On the trail of traceability — History, diagnosis and proposals

A rarity in the field of management and regulatory tools, traceability is in demand from both supply and demand sides, as well as from public authorities.

Since the recent health crises (contaminated blood, BSE), producers have seen it as a means of avoiding fraud and unfair competition, as well as a technique for improving the reliability of the production process; consumers have discerned it as an insurance and reinsurance mechanism, as well as a way of informing themselves and avoiding dubious products; governments have encouraged it insofar as they see it as a rare opportunity to regulate markets without hindering the circulation of products, with the unhoped-for support of both manufacturers and the public.

Since the reasons for such success are well known – safety, quality, responsibility, prevention, information... – and are unanimously supported, the time has come to take a step back, both past and present.

We're betting here that "returning to the traces of traceability" – to explore some of its historical antecedents – should enable us to better question the conditions and horizons of its implementation, or even propose the exploration of an aspect of traceability too often neglected.

The present text takes up, modifies and completes elements of various previously published texts [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].