Method for tracking the production history of food products

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method of tracking food products, preferably organic products and meat products, throughout a growing or production process operation to enable verification of product origination and to provide a record of what production methods, additives and treatments were used to produce the food product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the food industry, and particularly in the meat industry, devoted to the production and processing of beef, veal, lamb, pork, poultry, fish and seafood, there is a lack of any satisfactory method for tracking the production history of an individual product. Without such a method, it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify the source of problems that arise at the consumer level. There exists a long-felt but unsolved need to establish a system capable of identifying and verifying the source and origin of a food product that transcends all steps involved in the meat production process.

The consequences stemming from the absence of a satisfactory tracking method have been severe. A recent E. coli outbreak in the Pacific Northwest resulted in the deaths of several youths. USDA investigators were unable to trace the outbreak back to any point of origin. Instead, investigators had to be content with identifying nine meat processing plants that supplied hamburger meat to a national fast food chain. The actual source of contamination and the individual animal carcasses involved will forever remain a mystery. In response to the deficiencies of the present system, government officials and consumers alike are demanding that a solution to the problem be found.

The lack of a satisfactory food product tracking system also has significant economic ramifications. For example, the export market for beef to Europe has been curtailed due to the animal raising practices used in the U.S. The Europeans have established guidelines for meat production that preclude the use of hormones or other growth stimulants in the animal growing process. Significant markets for U.S. products have remained essentially closed due to the present inability to certify that animal raising practices used in the U.S. comply with stringent European requirements.

With the rise of free markets and the awareness of a global economy, a system is required that can identify food products that cross international boundaries. Health and safety regulations with respect to food products differ in various countries and a system is required that can verify the source and origin of products to ensure compliance with such varied regulations. Attitudinal barriers also exist in various countries that prevent the establishment of a true free market. For example, some Japanese have shown a preference for Australian beef as opposed to U.S. beef based upon a belief that the hygienic practices used in Australia are better than those used in the U.S. A system is required that enables the tracing back of process steps so that such concerns are addressed.

The formation of a suitable means of inventory control and identification system for food products presents several challenges. By way of example, the production cycle for some meat products takes several years. In the case of cattle, the cycle from birth to consumption may take in excess of ten years. Second, ownership of an animal may change several times before any meat product is sold to a consumer. An animal may be born and raised by one segment of the industry, grown to production weight by another, slaughtered by still another, processed by another, and finally distributed through an extensive and complex system to reach the ultimate consumer. At present, there is no suitable system in place to readily identify the chain of custody of a meat product throughout its production history.

The present methods employed in the purchasing of meat animals also presents difficulties. For example, raisers and growers of animals are paid for their production based upon live animal weight. In contrast, slaughterers, fabricators, distributors, retailers, and consumers purchase meat based upon type, quality and weight. Raisers and growers of animals are therefore not compensated based upon the lean meat content produced by the animals they raise. In the absence of any direct incentive to provide leaner animals, raisers and growers are content to accept a pricing structure that values lean animals as much as fat-ladened animals. Consumer demand for leaner meat products has had little effect on the industry practice of raising animals containing significant amounts of fat. No satisfactory method presently exists to determine the actual lean meat production of an individual animal and to compensate ranchers and growers on that basis. This deficiency in the present system rewards raisers and growers for producing products that consumers are not demanding and precludes the establishment of a compensation system that encourages better animal raising practices.

Due to the complexity of the meat production process, it is difficult for a raiser to determine the efficiency of their animal raising practices. Although information is available with respect to the genetic traits of meat animals in general, a raiser has no means of determining the actual meat production efficiency of his particular breeding program. Because animals are typically purchased on the open market, any information relating to improvements in meat production efficiency is lost due to the non-individualized production procedures currently practiced. Since no unifying means of identification presently exists, production efficiencies in various segments cannot be measured and valuable information regarding animal raising practices is therefore unavailable.

