IT SUPPORT AND STATISTICS IN TRACEABILITY AND PRODUCT RECALL AT FOOD LOGISTICS PROVIDERS

Abstract

There is a clear responsibility for food safety at all stages of the food chain. To maintain quality in logistics, several providers have built up the ISO 9001:2000 QMS, though in case of food logistics providers it does not fully guarantee food safety. The most effective method to prevent the different food-born diseases and provide food safety is the HACCP method. HACCP and ISO 9001:2000 systems can be built up independently, but it is worth building up a combined, integrated system. One of the principal elements of ISO and HACCP systems is traceability. It has extraordinary importance in distribution centres (DC) because of the large amount of products stored together. In a DC it is essential that the information attached to the products has always to be available when necessary. An electronic data interchange (EDI) technique assures for the service provider the required fast and easy traceability and the connecting statistical evaluation. In our paper we discuss the properties of the EDI systems used in Tibbett and Britten Hungária Ltd, the different levels of recalls, the product recall procedure, the monitoring system with the corresponding sampling procedures and statistical data analysis.