PTI Leadership Council asks for volunteers for the technology working group 

There is a growing need for enhanced traceability solutions, and industry associations leading the Produce Traceability Initiative are calling for industry members to join the Enhancing Traceability Through Technology Working Group. 

The International Fresh Produce Association, Canadian Produce Marketing Association, GS1 U.S. and GS1 Canada issued the call to action, according to a news release. The move came after the PTI leadership council recently considered recommendations to enhance traceability with a focus on technologies that support implementation.

The Enhancing Traceability Through Technology Working Group will bring together individuals from across the supply chain, regardless of technical expertise, according to the release.

“We’ve made great strides with PTI implementation and industry compliance,” Ed Treacy, IFPA’s vice president of supply chain and sustainability, said in the release. “While our technological capabilities grow, we are also seeing a growing need for enhanced traceability solutions. The purpose of this working group is to leverage these existing efforts, and also to consider how our entire fresh produce sector can benefit from further implementation of traceability solutions.”  

The group, the release said, will focus on two-dimensional barcodes on case labels, best practices in traceability data sharing, radio-frequency identification guidance for implementing traceability, Global Location Number guidance and education, and potentially creating a repository for lot number definition schemas. 

Participation in the working group is limited to members of the PTI associations (IFPA, CPMA, GS1 U.S. and GS1 Canada). Technical experts in the areas of focus are encouraged, but even those without technical expertise are welcome to participate, the release said. 

All interested in participating in the Enhancing Traceability Through Technology Working Group can contact Ryan Richard at rrichard@gs1us.org or Jane Proctor at jproctor@cpma.ca  All those interested should reach out to the organizers by March 25, the release said.