Material flow and information flow at Insalus, a mineral water company

Summary

Traceability will be an immensely important subject for the food industry these upcoming years. The TRACE R&D project is a European joint effort between food industry and solution providers, assisted by research institutes and financed by the European Commission, to ensure that the food industry is ready to meet these challenges. The objective in the traceability group of TRACE is to ensure that the information loss in the chains from received raw materials and ingredients through production to shipping and consumption is minimal, and that the product can be traced both forwards and backwards through all links. The mineral water plant of Insalus outside San Sebastian, Spain was chosen to be a pilot company in TRACE. The report describes material flow and information flow, points out where information is lost in the current system, and recommends changes to existing routines and practices.