identify a unit or batch in a unique way;

• be secure;
• be long-lasting;
• maintain identification throughout the product life-cycle;
• be easy to read and collect identifying information;
• not interfere with its host.

Other benefits

• In addition to GAP, GMP, and HACCP, traceability can strengthen the emphasis on prevention rather than merely reacting or responding to food safety breaches.
• When traceability systems are properly implemented and information and communications technologies (ICTs) are used as support, firms are able to make management decisions that are better informed, which increases market penetration and lowers operational costs.
• Businesses are able to use their resources and processes more effectively and efficiently and boost their long-term profitability thanks to the visibility of the data offered by traceability systems.
• Better consumer confidence also aids in branding and improved brand equity. • When properly implemented, traceability can lower inventory levels, speed up the detection of process and supplier issues, and increase the effectiveness of logistics and distribution operations.
• Traceability ensures product authenticity by helping to avoid contamination or mixing with inferior items.

Traceability systems’ fundamental traits

• All ingredients and products must be identified by their units or batches, and information about when and where those units or batches are moved or changed must be registered. A system must link these data and transfer all pertinent traceability information with the product to the following stage or processing step.

Types of traceability

External traceability: All traceable objects must be individually recognised, and information must be transmitted amongst all parties involved in the distribution channel. Assigning a batch/lot number and a unique product identification number to products for traceability purposes is possible. External traceability enables both forward and backward tracking (supplier traceability) (client traceability).

Internal traceability:

To link the identities of raw materials and completed commodities, an organisation must establish internal traceability mechanisms. Each new product that is created when one material is joined with another, processed, reconfigured, or repackaged, needs to have its own Unique Product Identifier. For the purpose of maintaining traceability, a connection must be kept between the new product and its original material inputs (such as batters, breading, seasonings, marinades, salt, packaging materials, and many other inputs). Until the last traceable input item is used, a label with the lot number should be present on the box. Even if the traceable item is a part of a wider packaging hierarchy, this notion still holds true (such as cases, pallets, or shipment containers)

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken several initiatives for quality assurance of Indian agricultural and processed products which are exported, especially with respect to traceability. The fruits and fishery supply chain has been systematically developed in India to cater to the export requirements for the EU, US, and other trading partners.

Under the Export (Quality Control & Inspection) Act of 1963, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Export Inspection Council (EIC) has launched a number of initiatives to digitalize the supply chain and certification system for official control of seafood exports, including those from aquaculture farms and wild-caught fish.

Traceability systems’ efficacy

Traceability is always reliant on the accurate gathering and recording of pertinent data, coordinated within the framework of a food safety management system. It may be possible to undertake analytical tests (such as DNA tracking or types of mass spectrometry to confirm provenance) to validate data. • A traceability system is successful when food products can be fully tracked throughout the food supply chain. When there are problems with food safety, it should be easy to find out what, how much, and from where product(s) need to be recalled.

Traceability-affecting factors

Key elements

Organization and structure of the supply chain: – the extent to which supply chain participants collaborate; – the proportion of participants who successfully implement internal and external traceability – the ability of supply chain participants to pinpoint product origin; – the capacity of participants to oversee traceability systems; – Interaction between actors. Destination of a product, traceable lot unit identification, time required to track a product, the veracity of the traceability method, data identification techniques, and data standardisation. The degree to which a traceability system is integrated into a quality/safety assurance system or an information management system that is already in place and operating as intended.

Food receipt: In terms of food receipt, a food business needs to be able to disclose the types of food it has on the premises as well as where it was produced. In relation to food, it must be able to provide the following information: • on the food premises, the vendor, manufacturer, or packer’s name and business address in the country; or, in the case of food imported into the country, the importer’s name and business address in the country; and the food’s prescribed name or, in the absence of a prescribed name, an appropriate designation. This means that a food business cannot accept a food unless it can identify the food’s name and the supplier’s name.

Recall of dangerous food: A system, outlined in a written document, must be in place for any food company engaged in the wholesale supply, manufacture, or importation of food. The database should contain records pertaining to: Company name, Production records Product code, plant identification code, production line, date code, and time (hour, minute, second) x volume or quantity of goods produced or supplied

Cost, implementation, implementation skills, many requirements, and establishing traceability within the context of food safety management systems are all obstacles to overcome. In order to establish a connection between the many processes in the complete food chain, or “from farm to work,” traceability in the food sector is required.

These phases must include raising animals on farms, processing them in meat plants and other facilities, distributing the food to wholesalers and retailers, and finally putting it on consumers’ tables. One of the meat traceability’s components is animal identification. Traceability is a much more thorough idea for monitoring the movement of distinguishable products along the whole supply chain. A full traceability system must be able to track products both forward and backward, from gate to plate for forward tracking and from plate to gate for backward tracking.

A possible livestock traceability scenario:

The One Step Up, One Step Down programme is followed in European countries, and Australia has its own national livestock identification system to track livestock from birth to the slaughterhouse.

