Sara Rubin of the Monterey County Weekly wrote a thought-provoking story on traceability in the produce industry – “From the Field to the Fork, Tracing the Traceability Issue.” The piece is worth a read – especially some of the quotes:

The flipside of protection is increased exposure for the culpable party. After a 2009 salmonella outbreak killed nine people, the Peanut Corporation of America closed its doors after more than 30 years in business. Bill Marler, a personal injury attorney and expert on foodborne illness, says, “If something goes wrong, traceability is going to make sure someone catches you. On a fairly low level, that is always going to be a concern of a company.”

But Marler and Treacy agree keeping recalls simple and small is good for business. “You couldn’t give spinach away in 2006,” Treacy says.

…

Marler says it’s important to keep traceability in perspective. “The outbreak has already happened, so having traceability isn’t going to fix that one problem.”