World Grain - August 2022 - 52

FEED QUARTERLY OPERATIONS
As feed manufacturers
work to advance the
traceability process,
there are a wide array
of ways to accomplish
these goals, from
paper records
to sophisticated
bar codes.
Blockchain technology is utilized as part of the traceability process.
turing Practices, prerequisite programs and preventive controls
to meet these goals. One key opportunity to advance
animal food safety in the animal food manufacturing industry
is traceability. Traceability is defined by the United Nations'
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as the ability to discern,
identify and follow the movement of a food or substance
intended to be or expected to be incorporated into a food,
through all stages of production, processing, and distribution.
Let's examine the potential opportunities for traceability in
the feed industry.
Digital traceability
Traceability can be used to enhance the manufacturing process
by monitoring the movement of product from its origin
to the final customer. This presents the opportunity to control
and avoid problems that may occur during processing,
which plays a key role in the prevention process. Although
traceability helps in meeting the regulatory requirements, it
is also a preventive measure for companies against litigation
and recalls.
As feed manufacturers work to advance the traceability
process, there are a wide array of ways to accomplish these
goals, from paper records to sophisticated bar codes. Regardless
the method, it does come at a cost. However, the
increasing demand for regulatory requirements continue to
push manufacturers toward automation that allows for immediate
traceability review and eliminates common errors.
Having improved access to digital records will continue
to enhance traceability. Core areas of innovation surrounding
traceability include data tracking and management, data
interoperability, and identity preservation. The food industry
has initiated the use of blockchain to lead to improvements
in food safety and traceability. Blockchain is defined as " a
shared, distributed ledger that facilitates the process of recording
transactions and tracking assets in a business network. "
Therefore, blockchain provides a viable technology to ensure
traceability of feed ingredients.
However, the use of bulk commodities within the feed in52
dustry
brings about significant challenges of using blockchain.
The mixing of raw commodities from multiple farms into a
bulk bin make it impossible to track the products continuously
in the subsequent transportation and distribution phases. Research
teams are continuing to work on developing modeling
techniques to address these issues. In addition to challenges
with bulk ingredients, implementation of blockchain requires
100% participation and accuracy for end-to-end transparency
for both bulk and packaged products. The incentive to make
these commitments within the feed industry is very minimal
compared to other industries that obtain very clear economic
incentives. However, the pet food sector has the greatest opportunity
to capture the economic benefits from using blockchain.
Successful
implementation of blockchain into the feed industry
will require consensus among the industry for standards
and methods of data collection and sharing. The success
of these applications will depend on the reputability and accuracy
of the data included in the blocks that are recorded in the
chain. For more information about the potential use of blockchain
in the feed industry, visit https://conservancy.umn.edu/
handle/11299/219609#
Traceability system components
For traceability to be successful, it is key to collect and track
information throughout the process. The key components of a
traceability system include data elements, unique identifiers,
sensor technology and distributed ledger technology.
Data elements are needed to capture specific data through
the traceability system that have been identified. Unique identifiers
are assigned to individual products to allow for tracking
along the supply chain. This includes RFID tags or barcodes.
Sensor technology optimize real-time tracking of identified
data elements through supply chain and enables automated
data capture. Lastly, the distributed ledger technology enables
easier aggregation, integration, analysis and sharing of data
(World Economic Forum).
There are a variety of technologies that are becoming availAugust
2022 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
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World Grain - August 2022

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