A popular saying goes; "Ignorance is bliss," but what if what you don't know about your food could actually kill you? We rarely stop to consider the journey our food takes before it lands on our plates. When and where was it grown? How was it processed and stored? This information might seem trivial, but considering that food-borne illnesses affect about 91 million people and are estimated to cause 137,000 deaths in Africa each year, it suddenly takes on new importance.

Still, a bigger picture exists beyond avoiding unhealthy food. Many conventional agricultural practices, while efficient in the short term, can harm the environment. By continually consuming food produced through these methods, you contribute to environmental damage.

How Food Traceability Puts You in Control

A recent publication shows that consumers want reassurance about what they put in their stomachs and how it was made. They want to know how fresh, natural, safe, and healthy their food is. They need details on growing and handling practices and their impact on the environment.

The US Food and Drug Administration describes food traceability as a modern food safety approach to prevent the spread of food-borne diseases while the FAO defines food traceability as “the ability to follow the movement of a food through specified stage(s) of production, processing and distribution”. This means every detail about a product’s journey from farm to fork is recorded and this data is made available to consumers.

This transparency empowers you to make informed decisions that go beyond simply taste. It allows consumers to access detailed information about their food, putting them in control of what they put in their bodies. By tracking a food item's journey, consumers can choose products that align with their priorities and support sustainable practices. But how does this system actually work?

Components of an Effective Food Traceability System

Commodities travel a long distance from farmers to consumers and every definitive part of the commodity’s journey has to be recorded. However, in Africa where most farmers are smallholders with limited resources and infrastructure for record keeping, building an effective traceability system will be daunting. Despite these hurdles, Africans are actively seeking solutions. Ghana, for instance, is developing a Cocoa Traceability System to digitally track cocoa beans from farm to export, using farmer registration, GPS coordinates, and tagging to follow cocoa through the supply chain. A potential weak link is data reliability and establishing trust with supply chain actors on the credibility of the information provided.

This initiative and a few others across Africa hold considerable promise. To successfully implement a functional and effective traceability system in Africa, we must learn from examples of successful attempts and borrow structures and best practices from these initiatives.

In 2019, Walmart partnered with IBM to track mangoes using blockchain technology. Each fruit received a unique code that allowed them to trace the origin, processing details, and even the shipping container the mango traveled in. Similarly, following a deadly E. coli outbreak in 2018, California implemented a marketing agreement that mandates traceability standards for leafy green producers, processors, and distributors.

Breaking down these relatively successful traceability attempts reveals that having the right data captured is only half the battle. Consistent data recording formats are crucial to pass clear and accurate information. An effective traceability system needs to define the level at which the items are being tracked; as a whole pallet, individual cartons, or single packages. This will be the traceable unit. A unique code or means of identification should be attached to each traceable unit for easy data linking. Relevant information at each stage, including origin (farm or processor), processing details (date and location), and destination is captured and recorded in detail.

These details are uploaded on a traceability software that manages data collection, storage, and analysis. This can be a centralized system or a decentralized blockchain like Walmart's mango tracking system mentioned earlier.

Lastly, effective food traceability requires a team effort. Clear communication protocols for efficient data exchange should be established between participants in the supply chain. These participants - farmers, processors, distributors, and retailers need to share true and accurate information.

Food traceability is a powerful tool that empowers consumers to make informed choices. By knowing the journey of their food, consumers can support sustainable practices, prioritize their health, and hold businesses accountable. As traceability systems in Africa continue to evolve, the future of food promises to be one of transparency, trust, and conscious consumption.