As TraceGains Inc. executive vice president and co-founder William Pape sees it, there are four major components involved with the Produce Traceability Initiative.
There’s labeling of all fresh fruits and vegetables, of course.
There’s traceback to the product’s field of origin.
There’s track forward — knowing where that product is going and what’s touching it through the chain.
The final piece is comingling — knowing which products from different origins and supply chains don’t end up mixed together in the same packaging.
With its new LabelTrace Repack system, Longmont, Colo.-based TraceGains has designed a system to address all those concerns, Pape said, with minimal technology.
“You basically have comingling at every stage of production — pallet level, master-case level and product within the item,” Pape said. “We’re trying to provide a comprehensive solution without a great deal of technology.”
Pape said LabelTrace Repack melds comprehensive functions of labeling and label interaction with a data-based system that tracks produce at the item level from field to packinghouse, to shipping method, to supermarket shelves and back.
Customers print labels and other documentation for inbound materials, apply those labels, repack and then review that data online to perform bidirectional traces.
Pape said the system is fully compliant with PTI and meets GS1 standards and manages Global Trade Item Numbers.
Because the system uses a Web-based portal, there’s no software to buy or install, only a monthly service fee.
“We have 10 years of history with a big presence in the livestock and meat industries,” Pape said. “Lately, we’ve been moving into other areas (like produce).”
Pape said a goal is to make traceability more than just a food safety issue.
“Our project is making traceability the next profit center,” he said. “We want to show where in a system you have money hemorrhaging, or where there are profit opportunities.”
Pape said another nice feature of the LabelTrack Repack system is that customers can start at the level they need.
“You can start with a stand-alone piece of software to handle labeling,” he said.
“Or, you can go all the way up to a fully automated path with high-speed lines.”