Database preconditions for the creation of a traceability system
Project description
On account of past scandals and cases of fraud and due to the new requirements of Annex III of the EU Organic Regulation and EU Regulation 178/2002, all players in the organic sector have been dealing with the traceability issue for quite some time now. In contrast to other EU countries, a database system for traceability has yet to be established in Germany.
The project is to demonstrate which systems for traceability and provenance assurance are planned or already in existence. Apart from systems in the organic sector, existing systems in the conventional sector are also being assessed.
A result of the project will be to outline the requirements for such a traceability system which will allow for database supported traceability throughout the entire value chain. Furthermore the framework conditions needed for the development of a central traceability system or the extension of an existing system to a central system will be illustrated.
In a second project module a data standard is to be developed which will allow for the exchange of data between existing databases and for transmitting data in electronic form together with the products to the recipients.
Ahead of the development of standards, research was carried out to see which existing data standards are already relevant to companies in the organic sector so as to be able to consider these in the development of data standards for traceability and provenance assurance of organic products.
In a further step the data standard is being developed in the context of a network. Meanwhile the data standard has been converted into an XML Schema (organicXML) and thus provides a baseline for the implementation of software interfaces.
The project results are published by way of events organized by the team itself, through publications, and by participating in specialist events organized by other institutions.
Project team:
Project coordinator:
Project participants:
Cooperation partners:
- Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW) - German Federation of the Organic Food Sector
- Marktgesellschaft mbH der Naturland Betriebe - Marketing association for Naturland producers
- Bioland-Erzeugerring Bayern - Bavarian Bioland producer group
Further information:
Project term:
May 2004 - February 2008
Financial support:
Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau - German Federal Organic Farming Scheme
Funding Code 03OE457
FiBL Project number P 236
