Produce Traceability Initiative Seeking Survey Input From Trade
One year after the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) steering committee unveiled its action plan to enhance the produce industry’s traceability capability, companies across the produce supply chain have the opportunity to share feedback via a new online survey being fielded by Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and the United Fresh Produce Association.
“The associations developed this survey to collect feedback from the industry on PTI implementation,” said Dan Vache, VP of supply chain management at Washington-based United Fresh. “We can use the data to help the industry meet future PTI milestones and thereby improve traceability across the entire supply chain.”
The PTI, administered by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) in Ottawa, Ontario; PMA; and United Fresh, is designed to help the industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, while developing a standardized industry approach to enhance the speed and efficiency of future tracebacks. The PTI Action Plan, released in 2008, includes a series of seven traceability implementation milestones, with the final milestone to be implemented in 2012.
“Achieving standardized, whole-chain traceability is an important goal for the produce industry, and the PTI provides a road map for reaching that goal in the most efficient way possible,” said Dr. Bob Whitaker, chief science officer at Newark, Del.-based PMA. “The survey will provide valuable feedback on the industry’s educational and informational needs, and issues that may be impacting implementation.”
Participation in the survey is anonymous, and only aggregated data will be reported. The deadline for completing the survey is Jan. 4, 2010. Results from the PTI survey will be reported to the PTI Steering Committee and made publicly available via the PTI Web site within the first quarter of 2010.
All industry members involved in the produce supply chain — from grower to retail and foodservice — are encouraged to participate in the online survey, which can be accessed via a link on www.producetraceability.org.
“The associations developed this survey to collect feedback from the industry on PTI implementation,” said Dan Vache, VP of supply chain management at Washington-based United Fresh. “We can use the data to help the industry meet future PTI milestones and thereby improve traceability across the entire supply chain.”
The PTI, administered by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) in Ottawa, Ontario; PMA; and United Fresh, is designed to help the industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, while developing a standardized industry approach to enhance the speed and efficiency of future tracebacks. The PTI Action Plan, released in 2008, includes a series of seven traceability implementation milestones, with the final milestone to be implemented in 2012.
“Achieving standardized, whole-chain traceability is an important goal for the produce industry, and the PTI provides a road map for reaching that goal in the most efficient way possible,” said Dr. Bob Whitaker, chief science officer at Newark, Del.-based PMA. “The survey will provide valuable feedback on the industry’s educational and informational needs, and issues that may be impacting implementation.”
Participation in the survey is anonymous, and only aggregated data will be reported. The deadline for completing the survey is Jan. 4, 2010. Results from the PTI survey will be reported to the PTI Steering Committee and made publicly available via the PTI Web site within the first quarter of 2010.
All industry members involved in the produce supply chain — from grower to retail and foodservice — are encouraged to participate in the online survey, which can be accessed via a link on www.producetraceability.org.