Batch-based traceability for pork: A mobile solution with 2D barcode technology.

As an animal-derived food, pork provides Chinese consumers with important nutritional value. The frequent safety incidents related to pork-made food have led the government and public advocate that a traceability system is as an effective means of controlling food quality and safety. This paper thus introduces a mobile pork quality and safety tracing system based on 2D (two-dimensional) barcode (also known as QR code) technology. First, literature search and field observations are used to evaluate the business processes in pork supply chain and key traceability information in the system. Then, a mobile solution based on 2D barcode technology for information collection, transformation, and delivery is designed. Finally, a pilot implementation in Jilin Province's Meat and Meat Products Safety Traceability and Regulatory Digitization Project is reported. The traceability system was integrated with the government supervision system to achieve the supervision and traceability of pork from source to table. Implementation results reveal that the system can realize batch-based traceability of pork, which greatly decreases traceability system cost. Additionally, the information verification mechanism between upstream and downstream players, as well as the full participation of consumers, enterprises, and the government, significantly improve the credibility of the traced information. • A pork mobile traceability system with 2D barcode technology has been developed. • The solution can trace all sections of the pork supply chain and coordinate the pork production process. • The solution is cost effective, easy to use, and credible. • The solution can support different stakeholders, e.g. companies, government, and consumers. • The effectiveness of the solution has been proved by a real government project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]