Good Hygiene Practices along the coffee chain

Module 3.6

Product Information and

Traceability / Product Tracing
 Objectives

 To make stakeholders aware that adequate

product information is required to ensure food
product safety and suitability
 To update stakeholders on international
discussions on traceability of foods in
international trade
 To make stakeholders aware of what product
information should be provided in the
marketing of green coffee

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 2
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Outline

 General concepts of product information and

product tracing in the food sector
 What is traceability and how is it being applied
to food trade internationally?
 Transfer of product information along the
coffee marketing chain
 At the point of export
 In local marketing

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 3
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Product information and product tracing
 Need for product information along the food chain
 Ensure adequate information being available to next person in
the chain to allow them to handle, store, process, prepare and
display the product safely and correctly.
 Ensure batch/lot can be easily identified and recalled if
necessary.

 Long-standing international agreement on product

information and food labelling requirements
 Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene
 Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged
Foods

 Product information not always related to hygiene

issues – also related to general quality considerations

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 4
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Food product marketing and labelling

 Lot identification
 ‘Lot’ means ‘...a definitive quantity of a commodity produced
essentially under the same conditions’
 Lot identification is essential in product recall and also helps stock
rotation
 Product labelling
 For pre-packaged foods, the Codex General Standard for the
labelling of pre-packaged foods applies (Codex Stan 1-1985 (Rev. 1-
1991))
 National food labelling standards are generally harmonised with the
international Codex standard
 Labelling of green coffee for export is governed by the rules of the
ICO certificate of country of origin

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 5
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Codex and traceability

 Discussion of ‘traceability’ at international level is

relatively recent
 Codex definition of traceability / product tracing
 ‘...the ability to follow the movement of a food through
specified stages of production, processing and distribution’
 Some Codex texts make reference to ‘traceability /
product tracing’
 Principles for risk analysis of foods derived from modern
biotechnology
 Code of practice for good animal feeding
 Code of practice for fish and fish products

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 6
Traceability / Product Tracing
 EU regulation on traceability

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002

 Definition ‘…the ability to trace and follow a food, feed, food-
producing animal or substance intended to be, or expected to be
incorporated into a food or feed, through all stages of production,
processing and distribution.’

 Article 18, Paragraph 2 ‘Food business operators shall be able to

identify any person from whom they have been supplied with a
food or any substance intended to be, or expected to be,
incorporated into a food.
To this end, such operators shall have in place systems and
procedures which allow for this information to be made available
to the competent authorities on demand.’

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 7
Traceability / Product Tracing
 EU regulation on traceability

 Article 18, Paragraph 3 ‘Food business operators shall have in

place systems and procedures to identify the other business to
which their products have been supplied. This information shall be
made available to the competent authorities on demand.’

‘One Step Up / One Step Down’ approach

Reference:
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 8
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Traceability / product tracing in the coffee sector

 Why are some stakeholders in the coffee sector interested in being

updated on international discussions on traceability / product
tracing?
 Most of the coffee produced is traded internationally
 Rules of international trade are germane to the coffee sector

 Key characteristics of the coffee sector

 Annual global production amounts to ~ 7 million tons green
coffee/year
 Over 75% is exported to consuming countries
 About 95% of export is in the form of green coffee
 Most green coffee is exported in 20 ton containers, either in bulk or in
bags
 About ¾ of world coffee production is by smallholders in about 60
different tropical countries

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 9
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Information required for
export of green coffee
 Official documentation / marking required to
accompany coffee exports (in bags and / or sealed
containers)

ICO Certificates of Country of Origin

 Prescribed format to be duly stamped by customs
 Specifying: exporter, producing country, port, country of
destination, unique ICO identification mark (also on bags) and
description of coffee
 Copies of documents to be sent to ICO
References:
ICO-document: EB 3775/01
Coffee: An exporter’s guide (ITC-UNCTAD-WTO, Geneva 2002)

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 10
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Coffee quality and safety:
significance of ICO certification
 ICO minimum standards for exportable coffee
 Arabicas: less than 86 defects per 300 g (NY-
classification/Brazilian method)
 Robustas: less than 150 defects per 300 g
(Vietnam/Indonesian classification)
 Moisture between 8 and 12.5% (w/w)
 No issue of Certificate of Origin in case of non-compliance
 Other product information is commonly required as part
of commercial contracts
Reference: ICO document: ICC Resolutions 407/02 and 420

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 11
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Product information: coffee grade markings

 A variety of coffee grading systems exist in

different coffee-producing countries
 Harmonization of grading systems would enhance
transparency and facilitate trade
 Relevant international grades/ grading systems for
visual defects include:
 ICO minimum quality standards for exportable coffee
(ICO Resolutions 407 and 420)
 ISO Green Coffee Defect Reference Chart

