A new implementation guide for applying traceability standards in the U.S. meat and poultry supply chain was announced today by the Meat and Poultry B2B Data Standards Organization (mpXML) and GS1 US.
The document, which is free and available immediately, was developed with U.S. meat and poultry suppliers and retailers to provide consistent, practical product-traceability guidance for industry-wide use. It defines minimum requirements and best-practice recommendations for tracking products as they move through the supply chain from suppliers to grocery retailers.
Butterball, LLC; Costco Wholesale Corporation; Farmland Foods; Perdue Farms; Safeway, Inc.; Smithfield Foods; Supervalu, Inc.; Topco Associates LLC; Tyson Foods; Unified Foodservice Purchasing Co-op, LLC; Walmart; and Wegmans Food Markets all contributed to the guide's development.
"We believe that this guideline will help promote a consistent approach to traceability both internally and externally. It provides the fundamental steps for members of the meat and poultry supply chain to implement traceability practices that add value to their existing processes," said Gary Cooper, chief information officer, Tyson Foods, Inc.
The guidelines are based on global standards, and apply to all types of meat and poultry products. The document includes illustrations and photographs that demonstrate precise "how-to" instructions for use of numerical identifiers, bar codes and other standards needed for traceability.
"We view traceability as a component of an orderly marketing system, and this guide is a great example of industry collaboration to standardize the business processes that relate to traceability," said Doug Bailey, chairman of mpXML and chief information officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
The document was developed in association with AMS and the industry trade associations American Lamb Board, American Meat Institute, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Board, and the National Turkey Federation, and is endorsed by these boards.
"The diligent work by all these organizations will help the industry improve traceability and make the supply chain more visible and efficient," said Sabina Saksena, chief community insights and strategic partnerships officer, GS1 US.
The guide is free and available for download at www.mpxml.org.
About mpXML: mpXML is a not-for-profit organization created to support the adoption of efficient e-commerce in the meat and poultry supply chain. The organization has established implementation guidance on data synchronization, the publication of product information in global catalogs, country of origin labeling, and supply-chain traceability. It has also refined international meat and poultry product classification codes to reflect core product differences. To learn more about mpXML and how to become a member, visit www.mpxml.org.
About GS1 US(TM): GS1 US is a not-for-profit organization that brings industry communities together to solve value-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. More than 200,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the efficiency, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through GS1 US solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code(TM)-enabled RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code(R) (UNSPSC(R)). For more information, visit www.GS1US.org.
Source: mpXML