GTP:Process Steps
From TraceFood
An internal food traceability implementation process consists of the following 8 steps:
| 1. | Basis |
| We reccomend that before traceability is implemented at the enterprise level, you search for available standards at the industry level. A place to start is the Sector spesific ad hoc standards. If no such standard is available for your industry we reccomend checking the flow analysis method before deciding if you want to carry out this step. | |
| 2. | Start-up meeting. |
| Presentation of objectives and tasks, discuss expectations and prepare next steps. Decide on scope of implementation, which ingredients to trace, and which products. Here we reccomend that a product with a simple chain is chosen as pilot to provide experience for further implementation of all products. | |
| 3. | Process mapping of selected product |
Document internal material and accompanying information flow, from reception of raw materials and ingredients, through production to shipping of finished products. For this purpose we reccomend the process mapping method. The purpose of the survey is to identify critical traceability points, where information is lost, and look out for complex mixing of raw material and ingredients. Also document a typical traceable unit. The results from this is twofold:
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| 4. | Identification of traceable unit |
| For trade units going out (finished products, units that go to the next company in the supply chain, units out in the world identification must be meaningful also for those who receive the product, and in the TraceFood framework it is a requirement that these units are identified by GTIN+ codes. If the company is not already a member of GS1 (or more precisely, if it does not already have access to GS1 codes), GS1 membership is strongly recommended. GS1 membership will mean that the company gets a globally unique company code, and can start the process of constructing and generating globally unique product codes (GTIN+). For trade units coming in (shipments of raw materials and ingredients from other company, units that come from previous link in supply chain) the existing product label and accompanying documentation received must be examined to identify potential codes that can be systematically recorded, thus ensuring that the link to production of raw material or ingredient is not lost. If no such codes exist, request from the supplier that they be added, or generate your own internal codes upon reception. For internal batches, both raw material batches and production batches, internal codes may be used (or globally unique codes, of course) but whatever internal batch identification is used, the raw material batch code must be linked explicitly to the corresponding incoming trade units, and the production batch code must be linked explicitly to the corresponding outgoing trade units. For more information see our guide to unique identification | |
| 5. | Data recording routines |
Establish new internal routines for recording of traceable and related data, this can be split into several substeps:
The product of this phase is a plan for how the manual routines must be changed to enable the systematic identification and associated data recording indicated above, both when it comes to data recording and accessing, as well as the physical linking between products and accompanying information (labels, freight forms, certificates, etc). Material flow should preferably be (re)designed in a traceability friendly manner, with a minimum of mixing of raw materials with different origin. | |
| 6. | Mapping of information systems and data capture practice |
| The software, that shall keep track of raw materials and ingredients, must most likely be changed in two ways; a) data recordings should be keyed to the Trade Unit ID (directly linked to the GTIN+ or indirectly linked to the GTIN+ through the internal batch identifiers) and b) internal traceability should be implemented by keeping track of transformations (for each raw material batch, record what production batches it went into, preferably what amount or proportion of the raw material batch that went into each batch; similarly for each production batch, record what raw material batches that went into it, preferably (if possible and relevant) what proportion of the production batch that came from each raw material type and batch).
The product of this phase is a description of existing IT systems and necessary changes needed to enable data capture. | |
| 7. | Implement changes in software or new software for data recording and management of information. |
| Here software companies must be involved, and a standard development cycle is expected. See the ICT viewpoint for more information. | |
| 8. | Electronic exchange of data |
| There should be developed modules for dispatch and reception of electronic traceability messages for example using TraceCore and accompanying sector-specific XML. |
