Title: A novel technique for mapping material and information flow in food traceability systems

Abstract

Traceability of food products, ingredients and associated operations are important requirements for improving food safety and consumer confidence. Food traceability systems are complex, encompassing processes, material flow, information flow, techniques, infrastructure, people, and control strategies. Food traceability systems often suffer from inefficiency in either material or information flow within an enterprise or between supply chain partners. Modelling of system architecture is a visualization approach that allows multiple parties to collaborate in a system design process, identify its inefficiencies and propose improvements. However, there is little academic research on the ability to use a standard visualization tool that supports collaborative design and considers both material and information flow for a given food traceability system. Therefore, the aim of this research is to propose a new visualization approach that allows supply chain operators to collaborate effectively in the design process of food traceability systems capable of maintaining streamlined information flow, minimizing information loss, and improving supply chain performance. Screening of literature demonstrates that model-based system engineering (MBSE) offers a sound way for visualization of complex multi-dimensional systems. However, in the food traceability literature, an MBSE-based standardized traceability system modelling approach is absent. This study makes a strong contribution to existing literature by proposing a novel, material and information flow modelling technique (MIFMT), to visualize food traceability system architecture. MIFMT can support common understanding and iterative implementation of effective food traceability systems that contextualize food supply chains at multiple levels and provides opportunity to identify points at where inefficiencies can occur so that actions can be taken to mitigate them.