Concerns about the safety and quality of any consumable products which include food and pharmaceuticals, have increased at both governmental and consumer levels. 
In the food processing industry, the identification of the origin of feed and food ingredients and food sources is of prime importance for the protection of consumers, particularly when products are found to be faulty. Traceability facilitates the withdrawal or recall of food products and enables consumers to be provided with targeted and accurate information concerning implicated products.
The retailers need to ensure their customers that the products they supplied are safe for consumption. In supermarkets and restaurants, people of various religious faiths need to be sure that the food they are purchasing or consuming have been prepared in the way that properly respects their beliefs.
In the healthcare industry, security, traceability and efficiency in healthcare services are at the forefront of government regulations and industry concerns around the world. Some related issues include counterfeiting, product recalls, adverse event reporting, medication errors and efficient logistics management.
Traceability is a fundamental business process that supported various needs such as regulatory requirements, consumer safety, product recalls, patient safety in the healthcare sector, visibility of supply chain, efficient logistics, product authentication, anti-counterfeiting and brand protection. Traceability can provide the security, quality and efficiency required in these sectors. But traceability can only be achieved successfully if it is built upon global standards that can act as the foundation for clear, understandable exchanges for everyone involved.
For more information on Traceability please visit GS1 Website on Traceability.