Towards traceability in cocoa - chocolate supply chain

The multi – events of food alerts and food risks which occurred in a lengthy period and various locations, grows concern of consumers to question the safety of the food that they consumed. For food producers, occurrences of food alert forced them to review their supply chain to identify what went wrong in their supply chain. To do this, they need a good traceability system that capable in revealing the problems occurred along the chains. In general, a typical food supply chain is consists of farmers, middlemen, manufactures, retailers and consumers, which can be represent by cocoa – chocolate supply chain. This paper is the initial stage in identifying cocoa – chocolate supply chain and proposes a conceptual framework on its traceability system. Moreover, this paper aims at linking the traceability to performances of the chains as a driver to reach sustainability.Cocoa; Chocolate; Supply Chain; Traceability; Conceptual Paper

Traceability and the new CAP

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was strongly criticized for the food safety crises of the 1990s which included Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), dioxin, foot and mouth disease and swine fever to name a few. Even though the first rules on food safety date from the very early days of the EU, a need was recognized to replace a number of these rules accumulated through the years, whose implementation was difficult to monitor, with a simpler and more comprehensive approach. The result was the General Food Law (REGULATION (EC) No 178/2002). A core concept introduced was traceability, namely “the ability to trace and follow food, feed, and ingredients through all stages of production, processing and distribution”. Furthermore after the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Agreements on Agriculture (AoA) stated at the Uruguay Round and the current negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO), the EU has to transform a number of domestic support policies in order to be compliant with the Green Box criteria and non- or minimally trade distorting. Lastly taking into account the great concern of consumers worldwide for safe and healthy agricultural and food products, traceability would be suitable for motivating the European agricultural and food producers to differentiate their products from other competitors. The aim of this paper is to study how traceability has been included within the framework of the new CAP. In the first part of this paper we review the ways in which the issues of food safety were taken into consideration in the various reforms of the CAP from the beginning until the Agenda 2000. In the second part we briefly present the objectives and aims of the General Food Law, paying special attention to the meaning and content of traceability. Finally, in the third part we investigate the ways in which the issue of traceability has affected the shaping of the Mid-term Review of the CAP (2003) and the “Health check on CAP” (2008) through the aspects of Cross Compliance, Market Orientation and Rural Development.Traceability, CAP reforms, Cross Compliance, Market Orientation, Rural Development, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Enhancing fish species identification using novel markers and emerging technologies

Establishing an efficient traceability framework for fish products is crucial for consumer protection and fisheries management and conservation. This is well reflected in the EU legislation. The EU general food law emphasizes strongly that European citizens must have access to safe and wholesome food of the highest standard. Consumer protection is supported by a stringent traceability concept as stipulated in Regulation (EC) 178/2002. This notion is also expressed in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) basic regulation (EU) 1380/2013, according to which fishing and aquaculture must be environmentally, economically and socially sustainable while providing a source of healthy food for all EU citizens. Under the CFP the need for traceability is not exclusively raised in the context of consumer protection, but also as a necessary component for fisheries control and enforcement in Regulation (EU) 1224/2009 and in the context of the EU’s ambitious strategy to fight Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing under the remit of Regulation (EC) 1005/2008. Recent scientific advances, particularly in the fields of genetics and genomics, have led to the development of novel and improved technologies, and efforts are under way to harness their potential for the species identification of unknown fish samples or products. This report reviews these efforts, describing the technologies and the early results obtained for fish product traceability. Each of these technologies have the potential to fill some specific existing gaps, although they come with their own individual set of disadvantages. Understanding those and monitoring progress is thus crucial for their proper integration in existing traceability frameworks.JRC.F.7-Knowledge for Health and Consumer Safet

Towards traceability in cocoa - chocolate supply chain

The multi – events of food alerts and food risks which occurred in a lengthy period and various locations, grows concern of consumers to question the safety of the food that they consumed. For food producers, occurrences of food alert forced them to review their supply chain to identify what went wrong in their supply chain. To do this, they need a good traceability system that capable in revealing the problems occurred along the chains. In general, a typical food supply chain is consists of farmers, middlemen, manufactures, retailers and consumers, which can be represent by cocoa – chocolate supply chain. This paper is the initial stage in identifying cocoa – chocolate supply chain and proposes a conceptual framework on its traceability system. Moreover, this paper aims at linking the traceability to performances of the chains as a driver to reach sustainability

A framework for the successful implementation of food traceability systems in China

Implementation of food traceability systems in China faces many challenges due to the scale, diversity and complexity of China’s food supply chains. This study aims to identify critical success factors specific to the implementation of traceability systems in China. Twenty-seven critical success factors were identified in the literature. Interviews with managers at four food enterprises in a pre-study helped identify success criteria and five additional critical success factors. These critical success factors were tested through a survey of managers in eighty-three food companies. This study identifies six dimensions for critical success factors: laws, regulations and standards; government support; consumer knowledge and support; effective management and communication; top management and vendor support; and information and system quality

On-Farm Food Safety and Environmental Farm Plans: A Conceptual Framework for Identifying and Classifying Benefits and Costs

