Product Traceability Systems

[Chris Amirault]

Sophisticated systems to track products from farm or feedlot to consumption have long part of the fantasies of food responsibility writers like Michael Pollan. Today, Gourmet Retailer is featuring an article on Canada's "produce traceability initiative":

The plan involves adopting a standardized system of case bar-coding for all produce sold in the United States, in order to allow product to be tracked throughout the distribution chain. The plan will maximize the effectiveness of the industry's current traceability procedures, improve external efficiencies and assist public officials when they need to quickly trace back a product. Intended to enhance overall supply chain traceability in speed and efficiency, a standardized system could significantly improve the industry's ability to narrow the impact of product recalls.

The initiative has its own website, producetraceability.org, listing the seven step action plan.

What other sorts of initiatives are out there? What is needed?