Which system works best for the new Food Safety laws?
FDA will not mandate a particular system but they will have requirements about recordkeeping and Traceback. The industry has to find the system that works for their requirements whether produce, whole grains, meats, processed or commingled raw feeds, ingredients or beverages.
As there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there we try to help with the table below to find the best and most efficient and inexpensive system.
FDA requirements
Questions
About the different systems
PTI / GS-1 Initiative and related system providers with GTIN Numbers
ScoringAg System
What is the development status of each system as they relate to the new food safety law?
It is an initiative: the idea of someone or a group to come up with a program without a specified time lime
It is a complete & ready to use database system built over several years and working since 2005 integrating all the Food Safety and Traceback requirements for all food and feed commodities
Is the system mandated by the Government?
No,
it is just an initiative/idea with no meaning behind the barcode numbers or specs on how it works
This database has been working internationally for many years and incorporates all requirements mandated by the various Governments
Full Traceback from field to fork of all food handlers, no more 1 up and 1 down traceability
What happens when full Traceback becomes mandatory?
All initiatives will need to incorporate the Government requirements.
Still trying to build-in for full Traceback compliance with interoperability
ScoringAg will be the simplest solution as it has all attributes required by the new laws. In fact, the way the system is built facilitates making changes or additions to stay in step with the law, can be made immediately without any cost to the user
Electronic farm records
What recordkeeping system is provided?
No record keeping system is available for farmers, transporters or any food/feed handlers
This is a complete online recordkeeping system with GAP and HACCP records + more for the grower, shipper, packer and every food handler up to the retailer
All raw agriculture products, food and feed, processed food will be covered by the new laws
GS-1 does not have any software programs that are available to handle different food /feed commodities
ScoringAg covers all agriculture and aquaculture products; keeping records in one single system, including the integration of packaging with containers, pallets, harvest machines as well as employee sanitation records
Do I have to buy a software program?
Yes
You will need your own program and server and IT people coupled with a
secure back-up system
No
You can open an Account online for $10.10 for a very small farm, which includes 15 crop records on 3 different fields (no matter the size) including photos for each field.
When shipping a box of fruit or vegetables on each of 220 days per year with a Traceback code the cost is $0.0025 per box or $0.55/yr
I have a farm or packing house management program in my operation. Can I still use it?
Yes, but you have to change the software and obtain a GTIN number. This
number is only a brand tracking code, not a Traceback code with product
documentation
Yes, you can send the Traceback related data to ScoringAg and it automatically creates a Traceback Code for every item or case. The code is free and can be printed on any existing label or entered onto a rubber stamp by small farmers
Can I afford the system?
This is a worldwide effort to eliminate the PLU numbers. The GS-1 number catalog and on-side computer system creates hurdles for small producers, re-packers, processors, mom and pop stores and ethnic stores. The burden of all labeling is thus, at the farm level.
ScoringAg is inexpensive, easy to use and the Traceback code is human readable.
Remember:
2 billion farmers worldwide feed 4 billion people
Unique Identifier Code
(integer code)
Is a lot number or GTIN brand product number a unique identifier?
No
GTIN Numbers can be duplicated. Lot numbers can be duplicated in the next County, State or Country
Yes
The system automatically creates unique identifier code for every product and every location in the world.
Needs to be an Interoperable system
What is an interoperable system?
The system does not lend itself to interoperability since there is no databank or documentation behind the GTIN numbers
ScoringAg is the only interoperable system that allows uploading existing
Traceback relevant data from any software program. The Traceback records
in ScoringAg's UNIX-database can be moved within the database to the next
owner in the most secure way (no fax, no email)
24 hour access to electronic records
How can I comply with this rule?
You will need a software program on your own server running 24/7/365 to
access your data. This could compromise the security for the rest of your
company's data!
In the webbased system, the SSI-EID Traceback code can be entered from any computer in the world and the public information for the product can be retrieved within seconds through the entire supply chain.
There is no access to your operations data or your management software
I already have a free GTIN number
Does not accept any Traceback coding
You can enter the GTIN number or other identifiers in a specific field in a ScoringAg record if needed or requested
Required all-up and all down Traceback
Tracking
vs.
Traceback
GTIN-Numbers are brand tracking codes and it has nothing to do with Traceback or food safety
ScoringAg's SSI-EID code is a full up and down Traceback code in a database.
The records are about food safety and prevention (GAP, HACCP etc.)
Do I have to label every product or every case?
