Traceability from Farm to Fork
23 August 2007 12:13
Tetra PlantMaster™ brings processing and packaging together
Consumers all over the world are increasingly concerned with health and food safety. Globalisation of food production, together with increased demand for greater food safety, has led to legislative demands on food producers.
The general principles of food law now apply to every stage of the supply chain. The new regulations state that every step in the production chain must be traceable, from farm to fork, and this is where advanced automation excels.
Modern food production and packaging increasingly relies on automated processing systems to run the plants, collect data and optimise throughput. This is where Tetra Pak Plant Automation comes into the picture, building state-of-the-art automation systems. Traceability systems are managed by databases, supplied with information from the automation systems.
A WEALTH OF INFORMATION
Structured data collection is the base of the traceability concept, in which the acquired data is accessible and searchable. Stored customer and supplier information can be accessed backwards and forwards, which in the long run increases the total transparency of the complete value chain.
A single package of milk in a customer's refrigerator can be traced all the way back to which cow was milked, and every step in between. Tracking and tracing lead to a higher level of security in production, better quality, and, for the economically minded, also to cost-savings and improved production volumes.
Traceability is not only part of the information systems: it incorporates operational practices, processing equipment and process design, as well as filling and packaging equipment. Tetra Pak Plant Automation uses knowledge, experience and products change entire plants into modern food processing and packaging units, where traceability becomes a way for smart production companies to profile themselves as pioneers and thereby win new customers.
To move from manual traceability - or no traceability at all, - food producers all over the world need to plan to change their entire plants – from intake to distribution – until they achieve full compliance with the new regulations.
THE TETRA PLANTMASTER
The Tetra PlantMaster is an innovative and modular plant automation solution based on industry standards and production know-how. It is the top-of-the range automation solution for food processing and packaging applications.
The Production Tracking module in Tetra PlantMaster can trace the movements of materials throughout production and packaging: what recipes, material amounts, equipment and process parameters were used, timing data for a batch, Cleaning In Place (CIP) routines and even the names of operating personnel.
Tracking reports can be used to identify the number and identity of damaged packages and pallets, which limits the recall rate. The search engine, the tree structures and the production information stored in the database of the Tetra PlantMaster can identify the source of failure.
Continuous online monitoring of materials, processing, production and packaging builds up a valuable bank of information. Analysis of this data is not only used for traceability purposes, but for food quality management, production planning strategies, and generating key performance indicators.
As a world leading company in food processing and packaging, Tetra Pak's motto "protects what's good"™ reflects the philosophy upon which we conduct our business in order to make food safe and available, everywhere.
Operating in more than 165 markets with over 20,000 employees, Tetra Pak believes in responsible industry leadership, creating profitable growth in harmony with good corporate citizenship and a sustainable approach to business.
We work closely with our suppliers and customers on preferred processing and packaging solutions to provide convenient, innovative and environmentally sound products to millions of people worldwide.
For more information on this company:
Tetra Pak Processing Systems - Total Production Solutions for the Food Manufacturing Industry
Copyright 2007 SPG Media Limited a subsidiary of SPG Media Group PLC
