Product identity and traceability

In the European Union, ensuring and maintaining the free movement of goods is an essential principle of food and feed legislation (Regulation (EC) 178/2002, article 5). To protect the consumer, it must be ensured that only safe food and feed is placed on the market (Regulation (EC) 178/2002, article 14). In order to implement this requirement, complete proof of compliance with all legal requirements within the production, processing and distribution stages – including labelling – is necessary and regulated by law. Traceability is important, for example, for the identification and withdrawal of certain goods in the event of a crisis. Products with a specific geographical origin may be associated with an increased risk due to known adulteration or contamination or may be subject to a risk of as yet unknown origin (e.g. BSE).

Many food scandals in the past were based on fraudulent adulteration to feign a higher quality (e.g. glycol in wine, addition of Sudan red to spices). Proof of identity and origin therefore plays an important role in food safety. In particular, the increasing globalisation of the food market requires reliable strategies for verifying the identity of foodstuffs. The aim of these measures is to detect adulteration, which repeatedly poses a risk to consumers’ health (e.g. due to the addition of melamine to dairy products and feed). The adulteration of food and feed is a complex issue and is sometimes very difficult to detect analytically. All product adulterations have in common that they give the consumer the impression of a higher quality product. This can be achieved, for example, by adding inferior or even prohibited substances. On the one hand, changes can be of interest with regard to the authenticity of the food (type, origin, production, etc.). On the other hand, it is also important to recognise manipulations that are harmful to health or safety (mixtures, additives).

The traceability of food and feed is an essential instrument for legislators to ensure product safety at all stages of production and marketing. Strategies to proof the product traceability are generally based on documentation systems that allow a batch/lot to be identified. For reasons of preventive consumer protection, methods are required in food control that enable the verification of declarations and information – an authenticity testing – by analysing the food. In order to monitor compliance with applicable legal regulations in this area and the associated consumer protection, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is committed to developing and establishing further innovative analytical strategies (e.g. FTIR-based analysis) in addition to the routinely used methods such as stable isotope analysis.