On the track of fish batches in three distribution networks

Three fish products sampled in retail shops were traced back to their origin and fish from the same batch were tracked forward towards the retailer, thereby simulating a recall situation. The resulting distribution networks were very complex, but to the extent that companies were willing to provide the necessary information, it was possible to locate the end destinations of the fish batches.

The batch sizes and the number of companies involved clearly rose when batch joining occurred. Thus, a fault in a small batch can potentially have widespread implications. The study also underlines the importance of discovering a fault as early as possible in order to minimise the costs of a recall.

The localisation of distributed products during a recall operation can be facilitated by a well-constructed traceability system.