Lack of Food Traceability: Business Plan (Term Paper Sample)

Lack of Food Traceability: Business Plan Student Name Institutional Affiliation Lack of Food Traceability: Business Plan Food safety is turning into an increasing concern across the world. Outbreaks of such diseases as avian flu in animals that can be transmitted to humans threaten the safety and quality of products (Baralla et al., 2021). Additionally, the presence of chemicals that exceed the acceptable limits in food and feed also threatens the quality and safety of products. The need to recall or withdraw products that have been established to be unhealthy for human consumption from the market has become an effective way of protecting people from food-borne diseases. Food operators have turned to traceability to help in this task. Traceability is an effective risk-management tool that helps in responding to such needs as withdrawing unhealthy foods or unfit for human consumption from the market. It has become the cornerstone of the food safety policy across the world (Curto & Gaspar, 2021). Regarding this, this business plan seeks to establish how businesses can promote traceability and ensure positive health, safety, and sustainability outcomes. Definition of Traceability According to the International Organization for Standardization, traceability is the capacity to track the movement of food or feed through different stages of production, processing, and distribution. Additionally, ISO 22005:2007 provides a comprehensive explanation of the requirements and principles for designing and implementing a system for food and feed traceability (Qian et al., 2021). The standard enables the organization that operates a specific food chain to achieve five functions; tracing material flow, identifying the appropriate documentation and tracking all production stages. The organization also ensures all involved actors are effectively coordinated, enhances communication, and improves the appropriateness of use and reliability of information (Patidar, Sharma, & Agrawal, 2021). Such traceability also seeks to improve the productivity and effectiveness of the business, making it a crucial aspect of supply chain management. Problem Statement In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. reported a total of 150 food recalls. The number was higher than the recalls made in each of the years in the previous decade. The department recalled 21 million pounds of food over different issues (Zheng, Dhruva, & Redberg, 2017). The reported problems and causes of recall include undeclared allergens, salmonella and listeria contamination, and the presence of extraneous materials. According to experts, only a tiny percentage of this number of recalls resulted from contaminated food. Poor traceability was responsible for companies making 50% recalls of their products due to an abundance of caution (Lugo Baruqui, Maning, & Chaparro, 2020). Therefore, there is a need to ensure viability, feasibility, and desirability of the traceability methods to ensure their effectiveness. Viability Traceability initiatives seek to improve product testing and prevent the entry of contaminated food into the market. Such food technologies as hyperspectral imaging have been developed to improve the efficiency of inspecting larger volumes of food (Feng 2021). The ability of the technology to pick out contaminants from a meat sample was tested using various tests in 2016. The test yielded promising results of a 99.67% success rate in identifying fat, contamination, or lean pixels. However, there is a need for more technological developments to supplement this technology before it gains commercial viability in the market. Technology entrepreneurs are taking up the challenge and hoping that they will eventually enable customers to use such technologies even on their mobile phones. Investment in traceability initiatives has produced viable incentives and benefits for factors within the supply chain. Such factors include precise and swift recalling of unsafe food, premium pricing for sustainable, safe, and traceable food, efficiencies in business processes and costs, and improved consumer confidence (Temiz & Ulaş, 2021). However, it is crucial to balance the benefits between investing in or establishing traceability systems among smallholders. The decision is made based on the associated costs and the overall impact and efficiency. Feasibility There is increased demand and impact potential in developing and developed markets. However, there are concerns about the feasibility and degree of impact of the traceability systems (Casino et al., 2021). For instance, implementing the systems in areas with limited physical and digital infrastructure will only lead to more significant challenges to the system's feasibility. If the systems are relevant and practical, the implementation will also require adjustments in areas with limited digital and physical infrastructure. Additionally, such stakeholders as small-scale holders may feel highly financially burdened and operationally pressed down when required to implement traceability requirements. This shows the need for the inclusion of feasibility analysis when recommending the implementation of traceability systems. Traceability in foods and feeds is also used for reducing their exposure to outbreak risks. It makes it more efficient, faster, and more feasible to identify a potential source of contamination to food or feed, thus allowing the handlers to contain the impact effectively (Smetana, Aganovic, & Heinz, 2021). The processes have currently been established to be costly and time-intensive. As such, there is a need for alternative approaches through which to enhance traceability. Therefore, the current business plan also addresses the issue of feasibility in traceability systems and recommends ways of achieving the same. Desirability The desirability of a traceability approach also plays a crucial role in achieving the set goals and meeting customer demands. Currently, numerous methods and systems have been developed for this purpose. However, the factor remains one of the reasons why there is a need for the proposed plan to enhance traceability. Any recommended strategies will thus be assessed based on such factors as desirability to ensure a desirable approach as a mechanism of traceability. History of Prior Solutions Companies have used different traceability methods in the past. The approach benefits the consumers and enables the companies to execute faster, reduce operational costs, and protect their brand image and value. Although most of the methods have effectively enhanced food traceability to a great extent, there is a need for more reliable and effective measures to be undertaken. Some of the commonly used methods solutions are discussed below. Food Safety Management System (FSMS); is integrated with such functions as shipping, receiving, and production. It helps establish the exact position and location of products at any given time (Hall & Johnson-Hall, 2021). Consequently, this step allows the user to notify suppliers and retailers of the position of the products. It also enhances control of products that are on hold until they are dispatched to the relevant destinations. Notably, users also seek to get as much information as possible on the food in the event of a problem (Lee et al., 2021). This shows the need to integrate such data as the order numbers of the products, UPCs, production dates and lot codes, production timestamp, and expiration dates. However, the efficiency of the method has been limited due to the high expenses involved. Businesses and stakeholders also use supplier management tools with various Food Safety Software systems to promote and supervise supply chain visibility. The systems enable the users to integrate different suppliers with their quality process (Cheah et al., 2021). This approach enables the user to centralize shipping, get records that link raw materials to the finished products, and track the cost and source of issues related to the suppliers. Additionally, the systems allow the user to assign corrective actions to the suppliers and customize inspection rules to detect problems. This shows that despite the effectiveness of the systems, there is a need to adjust them and ensure they are accessible, affordable, and feasible for use in different scenarios. Mock recalling has been the most common approach in enhancing traceability in the food industry. It involves performing mock recalls from time to time to assess the duration it would take if a product were contaminated (Dzwolak, 2021). Experts mention that a business should use its product recall depending on a potential scenario that could ar...