Evaluation of a seafood firm traceability system based on process mapping information: More efficient use of recorded data

Author: Nga T.T. Mai ^{1, 2}, Sveinn Margeirsson ³, Gunnar Stefansson ¹ and Sigurjon Arason ^{1, 3}

Received 22 January 2010, accepted 17 April 2010.

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to develop a conceptual framework that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of traceability systems at food producers based on information from process mapping. The framework was based on a broad literature review from the food processing industry. The proposed framework was then applied to evaluate the traceability system at a Vietnamese fresh farmed Pangasius catfish producer and validated by evaluating the ability to track and trace through the company. In addition, the studied traceability system was analyzed on its compliance with regulation on traceability of importing countries such as EU regulation No. 178/2002, as well as with the TraceFish standard. The paper also aimed to propose how to use recorded data more efficiently to improve quality management and supply chain management. The results show that the framework works well in the specified case, but further investigation for other cases is desirable. The company traceability system meets with EU regulation No. 178/2002, but not with the TraceFish standard as global trade item numbers (GTIN) are not used for dispatched products. It is suggested that the company also stores recorded data in electronic form in parallel with paper form to facilitate data access. It is proposed that the temperature data during storage and transportation are used to estimate the warm up time and the remaining shelf life (RSL) of the products.

Key words: Traceability, effectiveness, fresh fish supply chain, process mapping, traceable resource unit, batch, identification, transformation, Pangasius, warm up time, shelf life.