Demand for Tracking and Tracing Information Standards and Its Effects on Food Supply Chains

Paper in proceeding, 2012

Purpose: The purpose is to identify the demands for tracking and tracing information standards for management of material flow in food Supply Chains (SCs) and to identify the potential effects of using the information standards on different SC actors. Research approach: An in-depth case study of a Swedish fish SC is conducted. Operations of different actors of the SC are investigated for the study. Findings and Originality: Effects of using information standards are on: providing tracking and tracing information to customers; reducing costs and time spent on inter-organizational information sharing; reducing costs and time spent on internal handling of goods; reducing inventory time; reducing costs and time spent on labelling of goods; reducing risks of theft; and reducing risks of fraud. The findings indicate that the standards might be effective on activities of all the SC actors. The in-depth investigation to provide knowledge on the demands for tracking and tracing information standards in food SCs is original. Research impact: The main contribution of the paper is to the field of tracking and tracing in SC management context. Practical impact: The paper helps the practitioners to identify the weaknesses of the current tracking and tracing systems and highlights the demands for better control via adoption of the information standards.