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IFT Develops Open-Source Module for Food Industry to Standardize Traceability Data
The Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT’s) Global Food Traceability Center has launched an open-source tool to strengthen interoperability across the food supply chain. The Traceability Driver is designed to make it easier for existing traceability software systems to transform their data into standardized formats, supporting sustainability and supply chain integrity by enabling seamless data exchange.
The Traceability Driver automates the conversion of traceability data into compliant formats and comes with a fully functional, pre-built Application Programming Interface (API) for efficient sharing. It is deployed locally, meaning organizations retain full control over their data while benefiting from interoperability. By reducing the effort and cost of meeting existing data standards, it allows organizations to focus on their core operations while maintaining alignment with global requirements.
As an open-source module, it can be installed by an existing software system to share traceability data in a standardized, interoperable way.
The solution is not only designed to make it easier for industry and technology partners to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204 (FSMA 204), also known as the Food Traceability Final Rule; it also supports harmonization with other regulations and industry practices, enhancing interoperable, end-to-end traceability that strengthens the integrity of global supply chains.
As part of the Traceability Driver’s development, agri-tech company Koltiva beta-tested the tool with its traceability system in order to successfully pass the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability’s (GDST’s) First Mile Aquaculture Capability Test. Before implementing the Traceability Driver, Koltiva often faced the challenge of aligning its traceability data with GDST and Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standards. EPCIS is GS1’s standardization method for tracing supply chain events.
Documented in a case study, Koltiva’s installation of the Traceability Driver was quick and easy, and the tool helped accelerate compliance efforts with the entire process—from installation to passing the test—taking roughly one month. Koltiva estimates a 60 percent reduction in development time, when compared to the time needed to build and develop its own APIs and reformat its data (approximately 3 to four months).
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