Food products are manufactured in large volumes these days. The mass production of foodstuffs means that millions of products are produced and transported in bulk consignments. This makes the individual checking and handling of each product impossible. Yet there are instances where a defective product is manufactured or the food starts to become a hazard to the consumer's health. In such cases, the manufacturer needs to be able to track the product, and they can use food traceability software systems to do this.
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.
The software systems are used to tag and record each batch of products. The manufacturer can then track the batch and monitor its movement, so that they can locate it and eliminate it from the market if they need to.
Yet the consumer can also empower themselves in order to avoid purchasing undesirable expired goods. This is important because the system of tracking and monitoring is not foolproof. Retailers can manipulate the system to avoid the elimination of expired goods. For example, where an expiry date is published on the packaging, this date may not be accurate or may be edited as it approaches.
Tinned food is easy to check because the packaging easily betrays the expired nature of its contents. A swollen tin, for example, means that air has entered the tin or that the contents are decomposing. In either case, the tin should not be purchased. A dented, rusted or punctured tin should not be bought.
Some products are specifically marketed as long-life or long-term. But this does not mean that they never expire. The temptation for retailers is to stock them for a long time, so that even after one or two years they still have not past their expiry date. But they may yet be expired. If the retailer refuses to remove them from the shelves, the consumer has the right to contact the authorities or the manufacturer.
Expired food products are a serious threat to public health and they should be identified and eliminated from sale as soon as possible. This is not only about the taste or quality of the products - the public should be protected against avoidable diseases.
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.
The software systems are used to tag and record each batch of products. The manufacturer can then track the batch and monitor its movement, so that they can locate it and eliminate it from the market if they need to.
Yet the consumer can also empower themselves in order to avoid purchasing undesirable expired goods. This is important because the system of tracking and monitoring is not foolproof. Retailers can manipulate the system to avoid the elimination of expired goods. For example, where an expiry date is published on the packaging, this date may not be accurate or may be edited as it approaches.
Tinned food is easy to check because the packaging easily betrays the expired nature of its contents. A swollen tin, for example, means that air has entered the tin or that the contents are decomposing. In either case, the tin should not be purchased. A dented, rusted or punctured tin should not be bought.
Some products are specifically marketed as long-life or long-term. But this does not mean that they never expire. The temptation for retailers is to stock them for a long time, so that even after one or two years they still have not past their expiry date. But they may yet be expired. If the retailer refuses to remove them from the shelves, the consumer has the right to contact the authorities or the manufacturer.
Expired food products are a serious threat to public health and they should be identified and eliminated from sale as soon as possible. This is not only about the taste or quality of the products - the public should be protected against avoidable diseases.
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