Kings River Packing, an eighth-generation citrus grower and distributor along California’s Kings River, is the first citrus company to do traceability, according to the FDA’s FSMA 204 food traceability law.
Citrus fruits were excluded from the initial food traceability list and are therefore not yet covered under the law; however, Kings River Packing is using the ReposiTrak Traceability Network for the exchange of traceability data with its retail/wholesale customers.
“The traceability initiative for us became an opportunity to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and to proactively prepare for future regulatory requirements,” said Brent Simon, director of food safety.
“Every process at Kings River Packing is performed with the highest regard for consumer safety and product quality. ReposiTrak allows us to easily share a complex set of data with every shipment.”
Owned and operated by the descendants of the first growers of orange trees in Fresno County, the company has expanded its operations to include harvesting, packing and international shipping operations. In addition to its house brand of premium and organic citrus offerings, Kings River Packing also grows and distributes mandarins, Raspberry Oranges, heirloom navels and lemons.
The FDA’s food traceability regulation requires manufacturers, processors and those who pack or hold FTL foods to establish and maintain key data element records for specific critical tracking events. As that product changes hands or changes form, a compounding string of data must be transferred between trading partners to provide end-to-end traceability.
The ReposiTrak solution enables the exchange and maintenance of FDA-required data between food supply chain operators.
Read more produce news from The Shelby Report.
