trasabilitate

Trasabilitate, known in English as traceability, is the ability to track the history, location, and use of a product or its components through all stages of production, processing, and distribution. It enables verification of origin and movement from supplier to consumer, and supports accountability and quality control across the supply chain.

The concept is applied across many sectors, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, cosmetics, manufacturing, and automotive. Its primary purpose is to facilitate recalls, verify provenance, prevent counterfeit goods, and improve safety and efficiency. Effective trasabilitate relies on reliable data and coordinated information-sharing among actors such as producers, processors, distributors, and retailers.

Core elements include unique identification (such as lot or serial numbers), systematic data capture at each step, and integrated data management systems that link production, packaging, storage, and distribution records. Documentation and clear data governance are essential, as is the ability to trace a product backward to its raw materials and forward to its final destination.

Types of trasabilitate include backward traceability (identifying raw materials and production inputs behind a product) and forward traceability (tracking the product through distribution to end users). Technologies such as GS1 identifiers, barcodes, RFID, and enterprise systems (ERP, MES, LIMS) support implementation, often guided by standards like ISO 22005 for food-chain traceability and related governance frameworks.

Benefits include improved safety and recalls, enhanced regulatory compliance, greater transparency and trust, reduced waste, and better supply-chain efficiency. Challenges involve ensuring data quality and interoperability, data privacy and security, and the costs of integrating disparate systems across complex networks.