Traceability in the beef supply chain

Publication date: 09/06/2017
Extent: 28 pages

Contributions by: Daniel D. Buskirk and Tristan P. Foster, Michigan State University, USA

Chapter synopsis: Traceability, or rapid access to knowledge of the history, treatment and location of cattle and beef products through supply chains, is of paramount importance to food safety investigations, corrective actions and product recalls. This chapter defines traceability as applied to beef before describing in detail methods of unique identification for cattle, such as radio-frequency identification and DNA profiling. The chapter explores the traceability of beef offered by barcoding and provides a case study of cattle and beef traceability through a supply chain from farm to retail using a distributed network, along with detailed suggestions for further reading on the subject.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2016.0008.15