ReposiTrak has welcomed Haven Foods LLC to its ReposiTrak Traceability Network®, the traceability solution backed by industry for being easy to adopt at the lowest cost possible. Joining the network enables Haven Foods to seamlessly exchange traceability information from feed to store, between its fresh and frozen seafood suppliers and producers, and its retail and restaurant clients across the world.

ReposiTrak helps companies meet and exceed the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recently finalized Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204 (FSMA 204) rule on traceability (Traceability Final Rule). Haven Foods came to ReposiTrak with an objective to make full, end-to-end traceability a part of its everyday operation. As Haven Foods has grown, so have the number of forms and systems it was using to collect traceability information, which would have made FSMA 204 compliance next to impossible.

Although many of Haven Foods’ suppliers were sending traceability information to the company, there were inconsistencies in the formatting and level of detail provided. The suppliers, ranging from open-ocean fisheries in South America to farms in Asia, each adhere to the recordkeeping standards of their country and sometimes down to regional or local levels, which vary in granularity. For example, some suppliers were able to track the type of feed used in a specific plot of a pond, where others had no structured method to capture feed information. Data was most commonly sent to Haven Foods in spreadsheets, in the body of an email or contained in an attachment.

The trouble existed in extracting the data and organizing it in a way that allowed Haven Foods to share it with customers and use it for business insights. However, the ReposiTrak Traceability Network synchronizes data from suppliers in any format and makes it useable and accessible, at a cost that does not impact margin.

FDA published the Traceability Final Rule in November 2022, requiring companies that manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to establish and maintain Key Data Element (KDE) records for specific Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) in a product’s journey through the supply chain. As that product changes hands or changes form, a compounding string of data must be transferred between trading partners to provide full, end-to-end traceability. The FTL products sourced and distributed by Haven Foods include finfish species like tuna and tilapia, and crustacean species like shrimp and crab. Other examples of FTL categories are tomatoes, deli salads, nut butter, and leafy greens.

The ReposiTrak Traceability Network was developed in response to concerns brought forth by the Food Traceability Leadership Consortium, a group of industry trade organizations, wholesalers, and retailers that echoed Haven Foods’ concerns of finding a low-cost, easy-to-use traceability solution to meet and exceed the Traceability Final Rule requirements. Suppliers can connect to an unlimited number of trading partners in the network and begin sharing data for a low, flat fee, at no cost to retailers.

 Food supply chain operators interested in the ReposiTrak Traceability Network should contact representative Derek Hannum at DHannum@repositrak.com.

ReposiTrak: www.repositrak.com