PTI working groups release guidance documents on case-level traceability

Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) working groups representing every facet of the produce supply chain recently developed two new guidance documents to help industry leverage current investments in case-level traceability for additional business benefits. The PTI guidance documents for “Sharing Trace-Back Data” and for “Global Location Number (GLN) Assignment” are now available on the PTI website.

“While PTI continues to focus on traceability, the use of standardized product identification along with electronic data sharing create additional opportunities for supply chain visibility,” said Doug Grant, co-chair of the PTI Leadership Council and executive vice-president and chief operations officer of The Oppenheimer Group. “These new guidance documents provide guidance for advanced uses of traceability information for those companies that are looking to take traceability to the next level.”

The “PTI Guidance for Sharing Trace-Back Data” document provides guidance with respect to types and formats of data companies may be asked to provide to regulators, investigators and/or trading partners during a trace-back investigation, and to help identify and document the standard Key Data Elements (KDEs) and Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) needed in these situations.

The “PTI Guidance for Global Location Number (GLN) Assignment” document was created to define a standardized approach for the creation of location identifiers used in internal and external traceability systems; to promote efficient use of the brand owner’s GS1 Company Prefix; and to standardize location descriptions and geo-location assignment.

Click here to download these guidance documents and to learn more about PTI.