The agribusiness industry is a truly diverse sector involving multiple role players. Role player activities range from farm production to storage and processing, to logistics and distribution, and finally to eventual wholesaling and retailing of foodstuffs to billions of consumers worldwide. As quality and price have grown in importance, the integrity of the industry has also become a relevant issue, as informed and globally aware consumers are becoming more demanding in this respect, as they are calling for specific standards and ethical behaviour from the industry. Trust between the consumer and food providers has been at the forefront for many years, especially in the developed world, and the industry spends billions in marketing and advertising to gain the trust of consumers.

Consumers also demand more transparent information on quality, nutritional content, health benefits, and the origin of agricultural products. Failing to provide honest information on specific aspects of food products has been dubbed "food fraud". Because food fraud is difficult to prove, food tracking in the form of traceability has been gaining interest, the mutton production industry in South Africa is a good example of this. Traceability is the ability to trace and follows foods, feeds, and a 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 (Bulut and Lawrence, 2007).

A well-functional traceability system should be able to provide information on the total process. According to van der Merwe and Kirsten, 2015, a traceability system includes the producer; product-specific information (like breed); processing information (date and time of slaughter); and the grade and class of the product. It should also include information on marketing aspects such as selling-date. Traceability serves to avail a reliable information system about a specific product, and enables tracking of the reliability of food labels when problems are encountered with a specific product - using barcodes and tags. Accurate and timely traceability will support the isolation and elimination of incidences of food-related health hazards - to the benefit of all.

Product traceability is not only beneficial to consumers, but to everyone in the agribusiness value chain, through:

• Establishing and growing trust among all players in the value chain;
• Improving the image of producers and consumers amongst each other;
• Higher product quality;
• Reducing the chances of food fraud; and
• Improved management through more efficient recordkeeping and accounting practices.

Of course, it will influence the final cost of produce, but modern consumers often find the benefits worthwhile, despite an inevitable rise in food prices.

As the importance of traceability food products grows, stakeholders in the value chain should recognise the need to get on board - sooner rather than later.

References

1. Van der Merwe, M., & Kirsten, J.F., 2015. Traceability systems and origin based meat products in the South African sheep meat industry. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com... Accessed: 15 November 2017.

2. Bulut, H., & Lawrence, J.D., 2007. Meat Slaughter and Processing Plants’ Traceability Levels Evidence From Iowa. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5... Accessed: 19 November 2017.