This series of six reports entitled: "On-Farm Food Safety and Environmental Farm Plans: Identifying and Classifying Benefits and Costs" was initiated soon after the launch of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) in 2002. The APF recognized the importance of food safety and environmental concerns for the future growth of the agriculture and Agri-food sector. For this reason, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) commissioned this series of reports to develop a conceptual framework to strengthen our understanding of the potential benefit and cost implications of On-farm Food Safety (OFFS) and Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) that were key components of the APF. The reports were prepared by a group of academics with extensive knowledge of the agriculture and Agri-food sector and issues related to food safety, traceability and the environment. The first report presents a summary of the findings in the five main reports in the series. The second report presents the conceptual framework that was developed to help identify qualitatively the potential benefits and costs that the various players in the agriculture and agri-food supply chain would face in implementing OFFS and EFP programs. The third report applies this framework to pork, the fourth, to beef, the fifth, to grains and the sixth, to dairy. In general, benefits and costs are divided into both demand and supply side effects. In addition, both public and private costs and benefits are considered, especially since they help indicate where a role for government might be required and where markets are not working as well as they might. Based on these preliminary qualitative assessments, the beef and pork sector have more to gain from HACCP-based OFFS and EFP initiatives, due to their ability to gain market share from marketing their products internationally, while the grains sector already benefits internationally from its high quality reputation and the dairy sector is restricted to produce only for the domestic market. However, more work is required in these areas to validate and quantify costs and benefits.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Overview of the Development and Applications of a Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Benefits and Costs of On-Farm Food Safety and Environmental Farm Plans

This series of six reports entitled: "On-Farm Food Safety and Environmental Farm Plans: Identifying and Classifying Benefits and Costs" was initiated soon after the launch of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) in 2002. The APF recognized the importance of food safety and environmental concerns for the future growth of the agriculture and Agri-food sector. For this reason, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) commissioned this series of reports to develop a conceptual framework to strengthen our understanding of the potential benefit and cost implications of On-farm Food Safety (OFFS) and Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) that were key components of the APF. The reports were prepared by a group of academics with extensive knowledge of the agriculture and Agri-food sector and issues related to food safety, traceability and the environment. The first report presents a summary of the findings in the five main reports in the series. The second report presents the conceptual framework that was developed to help identify qualitatively the potential benefits and costs that the various players in the agriculture and agri-food supply chain would face in implementing OFFS and EFP programs. The third report applies this framework to pork, the fourth, to beef, the fifth, to grains and the sixth, to dairy. In general, benefits and costs are divided into both demand and supply side effects. In addition, both public and private costs and benefits are considered, especially since they help indicate where a role for government might be required and where markets are not working as well as they might. Based on these preliminary qualitative assessments, the beef and pork sector have more to gain from HACCP-based OFFS and EFP initiatives, due to their ability to gain market share from marketing their products internationally, while the grains sector already benefits internationally from its high quality reputation and the dairy sector is restricted to produce only for the domestic market. However, more work is required in these areas to validate and quantify costs and benefits.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A Qualitative Assessment of the Benefits and Costs of On-Farm Food Safety and Environmental Farm Plans in the Dairy Sector

This series of six reports entitled: "On-Farm Food Safety and Environmental Farm Plans: Identifying and Classifying Benefits and Costs" was initiated soon after the launch of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) in 2002. The APF recognized the importance of food safety and environmental concerns for the future growth of the agriculture and Agri-food sector. For this reason, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) commissioned this series of reports to develop a conceptual framework to strengthen our understanding of the potential benefit and cost implications of On-farm Food Safety (OFFS) and Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) that were key components of the APF. The reports were prepared by a group of academics with extensive knowledge of the agriculture and Agri-food sector and issues related to food safety, traceability and the environment. The first report presents a summary of the findings in the five main reports in the series. The second report presents the conceptual framework that was developed to help identify qualitatively the potential benefits and costs that the various players in the agriculture and agri-food supply chain would face in implementing OFFS and EFP programs. The third report applies this framework to pork, the fourth, to beef, the fifth, to grains and the sixth, to dairy. In general, benefits and costs are divided into both demand and supply side effects. In addition, both public and private costs and benefits are considered, especially since they help indicate where a role for government might be required and where markets are not working as well as they might. Based on these preliminary qualitative assessments, the beef and pork sector have more to gain from HACCP-based OFFS and EFP initiatives, due to their ability to gain market share from marketing their products internationally, while the grains sector already benefits internationally from its high quality reputation and the dairy sector is restricted to produce only for the domestic market. However, more work is required in these areas to validate and quantify costs and benefits.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Buyer-supplier relationships influence on traceability implementation in the vegetable industry

The increasing importance of food safety has made traceability a crucial issue in the agri-business industry. In this article, we have analysed the factors that shape the buyer-supplier relationships, and how they influence the traceability of raw materials. In order to do so, first, we have made a literature review to develop an analytical framework. Next, we have carried out four case studies on vegetable firms with the purpose of uncovering the variables that characterise buyer-supplier relationships, and its influence on traceability in this sector. Finally, we have compared the observed links with the conceptual framework derived from the literature in order to build and improved model