An Introduction to Food Traceability

This chapter concerns the evolution of food traceability matters in the current market of traditional foods and beverages. At present, traceability is only one of the many requirements food industries are forced to comply with. These challenges are: microbiological failures affecting food safety; chemical and physical contaminants into food products; other product-related (intrinsic) menaces against food safety, in terms of consumers’ health; the demonstrable evidence of risk assessment in terms of clear and reliable documentation concerning safety, integrity, and legal designation of food and beverage products; and the evidence of continuous improvement by means of clear standard operative procedures, good manufacturing practices, and the execution of corrective/preventive actions against unavoidable food-related failures. The intrinsic connection between ‘evidence’ or ‘demonstration’ on the one side and the existence of documentations able to trace the production of foods and beverages on the other side should be established. This topic can be discussed by different viewpoints: the regulatory angle; technological perspectives; mathematical theories (networks, hubs, and nodes); and the opinion of food consumers. In addition, traceable food products may be also an interesting legacy for many geographical and ethnic cultures.