PRODUCERS IN SOUTH AFRICA ENSURE THE TRACEABILITY OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, RECORD-KEEPING PRACTICES AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY. TRACEABILITY IS CRUCIAL TO ENSURE THE SAFETY, QUALITY AND AUTHENTICITY OF THE PRODUCT THROUGHOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN, FROM RAW MATERIAL SOURCE TO DISTRIBUTION AND RETAIL.
RECORD-KEEPING AND DOCUMENTATION
TRACEABILITY BEGINS WITH THOROUGH DOCUMENTATION OF EVERY STAGE OF PRODUCTION. KEY ELEMENTS INCLUDE:
- RAW MATERIAL SOURCING: PRODUCERS MAINTAIN DETAILED RECORDS OF THE DAIRY SOURCES (MILK SUPPLIERS) AND OTHER INGREDIENTS, INCLUDING BATCH NUMBERS, SUPPLIER DETAILS AND DELIVERY DATES. THIS ALLOWS PRODUCERS TO TRACE THE ORIGIN OF RAW MATERIALS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF EACH BATCH OF THE DAIRY-BASED PRODUCT.
- PRODUCTION BATCHES: EACH BATCH OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCT PRODUCED IS ASSIGNED A UNIQUE BATCH NUMBER OR LOT NUMBER, WHICH IS LINKED TO ALL RELEVANT PRODUCTION DATA (E.G. FERMENTATION TIMES, TEMPERATURES AND MICROBIAL TESTING RESULTS). THIS ALLOWS PRODUCERS TO TRACE EACH PRODUCT BATCH TO ITS SPECIFIC PRODUCTION CONDITIONS.
- PROCESSING LOGS: DETAILED LOGS ARE KEPT THROUGHOUT THE FERMENTATION AND PACKAGING PROCESS, INCLUDING CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS SUCH AS TEMPERATURE CONTROL AND pH MEASUREMENTS, WHICH ARE NECESSARY FOR PRODUCT QUALITY AND SAFETY.
QUALITY CONTROL AND TESTING
PRODUCERS PERFORM REGULAR MICROBIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL TESTING OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS TO ENSURE SAFETY AND QUALITY. TEST RESULTS ARE LOGGED AND LINKED TO SPECIFIC PRODUCTION BATCHES, HELPING TRACE ANY ISSUES TO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS OR RAW MATERIALS.
- MICROBIOLOGICAL TESTING: TESTS FOR HARMFUL MICROORGANISMS (E.G. SALMONELLA, E.COLI) ARE PART OF THE TRACEABILITY PROCESS, ENSURING THAT ANY CONTAMINATION CAN BE TRACED BACK TO A PARTICULAR BATCH OR SUPPLIER.
- SENSORY AND CHEMICAL TESTING: PRODUCERS ALSO MONITOR ATTRIBUTES (E.G. TASTE, TEXTURE, ACIDITY) AND CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES (E.G. FAT CONTENT), KEEPING RECORDS THAT CAN BE CROSS-REFERENCED TO EACH BATCH.
PRODUCT LABELLING
REGULATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA REQUIRE THAT THE DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS HAVE ACCURATE AND TRACEABLE LABELLING. THE LABELLING TYPICALLY INCLUDE:
- BATCH NUMBER: EACH CONTAINER OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS IS LABELLED WITH A BATCH NUMBER, ENABLING CONSUMERS AND RETAILERS TO TRACE THE PRODUCT BACK TO THE SPECIFIC PRODUCTION RUN.
- EXIPRATION DATE: TO ENSURE PRODUCT SAFETY, THE SHELF-LIFE AND EXPIRATION DATES ARE CLEARLY STATED, ALLOWING TRACEABILITY IN CASE OF PRODUCT RECALLS.
- SUPPLIER AND PRODUCTION DETAILS: THE ORIGIN OF THE RAW MILK AND THE FACILITY WHERE THE DAIRY-BASED PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IS TYPICALLY INCLUDED ON THE LABEL, ENSURING THAT THE PRODUCT'S HISTORY IS TRANSPARENT.
SUPPLY CHAIN TRACEABILITY SYTEMS (IT SOLUTIONS)
MANY PRODUCERS USE DIGITAL TRACEABILITY SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE THE ABILITY TO TRACK PRODUCTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN:
- BARCODE / RFID TRACKING: PRODUCTS ARE TAGGED WITH BARCODES OR RFID (RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION) LABELS THAT LINK THEM TO DETAILED RECORDS IN THE COMPANY'S ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) OR TRACEABILITY SYSTEM. THIS ALLOWS REAL-TIME TRACKING OF PRODUCTS THROUGH THE WAREHOUSE, TRANSPORT AND RETAIL DISTRIBUTION CHAIN.
- BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY: SOME PRODUCERS ARE BEGINNING TO EXPLORE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY FOR ENHANCED TRACEABILITY. BLOCKCHAIN OFFERS A SECURE, TRANSPARENT WAY TO RECORD EVERY TRANSACTION AND MOVEMENT OF GOODS, MAKING IT EASIER TO TRACE PRODUCTS BACK TO THEIR ORIGINS AND VERIFY THEIR AUTHENTICITY.
RECALLS AND TRACEABILITY PROCEDURES
IN THE EVENT OF A FOOD SAFETY CONCERN, PRODUCERS MUST BE ABLE TO ACT QUICKLY TO REMOVE POTENTIALLY UNSAFE PRODUCTS FROM THE MARKET. TRACEABILITY PROCEDURES INCLUDE:
- RECALL PROTOCOLS: PRODUCERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY AND RECALL SPECIFIC BATCHES OF THEIR DAIRY-BASED PRODUCT IF NECESSARY. THIS PROCESS IS FACILITATED BY THE BATCH AND LOT NUMBERS RECORDED THROUGHOUT PRODUCTION.
- NOTIFICATIONS: IN THE CASE OF A RECALL, PRODUCERS NOTIFY DISTRIBUTORS, RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS, PROVIDING INFORMATION ON AFFECTED BATCH NUMBERS, EXPIRY DATES AND OTHER RELEVANT PRODUCT DETAILS.
COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
TRACEABILITY IS A KEY COMPONENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH SOUTH AFRICAN FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS, SUCH AS:
- THE FOODSTUFFS, COSMETICS AND DISINFECTANTS ACT: ENSURES THAT PRODUCERS HAVE SYSTEMS TO TRACE FOOD PRODUCTS IN CASE OF A HEALTH HAZARD OR CONTAMINATION.
- DAFF (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERY) REQUIREMENTS: TRACEABILITY IS PART OF THE QUALITY CONTROL FRAMEWORK REQUIRED FOR DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS.
- SANS 10330: THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL STANDARD FOR FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS RECOMMENDS TRACEABILITY PRACTICES AS PART OF HACCP (HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS) SYSTEMS.
THIRD-PARTY AUDITS AND CERTIFICATIONS
SOME PRODUCERS OBTAIN THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATIONS (E.G. HACCP CERTIFICATION, ISO 22000) TO VALIDATE THEIR TRACEABILITY AND QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEMS. THESE AUDITS HELP ENSURE THAT TRACEABILITY PRACTICES ARE BEING FOLLOWED ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS.
IN SHORT, PRODUCERS OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS IN SOUTH AFRICA, ENSURE TRACEABILITY THROUGH METICULOUS RECORD-KEEPING, PRODUCT LABELLING, TESTING, USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS. THESE EFFORTS ENSURE THAT PRODUCTS CAN BE TRACED THROUGH EVERY STAGE OF PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION, ENHANCING FOOD SAFETY, QUALITY AND CONSUMER CONFIDENCE.