IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center will bring together key stakeholders in the food system to create the first single, not-for-profit, unbiased scientific entity focused on product tracing. The Center will improve response time to foodborne outbreaks, reduce the scope of recalls, and conduct root-cause analysis to encourage efficient traceability practices, ultimately benefiting both companies and consumers.

The Fundamentals of Food Traceability
Dec. 11, 2013 12 p.m. CT
Product tracing has emerged as a critical means to follow key information about the attributes and origin of products—from farm to processing to retail and food service, or to the family table. Attendees will learn common traceability terminology, what is driving food traceability today, traceability laws and regulations, the importance of traceability, traceability challenges, and operational principles of traceability. Speakers will include Dr Hilary S Thesmar, CFS, Vice President of Food Safety Programs at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Brian Sterling, Senior Program Advisor, IFT Global Food Traceability Center.

Traceability Technology and How It Improves Your Bottom Line
Dec. 12, 2013 12 p.m. CT
Accurate and accessible data is paramount to quick action in the event of a recall. The need for traceability technology is essential as consumer awareness increases, regulatory and border protection standards change and product recalls become more costly and frequent for small to mid-sized companies. Attendees will learn about current traceability technology and its role in traceability, benefits of incorporating traceability technology into current business processes, and specific solutions that can help business practices. Speakers will include Dr Hilary S Thesmar, CFS, Vice President of Food Safety Programs at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Brian Sterling, Senior Program Advisor, IFT Global Food Traceability Center, and Paul Lothian, Business Solutions Architect, Tyson Foods, Inc.

Learn more about the IFT Global Food Traceability Center at ift.org/gftc.aspx , and stay tuned for details on additional webcasts.