With respect to food products in general, problems have arisen relating to the tracking of chemical agents used to extend the shelf life of food products. For example, Alar use on apples, sulfite use in the wine industry, use of irradiation as a preservation method, and MSG use in a variety of food products, have created significant consumer concerns. A method is required to assure consumers that the food products they purchase and consume are free from undesired agents (or that contain an amount or level of particular agents, whether or not such agents are inherently considered undesirable) and that such foods can be verified as being produced in accordance with certain procedures.

In response to consumer demands, some producers have opted to pursue "niche" markets. These markets include, but are not limited to, natural, organic, nutritional content, health benefit, or low fat labeled products. The USDA has recognized the difficulty in certifying these claims for labeling purposes. Many of these claims could be justified if a system existed which could verify a producer's claims. With the advent of USDA guidelines for organic labels, a system is required to certify that a product has been organically produced. Such requirements, however, do not readily lend themselves to any type of verification and thus do not prevent unscrupulous producers, for example, from falsely marketing products as "organic." The USDA has recognized the difficulties involved in certifying certain claims for labeling purposes, but to date there is no satisfactory system that allows for the production process of food products to be verified.

To address the concerns as expressed above, a need exists for a consistent method of identification and trace back of food products, and particularly meat products, to ensure that the source and quality of such products can be verified.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method for tracking the production history of food products, and particularly meat products, to enable verification of the origin of such products and to trace back the source of problems that may arise at the consumer level of product distribution. Use of the present method provides needed information to a broad spectrum of individuals and groups to remedy a plethora of present problems. For example, the present invention provides food producers with feedback about their production practices, consumers are provided with a method to ensure the veracity of food safety and product claims, the Food Safety Inspection Service is provided with a method to monitor and trace pathogens in animals, and State Livestock Brand Inspection Agencies are able to track the sale and transfer of animals based upon an individual animal's identity. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) can also be tracked to assist operators in improving their HACCP programs. The present invention allows third party verifiers to control and administer their specific product identification certifications. Environmental organizations are provided with a system for monitoring and tracking grazing practices of wild and domestic animals. Moreover, international organizations are provided with a process to identify the source and quality of food products transferred across international boundaries.

The present invention involves the generation of a Tracking Number (TN) identifying a particular food product at a certain point in the production process. By way of illustration, a meat producing animal is preferably identified with a TN at birth. The Tracking Number is maintained as the animal is transferred from raiser, to feedlot, to slaughterhouse, fabrication plant, distributor, and finally to the ultimate consumer. After an animal is slaughtered, labels (or tags) displaying the Tracking Number are generated for each quarter of the animal. Subsequent labels are generated to identify specific portions of meat produced during the fabrication of the animal, and further labels are generated that accompany the portion of meat ultimately sold to a retail customer. The labels produced during the process are periodically scanned in different stages of the process to add additional information thereto, such as the weight of meat portions, meat shrinkage, grade, microbacterial condition, etc.

In one embodiment, a tagging system is provided to trace a processed meat product back to the animals from which such product was made. A production lot number is created to designate the identity of the animals making up the processed meat product sold to a customer, such lot number capable of being used to later identify the source and origin of the animals used to produce the retail product.

