Meat + Poultry - September 2008 - 60

TRACEABILITY

animal is in the blood pit. It will get a
bar code at that point and have various
information added to it that will refer
back to that panel tag or that EID tag
that was on that animal. We're tracking
that ear- tag number right into the box
of boxed beef," Sands says, which includes one bar code containing product
information (including product cut and
production date) and another bar code
containing information about the live
animal (feedlot and ranch of origin).
"We're predicated on the idea that
some niche markets [natural, organic and exports] are best served in a
small-plant environment where you
can do more production breaks and
offer custom programs that aren't terribly huge."
The technology isn't currently available to PPP's domestic customers but
will be very soon, Sands says. The processor has been working with a regional supermarket chain in the U.S. and

an announcement will be made in the
next month or so. "This was originally
used to get premiums in the exports
markets," he says and even though it's
been adapted for higher volumes like
those in the U.S., the technology would
not be a feasible option for large processing operations. "You could not do
this in a 5,000 head per day facility," he
says, but for a lower-volume facility like
PPP's that operates at about 75 head per
hour, the technology is applicable and
beneﬁcial to customers.
In terms of costs, Sands says export
consumers are more than willing to pay
a few more cents per pound, which will
more than cover the would-be additional costs to domestic customers when it
becomes available.

Technology evolution
High Point, N.C.-based Computerway
Food Systems is another company with
a history of providing meat processors

Nature's Premium will use Identigen's DNA
Traceback system, a USDA Process Veriﬁed,
DNA-based system for product veriﬁcation.
(Photo courtesy of Nature's Premium Brand LLC)

with technology for tracing products at
the plant level. The company's president,
Bill Altenpohl, says CFS solutions reﬂect
the evolution of processors' needs as
their operations and technologies become more complex. Using a combination of computers, scanning and labeling hardware, processors are now
able to electronically track the ingredients used to produce value-added meat
products from start to ﬁnish. Using the
CFS R5z system, processors can monitor

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solutions are only part of the
value of working with Wolf-tec.
* Engineering and project management
suport - Our staff engineers develop
the process layout and help ensure
the project is successfully implemented.
* Processing and technical support - Our
highly-trained food technologists help
develop and formulate products and processes to improve
existing products or develop new products and proﬁtability.
* Service support - Our electrical, mechanical and automation
specialists ensure your success and are the reason why we've
received multiple service awards from our customers.
* Parts after-sale support - Our parts specialists provide timely
response, troubleshooting and delivery of critical parts to
keep your Wolf-tec equipment in production.

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60

MEAT&POULTRY

September 2008

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Meat + Poultry - September 2008

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