Food factories nowadays produce literally thousands or millions of individual food products. The products are manufactured in batches or consignments and it is humanly impossible for the manufacturer to check or handle each item. Yet mistakes and low quality items sometimes enter the production line. These products are either not saleable or they pose a health risk to the public. The manufacturer therefore needs some form of system to track and record their products, and food traceability software systems are one option.
There are different reasons why food needs to be tracked down or monitored. The first is that the food eventually passes its expiry date and is no longer legally allowed to be sold. This is not always a matter of health; some food is not decomposed or even unfit for human consumption. However, the mere fact that its legislated expiry date has passed means that it cannot be sold to the public. This sounds like a purely bureaucratic consideration but the legislation exists and stores cannot bypass it.
But the other reason is more serious. One would expect this to be limited to the perishable products like fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy, but even tinned foods and long-storage cereals suffer from the issue of decomposition. Once this has set in, the product is genuinely useless and cannot be consumed, let alone sold.
Software systems are used to mark, monitor and track food products. The manufacturer can locate a batch and then ask for it to be withdrawn from the market using these systems. This is important if the need arises to withdraw or recall a batch of products.
The public, however, can also take steps to ensure that what they buy is still fit for consumption. The trouble is that any system of recording, tagging and location can be manipulated by retailers and producers. The date that you see on the product is not always the correct expiry date. There are certain things that consumers can check themselves to protect themselves from this unscrupulous practice.
Canned goods are especially easy to check by the consumer because the metal changes shape as the product goes off. If the can is inflated, the contents are rotting, which may also mean that air has entered into the can. If the can is at all dented, punctured or rusted then it should not be purchased.
There are also products on the market these days that are designed to be marketed as having a long shelf life. However, they are not exempt from expiry, either. Retailers or wholesalers might sometimes try to put these items on the shelves for a very long time, even a couple of years. Yet consumers should always check the expiry date. Where a retailer refuses to adhere to the expiry date, the manufacturer or even the authorities can be contacted with the complaint.
The public should be safeguarded against the sale of expired goods since this is not merely a matter of taste or quality. Expired perishables can pose a threat to public health and they should be tracked down by their manufacturer and removed from the market as quickly as possible.
There are different reasons why food needs to be tracked down or monitored. The first is that the food eventually passes its expiry date and is no longer legally allowed to be sold. This is not always a matter of health; some food is not decomposed or even unfit for human consumption. However, the mere fact that its legislated expiry date has passed means that it cannot be sold to the public. This sounds like a purely bureaucratic consideration but the legislation exists and stores cannot bypass it.
But the other reason is more serious. One would expect this to be limited to the perishable products like fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy, but even tinned foods and long-storage cereals suffer from the issue of decomposition. Once this has set in, the product is genuinely useless and cannot be consumed, let alone sold.
Software systems are used to mark, monitor and track food products. The manufacturer can locate a batch and then ask for it to be withdrawn from the market using these systems. This is important if the need arises to withdraw or recall a batch of products.
The public, however, can also take steps to ensure that what they buy is still fit for consumption. The trouble is that any system of recording, tagging and location can be manipulated by retailers and producers. The date that you see on the product is not always the correct expiry date. There are certain things that consumers can check themselves to protect themselves from this unscrupulous practice.
Canned goods are especially easy to check by the consumer because the metal changes shape as the product goes off. If the can is inflated, the contents are rotting, which may also mean that air has entered into the can. If the can is at all dented, punctured or rusted then it should not be purchased.
There are also products on the market these days that are designed to be marketed as having a long shelf life. However, they are not exempt from expiry, either. Retailers or wholesalers might sometimes try to put these items on the shelves for a very long time, even a couple of years. Yet consumers should always check the expiry date. Where a retailer refuses to adhere to the expiry date, the manufacturer or even the authorities can be contacted with the complaint.
The public should be safeguarded against the sale of expired goods since this is not merely a matter of taste or quality. Expired perishables can pose a threat to public health and they should be tracked down by their manufacturer and removed from the market as quickly as possible.
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