Other aspects of the present invention include a way to calculate the compensation to be paid to animal producers based upon the lean meat content of individual animals. Yet another aspect of the present method relates to the tracking of pathogens and residues to the point of origin. Moreover, the present invention is directed to a method for tracking the type of substances that a food product has been exposed to during its development, including, for example, the substances ingested by an animal, the medicines administered to such animal and the environmental conditions under which the animal was raised. Finally, the present invention provides a method for verifying product claims made by producers of conventionally, organically or naturally produced foods. A tracking number can also be used in tracking origin and production information for non-food products, such as cotton, tobacco, mineral supplements, etc.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed for tracking the production history of a food product by affixing a label to a food product, such label having identifying numbers or letters thereon, recording additional information during the processing of the food product and correlating such information with the identifying numbers or letters on the affixed label. As used herein, the term "processing" generally refers to the progress of a product from its origin to its final form, and more particularly refers to the growing, harvesting, smoking, cooking, grinding, cutting, seasoning, freezing, and/or curing of a product. A means, such as a computer database, is provided for accessing the information by referring to the label. Such method is useful in the processing of a variety of foods products, including animal byproducts, vegetables, fruits, grains, vitamins and mineral supplements. The present invention is particularly useful when the food comprises a meat animal and is also particularly useful in verifying that a particular food product was produced pursuant to a specified process, for example, an organic or natural process. The labels used can contain information in human readable form, but are preferably capable of being read by an electronic device and of having the information encoded thereon accessed by a computer. As such, labels are preferably bar-coded tags, magnetically coded tags or implanted identification devices and are preferably made of metal, plastic, glass, fiberglass or composite materials that can be readily sanitized. Labels can take the form of ear tags, tattoos, leg bands or fin clips. In one embodiment, at least one of the additional labels produced during the processing of the food product has an adhesive backing permitting the attachment of the label to a retail product package. The types of information referenced or included on such labels can comprise the weight of the product after specific processing steps, microbacterial profiles of the product, date and time of processing of the product, the original and subsequent producers of the product, as well as other pertinent information relating to the product's identifying characteristics such as the organic and/or natural status of the product, nutritional information, genetic information, lean-to-fat ratio, medical history, agent exposure information including chemical, additive, residue, hormone and radioactive agents.

In one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for determining the animal of origin from which an animal byproduct is derived. As used herein, an "animal byproduct" comprises any product that can be derived from an animal, including, but not limited to, the meat, bones, milk, hide, and edible and inedible offal, such as blood, tissue, organs (e.g., brain, heart, liver, tongue, lungs, etc.), feathers, semen, ovum and excrement of an animal. Animals from which byproducts may be derived include those selected from the group of poultry, bovine, porcine, equine, sheep, fish, shellfish and wild game. Pursuant to such method, an animal is coded with a first identification tag, slaughtered, its hide is removed and the first tag is maintained with the animal carcass. The animal is then subsequently fabricated into various portions, each of such portions identified with an additional coded tag having at least the information contained on the first coded tag. Preferably, animals are slaughtered after all chemical, additive, residue, hormone and radioactive agents withdrawal periods have been observed. Moreover, while labeling of animals can be performed at any time during the animal's life and processing, animals are preferably labeled within about three months from birth, and more preferably at birth.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for determining the identity and origin of food products, and particularly, animals used to produce processed food products, for instance, ground meat products. In one such embodiment, the date and time at which an animal carcass is received at a fabrication plant is recorded. The time necessary to fabricate the animal is determined, particularly the time at which a combination of various meat portions from individual animals is made during the fabrication process. Meat portions from various individual animals are then combined and the combination of such meat portions is identified, preferably by a lot symbol, which can be a number, letter, word, color or other identifying representation. The time at which the combination of various meat portions is performed is recorded. Finally, by correlating the time of receipt of an animal carcass with the time at which a combination of individual meat portions is made, together with the time necessary for processing the animal, (at least to the point of combination of various meat portions from individual animals) the individual animals from which a particular processed meat product is derived can be determined.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for determining the lean meat production of an animal. An animal identification tag is affixed to a particular animal, the animal is weighed prior to fabrication and subsequent to fabrication, and the weight of lean meat portions derived from an individual animal is determined. Using such information, the lean meat production of an individual animal can be determined by correlating the weight of the animal prior to fabrication with the weight of the meat portions derived from said animal after fabrication.

Using the present method, breeding strategies can be improved by facilitating the selection of genetic traits, feeding regimens and production methods that enhance the lean meat production of an animal. The method can also be utilized to compensate ranchers based upon the lean meat value of an animal rather than upon the conventional means of economic compensation used in the industry.

