In increasingly globalized markets, it is vital to have certifications that guarantee food safety, and within this framework, fruit and vegetable traceability is a necessary characteristic, as is the agro 4.0, the use of artificial intelligence and the robotization.
Currently in Chile there are a set of regulations, accreditations and attributes that are controlled through the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and National Fisheries Service (Sernapesca), but it generally corresponds to traceability that operates based on centralized records, and it is mostly a voluntary certification in the case of agricultural products that are marketed within Chilean territory.
In Chile, traceability is mandatory for meat, as well as also of fish and seafood but not for fruit and vegetable products, except for raspberries, which operate under a 2009 resolution. However, when it comes to exports, countries are in a position to establish their own conditions for the entry of goods at their borders, always under the magnifying glass of the trade agreements in force in each case. As a fact, by mid-2021 our country had signed agreements with 65 markets, corresponding to 67 percent of the world's population.
Traceability makes it possible to trace and follow a product through all the specified stages, from production, transport and distribution, i.e. from its origin in the field until the product is purchased by the final consumer, passing through the packing/processing, wholesale/distribution and retail stages.
It minimizes the impact of foodborne diseases, of which there are more than 200 types identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and which in 2010 alone produced 600 million cases, being responsible for 420 thousand deaths in that same year.
Thanks to traceability, it is possible to withdraw a contaminated load, lot or crate from the market, to know how much spoiled product was sold, how much is still in that condition in the market and, most importantly, who may have bought or consumed it.
But it is not only associated with bad news, as it also allows for monitoring quality, as well as knowing what sold well and how much money it should be generating. This tool can also be used to track the amount of water, pesticides and fertilizers required, among other inputs, and thus make adjustments to optimize production costs.
In the current regulations, simulation exercises are promoted on the basis of a hypothetical product contamination.
It is a good working formula, but not the only one. It is also possible to consider adding new technology as a result of the internal work of an area of the company, which is focused on research, development and implementation or in collaboration with other specialists or national or foreign technology providers.
To do so, the company is required to follow the following steps:
- Select a batch code of sold products
- Speaking to a buyer who received part or all of the lot
- Inform you that we are performing a SIMULAR recall.
- Ask how much product is in stock and how much was sold. Document response.
- Track product in your records (e.g., field of origin, harvest crew, application/spraying records)
- Can you trace the product backwards and forwards? If yes, the test is approved, if no, there are issues that need to be corrected within a set period of time.
Regulatory change on food traceability in Chile
Since 2018, work has been underway to update the regulations and this year there should be a green light regarding the public consultation on the technical standard and regulations that were jointly worked on by the Ministry of Healththe SAG, Sernapesca and the Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality (Achipia).
Once approved by all the corresponding instances, with the new resolution traceability will become mandatory for all fruit and vegetable products, but it does not contemplate that it will be under the parameters of blockchain or a decentralized and 100 percent unalterable database, technology that is used for the cryptocurrency transactions.
"The (new) standard does not say how, but what. In other words, the authority does not require the system to be used, but that traceability can be done. The how is the producer's problem. The important thing about these standards is that they are recognized worldwide," responded Victor Rivera.
Regarding the use of Blockchain at the local level, the member of the committee that designed the new regulations said that he believes it is "a good management tool and that many other production chains are using it. But beyond that, I have not had enough experience to give my opinion".
"I would say another important challenge is to use global standards (GS1) to do traceability. The large and medium-sized ones already use them. But on a small scale still very little. The important thing about these standards is that they are recognized worldwide. So I believe that they should be disseminated on a small scale through the incentives provided by Sercotec, Corfo and Indap".
In a following article I will address the use of blockchain in food traceability.and how this technology is being promoted worldwide by the United Nations, through the FAO and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), because it ensures the inviolability of records on food batches, and is a step towards adding value to the products that use this certification method.
