Product traceability is an important business requirement. It enables brand owners in keeping a track of the movement of their products along the supply chain – from its point of origin to the point of sale or consumption.
But traceability can be a vital element for consumers as well. Today, consumers are conscious about what they buy and consume. If a consumer finds something wrong in a product and takes it online to various social media channels, it can directly hamper the brand’s reputation. But it is also equally disadvantageous for consumers as the product may pose risks. Traceability helps brand owners keep a record of the entire production and distribution system and helps in taking corrective measures in case of consumer complaints. But how does product traceability help a consumer? Let us understand.
Product traceability and consumers
When we look at traceability from the angle of perishable consumables, it becomes extremely vital for consumers. Products such as food items and medicines have a specified shelf life. Traceability helps in identifying the products from its date of manufacturing or its best before date and help trading partners to release the fresh products by following the principles of First-In-First-Out.
The same thing applies not just to food and pharmaceutical items but could even apply to industrial products such as LPG cylinders, etc. Some products need to be revalidated for safety after a few years. A consumer may check the genuineness pf recertification of LPG cylinders using the traceability system.
How can a consumer authenticate a product?
To authenticate a product, a consumer cannot just go by the claims printed on a product label. Those claims need to be supported by traceability information, so that there is a means to validate and verify what is being claimed.
Consumers can avail of Spot Authentication, wherein the consumer can easily scan the barcode of the product and verify information printed on product labels. The information comes from a trusted source like that of brand owner and come through all the supply chain partners. Traceability allows brand owners to share critical food product information with consumers such as hygiene checks, direct human contact with food, etc. This could be even be helpful for consumers considering the ongoing pandemic situations and the predictions of its on-and-off occurrence in the future.
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