Yet a further embodiment of the present invention relates to the tracking of pathogens or residues in an animal byproduct. This method entails the affixing of a first identification tag to an animal prior to the fabrication of the animal. The animal is fabricated in a manner so that meat derived from the animal is identified with an additional identification tag containing at least the information present on the first identification tag. The meat derived from an animal is tested for the presence of pathogens or residues at any point during the production process, preferably just prior to the packaging of the meat product. In such a manner, individual animals from which pathogen-containing meat is derived can be determined by referencing the additional identification tag.

Among the unique features of the present invention is the production of identification labels throughout a production process rather than having a specific number of tags generated at the beginning of an identification process. The tags and labels used in the present process are preferably designed so as to permit effective sanitation and/or sterilization of such tags and labels, thereby maintaining sanitary conditions during the processing of food products. Conventional tagging systems often utilize tags made of materials that do not facilitate the maintenance of hygienic conditions due, for example, to the paper booklet-type nature of duplicate identification tags. Such tags tend to be prone to damage and/or contamination with undesirable microorganisms and material, making them unsuitable for use in a sanitary food production operation.

Unlike conventional systems, the present invention utilizes computers to scan labels produced during a production process to input information into a computer database for later retrieval and access. In particular embodiments of the present invention, labels are provided that can be peeled from tags attached directly to food products so that such labels can be easily peeled and attached to packages containing such food products. The present method is flexible in that additional identification tags can be created dependent upon the type of product being processed and the type and quantity of information being recorded. The products subject to identification using the present method include food products, vitamins, mineral supplements, animal meat and byproducts (such as offal, bones, hide, etc.), as well as non-food products such as tobacco, cotton, etc. The present method provides a system for verifying that a particular production process was carried out (i.e., whether a product was conventionally, organically or naturally produced). The product information numbers used in the present method to identify particular products during a production process not only permit the tracking of particular information, such as weight, ownership, production history, etc., but also provide a means for distinguishing individual portions of a product that has been disassembled and/or fabricated. The present process can be utilized to identify both fresh as well as frozen food products and can further be used to record information relating to the storage, shelf life and microbiological profiles of such products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a drawing denoting the various types of Tracking Number (TN) labels used for identifying animals and animal portions during a production process.

FIG. 2 is an example of one type of Production Information Number (PIN) tag used for identifying products.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing an Animal Tracking Number (A-TN) in the form of a bar-coded ear tag for an animal and the transfer of the tag in a plastic bag for affixation to an animal carcass.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing the labeling of various offal items of an animal with a coded identity.

FIG. 5 shows the transfer of a Tracking Number (TN) from a carcass to designate pre-cut individual carcass quarters.

FIG. 6 shows how quarters are weighed and Quarter Production Identification Number (Q-PIN) tags are generated to identify each quarter by its corresponding weight and Quarter Tag Number.

FIG. 7 shows the generation of Production Tracking Numbers (P-TNs) for quarters previously labeled with Quarter Production Identification Numbers (Q-PIN) and Quarter Tracking Numbers and the attachment of such P-TNs to the quarters of a carcass.

FIG. 8 shows the recording of the weights of quarters as identified by the scanning of each Q-PIN affixed to each quarter, as well as the affixing of Production Tracking Numbers (P-TN) to specific sites on each quarter prior to fabrication thereof.

FIG. 9 shows the fabrication of a quarter into its respective primal and sub-primal cuts and the maintenance of Product Tracking Numbers (P-TN) during the fabrication and packaging process.

FIG. 10 illustrates the recording of weight for each vacuum packaged item, the correlation of such weight information to the item and the recording of such information into a database.

FIG. 11 shows the grouping of like product items into boxes and the generation of a Box Production Identification Number (B-PIN) indicating the identity and weight of the box.

FIG. 12 shows the scanning and recording of each Box Production Information Number (B-PIN), the scanning of each individual (P-TN), and the subsequent generation of Retail Tracking Number (R-TN) labels that are attached to each primal in a box of primals.

FIG. 13 demonstrates the tracking and label production process for a process