Traceability Systems for Sustainable Development in Rural Areas

In a global world, where a lot of international trade treaties have been signed, we must face new threats such as influenza A (H1N1) or bioterrorism. In this context, to control the origins of food can save lives and big amounts of money. Meanwhile, new regulations in the European Union have arisen. In accordance with the provisions of Article 18 of European Regulation 178/2002, from 1(st) January 2005, all European companies in the food industry must have implemented a traceability system. However, it may sound strange that after all these years with this regulation in force some of the workers in this area don´t even know what traceability is. This document pretends to give some details on food traceability, and it will expose a real case in which cutting-edge technologies have been applied to solve the traceability in rural areas of northern Spain, by improving productivity and allowing small businesses to offer more competitive and safer products, and of higher quality.