International scenario: developed nations around the world have already implemented livestock traceability systems a decade ago.

Indian scenario: In India, the Maharashtra animal husbandry department formed the Maharashtra animal identification and recording authority, which was created with the goal of documenting the production and reproduction efficiency of livestock and registering properties. All farms and animal owners who have registered with the MAIRA system are given preference in government programmes.

The national dairy development board in Gujarat has built a traceability system for farmers in cooperative unions. The national research Centre on meat has established a livestock traceability database, although it only focuses on the buffalo meat business. A traceability system for the Indian pig business has not yet been developed in India.

Livestock owners: The essential requirements for the traceability system are premises registration and animal identification. The cattle owner’s willingness and active participation are vital. Owners are required to tag their animals and report information on birth, death, and movement of animals to the appropriate authorities. To increase the confidence of livestock owners and aid in the system’s implementation, an adequate support system must be offered. The government must give financial assistance for the purchase of consumables, and citizens should be rewarded for their active engagement.

Processor of meat: The abattoir is a key component of the system for tracking livestock. If the slaughter animal is tagged, the meat processor shall keep its identity during slaughtering, dressing, and packing of meat. Abattoirs receive animals from diverse locations for slaughter resulting to the production of meat. The label of the meat packaging should have a traceability code.

Traders and transporters: A perfect traceability system necessitates that both the traders and the animal’s transporter maintain records. • Transporters are required to inform the authorities of the movement of the animal. Even though they only maintain the animal for a short time, their active participation is crucial for the livestock traceability system to operate effectively.

Consumers: Implementing traceability costs money, but the end result will improve the product. Raising customer awareness of meat quality issues and the advantages of traceability would encourage them to pay the higher price for livestock tracked products. Consumer knowledge of quality issues is currently low, necessitating a comprehensive awareness campaign. Transporters are required to inform the authority of the movement of the animal. Traders and transporters: A flawless traceability system requires that both the traders and the animal’s transporter maintain records. Although they only care for the animal for a brief period of time, their active involvement is essential for the livestock traceability system to function well. Traceability implementation is expensive, but the finished product will be better. Why Customers would be more willing to pay the extra price for livestock tracked products if they were made aware of the problems with meat quality and the benefits of traceability. Consumer awareness of quality issues is currently minimal, making a thorough awareness campaign necessary.

Branding: It is a time-tested, less expensive method of permanently marking an animal’s skin with an identity mark. Cold branding is less painful than hot branding. Devaluation of hide, difficulty reading long numbers, and brand distortion as animals grow are the main drawbacks of branding. The major drawbacks of branding include the depreciation of hide, difficulty in reading large numbers, and deformation of the brand as an animal matures. Branding is a classic, affordable, and permanent way of animal identification.

Common methods for traceability

• A machine-readable visual representation of data is a bar code. Linear or 1D (1 dimensional) barcodes or symbologies were first used to represent data in the widths (lines) and spacing of parallel lines. Each nation has a unique identification code, and the information is stored between these lines. Compared to the quick response data matrix, which is a 2-dimensional data capture mechanism, it stores less data because it is a one-dimensional system. Barcodes are mostly used in India for commodity pricing; they are not used for product tracing or tracking.
• The quick response (QR) code, a two-dimensional barcode, is one of the traceability methods that has been introduced to the food industries. Text, video, ads, personal information, and other elements can all be integrated into the QR code. The user’s smartphone applications can incorporate the QR code so that they can scan and decode information and messages about the products the QR code delivers.
• RFID: • In the last several years, RFID technology has gained popularity for item identification in the control of the world’s supply chain. RFID technology uses radio waves to automatically identify items. To do this, a microchip that is attached to an antenna is used to identify and save a serial number along with other pertinent data. An RFID tag is the name given to this bundle. The chip may communicate identity data to a reader thanks to the antenna. The RFID tag’s radio waves are reflected back by the reader, which transforms them into digital data that may be transmitted to an enterprise information system. A wide range of applications, from upstream warehouse and distribution management to retail outlet operations, can be enabled by RFID. As a result, electronic RFID encoding systems for visible tags have been created, allowing for both visual and electronic tag reading.

Barcoded tags:

A barcode scanner can read the code, which is a machine-readable optical label that provides information about the object to which it is attached. The barcode approach requires an additional investment in a computer, software, and scanner.

In order to solve this issue, the ICAR-National Research Centre on Meat in Hyderabad has constructed a livestock traceability database with a primary focus on the buffalo meat sector. India is the world’s largest exporter of buffalo meat. The country can improve market access in foreign markets by implementing a traceability system. The animal is initially identified by RFID ear tags, and the no. is read by an RFID reader. The same identification tag is continued throughout the entire process. NRCM developed the traceability system under ICAR-funded research project.

With the assistance of Info vet pvt ltd Mumbai, they created a database that allows the storing of information about animals, farms, abattoirs, and veterinarians meat processing plants.

