Food traceability system from governmental, corporate, and consumer perspectives in the European Union and China: A comparative review

Highlights

• Present a comprehensive analysis framework from government, company and customer perspectives.

• Comparative review between the EU and China.

• Outline the trend of traceability development with the AI and blockchain technologies.

• Highlight the strategic technological and consumer-based requirements for global scale traceability systems.

• Provide multi-stakeholder perspectives and inputs of traceability.

Abstract

Background

Food safety has garnered much worldwide attention recently for reasons that are, unfortunately, not always positive. Traceability system (TS) is designed to assure safe and good quality food, while reducing the costs of food recalls. It should encompass all stakeholders, including governments, companies, and consumers, each of whom has an important role in the implementation and guardianship of such systems. The EU and China are amongst the main players implementing TS and are constantly exploring new opportunities and monitoring challenges for TS in a time of shifting consumer demands and rapid new technology innovation.

Scope and approach

This article states development stages from TS 1.0 to 3.0. and reviews TS development in a number of key countries and regions. Comparisons between the EU and China are drawn in terms of government, corporate, and consumer involvement in traceability.

Key findings and conclusions

A functional TS, while providing bi-directional communication between trading partners, must meet the laws and regulations where it operates. A functional system must also consider consumer value and perception, which varies with geography. There are a variety of promising technologies available on the market today to modernize TS, including artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. A key finding of this research is that both the EU and China have developed significant trade links in recent years which will certainly positively impact both economies. Key to underpinning the sustainability of these trade links will be the adoption of common TS to prevent negative associations.

Introduction

Global food supply systems are under increased pressure due to human activity and consumer requirements. This increased pressure negatively impacts global food security and health (McCarthy et al., 2018). Climate change, land degradation, pesticide use, the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, and residual animal growth hormone in human food all contribute to food supply challenges (Notarnicola, Hayashi, Curran, & Huisingh, 2012; Thiollet-Scholtus & Bockstaller, 2015). Similarly, recent food scares, including the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak (Wales, Harvey, & Warde, 2006) and the contamination of chicken feed with dioxin in Belgium (Bernard et al., 2002), highlight the need to either implement or improve TS in the food sector.

The aim of a food TS is to identify food product origin, safeguard food in transit, and decrease the associated time and cost of food recalls (Regattieri, Gamberi, & Manzini, 2007). A well-designed TS can track products at each stage, including harvest, processing, transport, storage, distribution, and sales (Olsen & Aschan, 2010). While there is certainly a cost associated with implementing a TS, the ability of a TS to assist in identifying problems with food safety and quality result in a decrease in the production and distribution of unsafe or low-quality products and the associated negative publicity, liability, and recalls (Golan et al., 2004). An effective TS will also help improve business processes across the supply network via enhanced transparency, increase profitability and enhancing informed decision making. Corresponding potential drawbacks may include additional adding enterprise cost and more information recording associated with TS.

Key global food chains including seafood and fresh produce are under increasing pressure to implement basic TSs in response to consumer concerns about food supply safety. To ensure maximum effectiveness and serve all stakeholders equally, a modern-day TS must be developed in sync with regulatory, social, economic, and technological developments (Boys & Fraser, 2018; Kim & Woo, 2016). An often-overlooked aspect of food safety is the important role governments play in the development of TSs through the enactment of legislation affecting traceability. Examples of both national and pan-national TSs include the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the U.S. Food Modernization and Safety Act, and Canada's National Agriculture and Food TS (Dickinson & Von Bailey, 2005).

Tools and technologies employed to modernize TSs are constantly evolving to provide for system advancements. Considerable progress in information and communications technology (ICT) facilitate the development of both local and international TSs (Qian et al., 2017). Identification technologies, including barcodes and radio frequency identification (RFID), are now integrated into TSs to rapidly and accurately track food products (Luvisi, Panattoni, Bandinelli, Rinaldelli, & Triolo, 2012). Wireless sensor networks (WSN) and portable devices allow for real-time collection of data, including environmental conditions and farming operations (Steinberger, Rothmund, & Auernhammer, 2009). Consequently, TSs have been successfully implemented in many different agro-food industries, including vegetables (Mainetti, Patrono, Stefanizzi, & Vergallo, 2013), fruits (Reyes, Correa, Esquivel, & Ortega, 2012), aquaculture (Parreno-Marchante, Alvarez-Melcon, & Trebar, 2014), and beef (Ardeshiri & Rose, 2018).

However, an all too often overlooked aspect of food safety is public perception towards the success of TSs in safeguarding food. Results have indicated that confidence in TSs can often be both product-specific and country/region-specific (Menozzi, Halawany-Darson, Mora, & Giraud, 2015). A number of previous studies have evaluated TSs based on factors such as the relationship between the public's willingness to pay and motivating features (Jin & Zhou, 2014).

This article states development stages from TS 1.0 to 3.0 and reviews TS development in different cultures and environments. In addition, TS development in the EU and China is compared from the perspective of governmental, corporate, and consumer viewpoints. Finally, future trends in the evolution of TS is explored, including AI and blockchain technology.