The second edition of the international spice conference being held at Thiruvananthapuram has stressed the significance to traceability in boosting consumer satisfaction and ensuring sustainable growth of the spices sector.
Talking on the theme of disruption in spice quality standards, European Spice Association chairman Nils Meyer Pries said the road ahead for quality assurance in spices is the convergence of world for harmonisation of standards, and developing an information system where the consumer can examine quality and safety of any produce with reference to its origin and international standards.
He said digital platforms could be put to use to manage traceability by collecting, storing, processing and disseminating data regarding farming, harvesting, processing, packaging and distribution. Cost effective numeric and alphanumeric bar coding, Matrix bar coding and other labels when linked with automated systems or mobile technology allows immediate retrieval of product information from anywhere, Nils Meyer said at the conference hosted by All India Spices Exporters Forum.
Explaining the merits of traceability, Cheryl Deem, executive director, American Spice Trade Association said the technological innovations in traceability has enabled quick and accurate identification of contamination, pesticide residue and other toxins and causes of food borne illness, thereby facilitating easy removal of such products or batch from markets and communication of such issues to the production and supply chain. In the changed world where consumers are entitled for informed decisions, traceability boosts overall consumer satisfaction and the sustainability of spices sector, she said.
Talking on the theme of disruption in spice quality standards, European Spice Association chairman Nils Meyer Pries said the road ahead for quality assurance in spices is the convergence of world for harmonisation of standards, and developing an information system where the consumer can examine quality and safety of any produce with reference to its origin and international standards.
He said digital platforms could be put to use to manage traceability by collecting, storing, processing and disseminating data regarding farming, harvesting, processing, packaging and distribution. Cost effective numeric and alphanumeric bar coding, Matrix bar coding and other labels when linked with automated systems or mobile technology allows immediate retrieval of product information from anywhere, Nils Meyer said at the conference hosted by All India Spices Exporters Forum.
Explaining the merits of traceability, Cheryl Deem, executive director, American Spice Trade Association said the technological innovations in traceability has enabled quick and accurate identification of contamination, pesticide residue and other toxins and causes of food borne illness, thereby facilitating easy removal of such products or batch from markets and communication of such issues to the production and supply chain. In the changed world where consumers are entitled for informed decisions, traceability boosts overall consumer satisfaction and the sustainability of spices sector, she said.