The Guarantee behind Farm Exports -- Food Traceability Systems

This article was written by Teng Sue-feng and published by The Sinorama Magazine, Vol. 30, No. 6, June 2005. It details the efforts of Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) to help promoting Taiwan's agricultural products to the international market. In the interest of the health of domestic and international customers, the COA has designed and implemented a system of detailed production records, which gives "ID cards" to fruits, vegetables and meats. These "ID cards" allow consumers to trace their entire production history from farm to fork, hence forging a bond of trust between producers and consumers. It also means that from now on, all agricultural products exported from Taiwan will be traceable and auditable.