For trusted products trusted methods are required

In the case of most products sold in stores, both seller and buyer know what happened to base materials until the product reached the table of the consumer. International standards and systems are capable of making food products traceable. Clean production and processing facilities are connected with retailers via cooling systems. Special vehicles and warehouses guarantee that products arrive in stores safe and sound. Transportation is a critical phase as manufacturers are unable to correct mistakes in case they occur. Another very important factor is communication between the members of the long food chain. It must be guaranteed that every marking means the same at every stage of transportation.

For this purpose, GS1 has been operating a network since 2004, called GDSN – Global Data Synchronisation Network. GS1 is an international organisation with more than 30 years of experience, with a network of 103 national member associations. The most well-known element of the system is barcode identification, but controlling and registering temperature is also of key importance. The European Union passed several regulations (178/2002/EC, 852/2004/EC) and introduced several standards and systems (EUREPGAP, HACCP, ISO 22000) to minimise the number of problems with food products.