Yes, but not at item-level; only case label ability
As the barcode is free you can label every item as branded product. You can also label cases and pallets or any other container to facilitate easy and fast Traceback
Julian date and variety requests by the industry, readable and bar-coded
GTIN number barcode does not have a Julian date or a variety; you have to add it in a separate way
ScoringAg records automatically create the Julian date and carry the variety on the public portion of the record. The barcode contains all this information.
When shipping on a pallet, does every case have to have a label?
Yes,
Only with GS-1 to make the system work.
The database carries the SSI-EID Traceback and Trace-up code for each pallet as well as for cases or at item-level. Thus, a mixed product pallet carries multiple case codes
We do cross-docking. Do we have to read every label on a box on a pallet?
Yes, this is the only way GS-1 works; you have to un-wrap every pallet
to read the barcode on each box and then stack it back together and re-wrap
it. (this helps to create jobs!)
It slows down the speed of commerce in every food handling facility
No, You read the SSI-EID code on the label on the pallet and it tells you
every box on the pallet and also what's in the box, variety, amount, and
size of product etc.
Once a pallet is loaded and referenced to a pallet ID it becomes a cost effective entity with complete ID Traceback
We reassemble pallets with different cases of food/feed
Same as above. You have to read the barcode on every case incoming and outgoing
You read the SSI-EID code on the label of the case and move the record within the system with a mouse click to the any pallet
We are re-packers, processors and commingle a lot of mixed products on a pallet
Can be done with any of these systems. Would need special software and
IT engineers
You read the SSI-EID code on the incoming product and move the commingled products with the record to the container or pallet with one mouse click
Data storage at retail level
I'm a retailer. How can I store the records from the farm up to our store?
No farm records or record movements is possible with GTIN barcode numbers.
You will need to install your own system and ask all suppliers for complete records or access the data on their servers.
Yes, the farm, transporter, re-packer, and processor records move with the product and can be traced and archived, as long as the law requires (every country has different laws).
Consumer readable code information and barcodes
How do I find the Traceback code after the shipping box or case is compacted for trash
There is no way to find it unless you peal every label off the box and store them somewhere.
The barcode is not human readable, only with a scanner
Yes, all records are in your account and you can look it up at any time for inspections or for recalls in seconds via ScoringAg's UNIX database.
Everyone can read the
SSI-EID code at item or case level and enter them in the search field to read the public data (see above)
As a retailer I have many kinds
of commodities, from meat and flavorings to produce including dry and manufactured food and feed
Is only for produce tracing without any documentation records
ScoringAg Traceback records include every agriculture product, raw, commingled or manufactured processed food in the same system. The retailer only needs one system, one training for easily accessible on-line records that are inexpensive and also provide the necessary flexibility with archiving
The new synch word in the computer industry is Cloud Computing. This is being used by our worldwide hosting company Rackspace. The problem is, there is no firewall or security. It would take 8 minutes to switch ScoringAg into a cloud system. We do not believe a large retailer or grain storage company or a whole government would be interested in using it, when every IT computer person can look into the data. As long as there is no security ScoringAg will continue to run the 128-bit encrypted interoperable database to the satisfaction and strong support of their worldwide customers.
Consumers don not know about PTI / GS-1 and if they see a code, where can they search for the product? Where is the code book? Consumers want to know more about a product at item level, not only from which country it came from. With the ScoringAg Traceback code the consumer is able to check out an item-level product by entering the printed code into his computer or smart phone.
Both industry and the various world governments have already spent millions for dead end solutions of which we are all aware of. Many of these are only a part of the comprehensive solution developed by ScoringAg. Every recall involving a Traceback that requires more than 5 minutes proves that partial solutions are costly and yet this sort of traceability is repeated over and over again.
The economic situations we are facing do not allow businesses or governments to waste time and money. Let us get started with what is available and with what works everyday: ScoringAg!
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ScoringSystem, Inc., 7523 Rigby Court, Bradenton, FL 34202, USA
(Referring to Ms. Brunhilde Merker, ScoringAg.com CEO)
Scoring Ag -- Global traceability system SCORINGAG.COM >>> The only complete Global Database for worldwide traceback
and traceup recordkeeping and documentation of agricultural products with
Point-to-Point Traceback? for each individual Commodity/Entity in just
seconds. You can use this software at NO initial/maintenance charge. Data usage fee is $0.55/data.
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Scoring Ag -- Global traceability system