The Produce Marketing Association (PMA), Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), and United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) have announced plans to form a joint Produce Traceability Initiative to drive the widespread adoption of consistent traceability best practices throughout the North American produce supply chain.

PMA, CPMA and UFPA are combining forces to focus on the urgent need to use existing standards for the most effective traceability practices between supply chain partners. PMA president Bryan Silbermann said: “Our food safety system is not complete without a more robust and quicker ability to rapidly recall our products and trace their history. The issue of how to have improved produce traceability is not about the technology; it’s about changing our business practices. Effective traceability must be a business imperative for everyone in our industry. Consumers and regulators expect it.”

CPMA president Danny Dempster added: “In the last three years, CPMA and PMA have focused substantial resources developing our joint Implementation Guide to Fresh Produce Traceability. However, it’s clear from a survey recently done by our two associations that a lot of work remains to drive greater adoption across the industry. Recent food safety concerns have added urgency to the need for more effective traceability.”

And UFPA president Tom Stenzel said: “The CPMA and PMA work on traceability to date has provided a good roadmap for the industry. Now, it’s critical to drive industry support to actually implement some of these systems that can provide the traceability we need, without inefficiencies or costs that could be imposed upon us by well-meaning legislators or regulators who don’t understand our industry.”

Traceability will receive substantial coverage in general sessions and workshops during PMA’s Fresh Summit convention in Houston, today through to Monday. An announcement will be made later this month with the names of industry leaders appointed to lead the new initiative.

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