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 12
Traceability / Product Tracing
 ISO green coffee defect reference chart

 ISO 10470:2004 defines defects into 5

categories independent of Arabica/Robusta:
 Foreign matter, non-bean coffee matter, irregular
formed beans, irregular visual appearance and off-
taste coffee
 Rates them with respect to loss of mass and
sensorial concern
 Application example is included
 Can be used to specify terms of purchasing
contracts between trading parties

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 13
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Product information:
EU commercial requirements
 ‘European Contract for Coffee’ (E.C.C.) defines
arrangements for transfer of green coffee from
exporter/seller to buyer concerning:
 Weight  Shipment
 Packing  On-carriage
 Quality  Advice of Shipment
 Samples  Insurance
 Freight  Shipping Documents
 Port of Destination  Payment
 Claims and Arbitration
Link: www.ecf-coffee.org

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 14
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Product information:
US commercial requirements
 ‘Green Coffee Association (of New York) Contracts’ are digitized
(available in XML language format from GCA)
 They define
 Contract Type (FCA/FOB/CFR/CIF/DAF)  Price
 Weighing (when, where, by whom)  Contracting Parties
 Quantity and Packaging  Delivery and Payment
 Position, Period and Tender
 Quality (a.o. country of origin, max. moisture)
 They have as particular item the ‘no pass no sale’ clause for the
obligatory FDA sanitation check

References:
www.green-coffee-assoc.org
FDA/NCA booklet: ‘Health and Safety in the
Importation of Green Coffee into the United States’

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 15
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Product information flow in the
internal marketing of coffee
 ICO resolutions/ formal contracts/ other
agreements define minimum characteristics and
info at specific points in the coffee chain.
 Prevention of contamination must involve all
participants at all points of the chain
 Following marketing chain diagrams show that
coffee flows are quite complex and variable –
this complicates the transfer of product
information along the chain

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 16
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Indonesia robusta marketing

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 17
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Kenya coffee marketing
Farmers
(Co-operatives)

Estate Farmers Co-operative Factories

Co-operative Societies

Millers
(3 commercial and 4 private)

Marketing Agents

Nairobi Coffee Exchange (= Auction)

Coffee Dealers

Exporters

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 18
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Obstacles to product information
flow in the internal marketing of coffee

 Extreme resource limitations for upstream

operators to maintain documentation/ record
keeping systems
 There is much pooling of coffee at the levels
from small traders down to the mill – difficult
to maintain product history in mainstream
marketing
 Traceability upstream of the mill, in most
cases, is practically impossible

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 19
Traceability / Product Tracing
 What can we know about coffee
in internal marketing chains?

 National regulations may stipulate ‘allowed’ product

characteristics (max. moisture, max. residence time in
marketing chain, facility requirements, handling
requirements, etc.)
 National competent authorities often do not have the
capacity to enforce regulations
 ‘Actual’ product characteristics may not meet ‘allowed’
values
 According to the characteristics of the marketing chain,
national authorities can determine meaningful and
practicable documentation/ record keeping at various
stages of the chain

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 20
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Main strategy in preventing contamination

 Main assurance of acceptable quality of coffee comes

through promoting good practises
 Training and awareness-raising to all stakeholders
 Creating incentives and suitable policy environment
 Buyers’ stipulation of minimum quality requirements
and identification of acceptable suppliers is an
effective way of ‘knowing your product’
 Many buying schemes link trained farmers to large traders or
exporters
 Training of many exporters is based on the European Coffee
Federation Code of Practice

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 21
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Product information flow in
‘specialty’ coffee marketing

 There are strict product information requirements for

many specialty coffees
 Premium quality single origins
 Organic
 Fair trade
 Sustainable production, etc
 Mechanisms for maintaining systems of documentation
and record keeping are possible in the coffee chain
under certain conditions (small proportion of market
volume / substantial price incentives)

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 22
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Summary

 Several official documents, standards and contracts

define product characteristics and info at specific
points in the coffee chain
 Adequate product information is required
throughout entire chain to ensure food safety
 National authorities should establish ‘appropriate’
requirements for documentation and record
keeping in local coffee chain

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 23
Traceability / Product Tracing
 Summary

 Identification of ‘approved suppliers’ by

economic operators in the coffee chain can help
in achieving quality and safety goals
 EU regulation requires ‘One step up / One step
down’ traceability
 Exported lots are in principle traceable
backward as far as the mill for most mainstream
coffee marketing

Module 3.6 – Product Information and

Slide 24
Traceability / Product Tracing