Session 1
Tamper-proof sample collection & the chain of custody

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B. Mc Inerney, A. Pacquit, K. McDonnell, F. Butler and S. Ward*.
Biosystems Engineering, University College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland

A key link in the farm-to-fork chain, where potential product contamination can occur, is the feed input to the system. The consumer demands that auditable controls are in place to test and monitor of the quality of the feedstuffs fed to animals entering the food chain (Cummins et al., 2002). Poultry feeds are sourced on the national and world markets, and it is not always possible to have an inspector present (from the local regulatory authority), especially in 3rd country situations, to oversee the sampling and the subsequent chain of custody to the laboratory.

It is essential that feed samples are taken even if regulators cannot provide round the clock supervision. In that respect there is no effective traceable system currently in place for feeds. A statistically robust and tamper-proof sampling system, that guaranties the integrity of the sample chain of custody, has recently been developed at the University College Dublin (Ireland).

In compliance with legislation and best practice, the proposed system provides verifiable product samples for subsequent laboratory analyses. It is envisaged that the device will enable certifiable feed samples to be tracked and traced, through associated bar-codes / RFID tags, from the sample point to the laboratory, thus truly achieving complete Food Chain Traceability from feed input to consumer.

Keywords:
Feed traceability, Tamper-proof sampling, RFID, Barcode