June 15, 2016

Pork consumers in Taiwan will be able to know the source and producing location of the meat through a new pork traceability system developed by the country's Council of Agriculture (COA) for traditional market vendors, Taipei Times reported.

Based on the implementation of QR-coding, the system provides consumers with information including pig farms, date and location of pig auctions and butchery, Chen Chung-hsing, an official from the Animal Husbandry Division, said. Vendors will be given pre-generated QR codes to insert traceability information which could be accessed via smartphone apps.

The system - which is set to be launched this September - will also enable authorities to monitor farms as well as errant sites which could employ high amounts of drugs in pork production. The key safety issue with pork in Taiwan is commonly drug residues, Chen added. 

Most pork sold in traditional markets do not have any means of information traceability for its customers. COA hopes to get 50% of local vendors to carry the system by March 2017, and is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare in making the system effective.

"Unpackaged and unrefrigerated pork sold in traditional markets accounts for more than 70% of the nation's total pork sales, and the tracking system was designed to ensure that pork can be traceable throughout the entire supply chain," Chen said.

Pork takes up around 46% of overall meat consumption in Taiwan, with each citizen consuming about 34kg of the meat yearly, according to COA.

- Taipei Times