The database offers a separate enrolment form for farm, abattoir, and meat processing plant, and the farm and abattoirs should be registered online and the farms are given instructions on how to complete the form. The database provides provision for recording animal performance and various farm activities. It also offers provision for the creation of a farm activity reminder system for efficient management of herd. The identification number for the slaughterhouse, meat processing plant, and retail establishments. In order to make identification and distribution easier, NRCM created a coding format. The code is based on the postal index (PIN) as a base. The designed identification code and its many components are as follows: e.g. 500092 (01/02/03/04/05/06) 001. There will be three parts to the code. 1) The first six numbers of the PIN for the farm, abattoir, processing facility, or retail establishment. The next two digits in component two will show the

Operation kind:

01: A farm raising buffalo; 02: An abattoir; 03: A facility processing meat products; 04: An abattoir with processing; 05: A meat retail establishment; 06: A meat product retail establishment; 07: A meat and products retail establishment

Component 3: The farm or business will be assigned a serial number when registered.

For example, the abattoir in Chengicherla, Hyderabad, will receive the code: 50009202001, whereas the buffalo farm in Chengicherla, Hyderabad, will receive the code: 50009201001.

Operators of food businesses who promote products made from animals must include the following: (a)A health symbol (b) Or a distinguishing mark.

Required labelling information list:

(A) the dish’s name;

(b) the ingredient list;

(c) Any ingredient employed in the production or preparation of a food that causes allergies or intolerances and is still present in the end product, even if it has undergone some changes; (d) the quantity of specific ingredients or categories of ingredients; (e) the net quantity of the food; (f) the date of minimum durability or the “use by” date; (g) the country of origin or place of provenance; (h) instructions for use when it would be challenging to use the food appropriately in the absence of such instructions; (i) the country of origin or place of provenance; (j) the real alcohol strength by volume for beverages with more than 1,2% alcohol by volume; a traceability code that can be applied to meat packaging after slaughter that allows both retailers and consumers to track the provenance of the meat by SMS or an online database. Using SMS, buyers and sellers can get information about the abattoir farm and the meat’s origins. Traceability codes can be sent to 09645221221 in the following format (eg: LS 62224333). What benefits will farmers receive by joining the traceability system?

Animal identification and numbering opportunities; online recording of animal-related data; production data; reproductive data (artificial insemination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving); health status (vaccination, deworming; diseases testing; treatment); opportunity to participate in a national initiative and to network with other farmers. Can upload data on the anticipated number of animals being offered for sale. Based on this knowledge, the processor can approach the producer.

Livestock traceability system benefits:

Ownership ascertainment: Once the animal is registered and ear-tagged, livestock owners will find it simple to prove their ownership. In addition to preventing theft, this will help to lessen the inconvenience of obtaining an animal’s transportation permit from the authorities.

Effective implementation of disease control (program): If a disease is discovered while inspecting the meat, the traceability system would allow for the tracing of the farm from where the meat originated (johnston2005)

Following the identification of the source, a targeted disease management programme could be established, and nearby farmers in the region might be informed about the health risks.

Application of researched schemes: A traceability system would enable centralized access to information on farmers, farms, and contact information; this information would aid in the successful implementation of government programmes.

Census of livestock: Easing these efforts and improving the accuracy of livestock census results would be possible thanks to information being accessible at the centralized database.

Marketing of livestock products: Contact information for farmers, those looking to buy animals, and people looking to sell animals is available through the traceability system.

Certainty of food quality: Only the quality control and assurance methods extending throughout the abattoir can assure that meat is of high quality and safety and is free from physical, chemical, and biological risks. A quality assurance programme based on traceability aids in documenting risks to food safety. The effectiveness of the health program’s monitoring and the targeted application of quality control measures will be helped by the traceability system.

The following are the requirements for molecular meat traceability: Molecular meat traceability is a system that enables traceability verification by comparing labelled meat samples with reference samples preserved during the slaughter process; Reference samples of each batch of products must be kept until the time of use; Molecular meat traceability is based on individual DNA variability;

Important features of DNA that make it suitable for meat traceability

• DNA is present in every cell of the organism DNA is unchangeable and remains the same throughout life DNA is stable to various processing methods of processed foods
• DNA traceability entails comparing market samples with preserved live animal samples rather than just sample DNA analysis.
• As a result, samples of the animal’s blood, tissue, or hair follicles are taken before or during the animal’s death and stored.
• The traceability claims of the meat sample are authenticated and verified by DNA marker analysis of the extracted DNA from the reference sample and corresponding meat sample.

Conclusion:

With a range of foods available outside of specific regions and seasons, the global supply chain is currently becoming more complex. It is crucial to have accurate information about a product’s origin and journey before it reaches the consumer’s plate. A traceability system not only increases food and ingredient transparency but is also a crucial component of handling food recalls when there is a global food safety breach. In India, alphanumeric codes, holograms, barcodes, RFID tags, and GI tags that are more geared toward end-product identification and sales management are the most widely utilised traceability technology.

https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/traceability-of-foods-of-animal-origin/

https://www.fao.org/3/i7665e/i7665e.pdf