Albrecht’s Delafield Market Automates Supplier Food Traceability Process
Albrecht’s Delafield Market, a family-owned and -operated supermarket in Wisconsin’s Lake County, has become the most recent retailer to select the ReposiTrak Traceability Network (RTN) to automate the exchange of traceability data with its suppliers. The FDA’s FSMA 204 food traceability law mandates the exchange of information among supply chain operators to document a product’s journey through the supply chain, from point of origin to point of sale. Using RTN, Albrecht’s aims to streamline the traceability process for the supermarket and its suppliers.
“Food traceability is the law, and as a single-store operation it was especially important for us to make the process as easy as possible for our valued suppliers,” said Jordan Jeanpierre, co-owner of Albrecht’s Delafield Market. “Our suppliers will be able to send the data through RTN each time they send us a shipment. That will add yet another layer of safety to our supply chain and visibility to more information about the products we sell than we’ve ever had before.”
[RELATED: ReposiTrak Creates 1st No-Scan KDE Record for FSMA Compliance]
Food traceability involves the exchange of a complex set of data, referred to by the FDA as Key Data Elements or KDEs. Some KDEs can be printed on labels, such as the product description, traceability lot code (TLC) and information on where the product was made. Some required KDEs aren’t known at the time that labels are printed, however, and need to be sent electronically, every time a shipment is sent. RTN enables KDEs from any source, for any product, to be collected, organized and stored in a retrievable format in compliance with the FSMA 204 food traceability law and the individual needs of each retailer and wholesaler.
“It’s so important for retailers and wholesalers to follow the example of Albrecht’s and get started with their food traceability efforts now,” noted Randy Fields, chairman and CEO of Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak. “Our first step will be connecting with each supplier to help locate the required data and get it flowing through RTN. That data will be used to create the complete traceability records needed to meet the requirements of the FDA food traceability law and beyond.”
Albrecht’s Delafield Market’s suppliers have joined more than 8,000 suppliers that are already connecting with RTN to share traceability data with retailers and wholesalers across the United States.
