Technological objectives

Traceability is perceived as being a solution to technological problems, for instance where the necessary analysis for applying a detection method is not available.

However, traceability cannot be restricted to be some papers forwarded from a stakeholder to another one. The current ISO standardization process is a good example of such technological needs in the traceability area.

Traceability relies on the information that is transmitted, both in terms of its structure as well as the content, to ensure inter-operability of traceability among stakeholders using generally proprietary technical solutions such as EAN, ISBN barcodes.

The objective of PETER is to work on content, structure and transmission concepts and systems, necessary for implementing reliable and cost-effective traceability.

The PETER project addresses several sectors:

  1. product specific, i.e. vertical, such as GMO (Co-Extra) or fish (Seafoodplus)
  2. methodological such as DNAtrack or even more generic terms such as TRACE.

It is the purpose of PETER to provide/determine the common technological aspects between these different traceability concepts and systems.

PETER will then determine the most appropriate exchange information systems for all types of stakeholders-starting from the paper sheet system used by farmers in developing countries to central internet databases.

All projects within PETER have data that needs to be recorded and integrated into a traceability system and therefore have obvious synergies with the key generic activities within the TRACE project and the FoodTrace guidelines and recommendations.

PETER will address the information exchange concepts and systems and provide guideline prototypes (resulting from comparisons between the information systems used by each project) for the best methods for all types of stakeholders to exchange traceability information.

For example, the GeoTraceAgri and GTIS CAP projects provide food traceability support through geomatic technology. This technology could be an added value to the traceability of GMOs or any sign of quality related to production origin, for domestic but also for imported commodities, as studied in the Co-Extra context. Textbook cases like the US Starlink and Bt10 issues for GMOs may be of interest.

Mapping of food origin is one of the key activities in TRACE and could benefit from the expertise and experience developed in GeoTraceAgri. More generally speaking, all quality signs derived from regional production, and thus difficult to trace by analytical methods, should benefit from such experience.