The mission of the Produce Traceability Initiative is to implement “supply chain-wide adoption of electronic traceability.” Since its inception a few years ago, it’s done a phenomenal job of improving traceability and creating safer end products for consumers. As an organization that’s required to be PTI-compliant, are you aware of the different rules and the role ERP plays?
The Purpose of the PTI Initiative
From 2001 to 2009, there were a series of food-related illness outbreaks that caught the eye of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and businesses at all points of the supply chain. From farming to distribution, businesses everywhere became hyperaware of the importance and need for better quality control and traceability measures.
The first major situation that illustrated the need for enhanced traceability was the 2006 E.coli outbreak in the fresh spinach market. The final straw was the June 2008 outbreak of salmonella which left 1,499 people sick, two dead, and hundreds of millions of dollars lost in tomato sales.
In 2008, the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) was born and a Steering Committee was appointed from more than 50 companies, including growers and farmers, packers and shippers, marketers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers.
The group spent the better part of ten months framing a solution and then drafted plan for implementation. The goal was to create a reasonable plan that would apply to the entire U.S. supply chain and any companies exporting goods to the U.S.
The PTI Initiative: Food for Thought
Since the PTI is still in a relatively early stage, not all members of the food industry have a clear understanding of what applies to them, how to remain compliant and what actions need to be taken. While it’s impossible to address every unique situation, here are some things to think about.
Why You Should Care
Here’s the deal: PTI compliance is not mandatory. It’s a voluntary initiative that each company can choose to participate in. With this in mind, your decision to pursue PTI compliance shouldn’t be due to fear or pressure. Instead, the hope is that you’ll come to genuinely appreciate the value of this program. Here are two specific reasons why you should care about it:
Helps isolate recalls. The business value of the PTI is that it helps isolate recalls so that each individual company in the industry isn’t affected by a product recall. In other words, when companies are PTI compliant, the recall can be traced and other partners can be cleared of any involvement. This prevents unnecessary damage to businesses that have no association with the problem.
Builds confidence in the industry. Consumers want to know that they’re purchasing food from companies that care about quality and integrity. When they see that the food industry is adopting advanced initiatives, they automatically develop more confidence in individual businesses like yours.
How You Can Get Started
If your business isn’t already implementing PTI best practices, don’t worry. More and more organizations are joining as the program matures. However, before getting started, it’s best to make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of the PTI.
Begin with education. You can visit the official PTI website to learn more, access resources, and get familiar with recent news and updates. Next, meet with your team and ensure everyone is on the same page. PTI compliance will not improve your business processes on its own. Instead, you need to establish the right procedures to be able to efficiently follow the PTI protocol.
The Role of ERP Software
The real value of the PTI is that it forces business to come to terms with their own internal polices, practices, and procedures. While many companies have already done this for years, it makes compliance even more important and timely than it was in the past.
For the last few years, ERP has played a significant role in traceability – and the PTI in particular. Features within ERP software allow business to increase accuracy, enhance visibility, and establish efficiencies that don’t compromise food safety.
One specific area where ERP helps businesses remain compliant is with automated labeling and barcoding. PTI requires every individual carton or case of food to have a specific label. State of the art ERP solutions streamline this labeling process and make it easier than ever to efficiently handle the process and accurately forecast demand.
Ready for a specialized food ERP? Learn more about Aptean Food & Beverage ERP JustFood Edition — a solution purpose-built to solve your challenges and propel your food business and digital transformation to the next level.
