There has been a major push by consumers, retailers, and even the federal government to have the ability to trace produce from its point of origin to its point of purchase. Consumers now more than ever really want to know the origin of their product because of the recent food borne illness outbreaks. Also, consumers want fresh produce year round requiring increased importation of product. There are several pushes for reform, including the Produce Traceback Initiative and the Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749). While both of these documents are not pieces of legislation they still are highly recommended to all growers and shippers of fresh produce. It is clear that the wholesale produce industry needs to take a serious look at its internal processes and adapt a system that allows them to react to a food borne illness outbreak.
Wishnatzki Farms has chosen to utilize the FreshQC Traceback and Quality Improvement system. This system allows us to have direct communication with the consumer. The consumer leaves feedback associated with the purchased produce and the grower can find out valuable information about that product including what field that product came from, plant variety, plant date, and the picker just to name a few.
For more information on FreshQC visit www.FreshQC.com or www.VirtualOne.net