The footprint of food - A suggested traceability solution based on EPCIS

The management of agri-food supply chains is a complex task, being not less complicated through the increasing globalisation of agri-food markets. Together with globalisation comes harsh competition on price, increasing variety of products, longer transport distances and more complicated supply chains. Due to several food scandals the latest decades, governments and consumers are increasingly concerned with food safety. This implicates a need for extensive changes in the agri-food supply chains with regard to transparency, integration and food-tracking technologies. The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss a traceability solution for food supply chains based on the EPC Information Services (EPCIS).