Businesses and users benefit from traceability technology

The application of technology in product and goods traceability brings many benefits to management agencies, businesses and consumers.

Thousands of businesses participate in data connection

Nowadays, traceability is becoming an inevitable trend in the global supply chain, especially in the context of economic integration and increasing requirements for product information transparency.

The National Product and Goods Traceability Information Portal (hereinafter referred to as the Portal) will officially come into operation from October 2024, marking an important step forward in traceability management in Vietnam.

Interface of the National Product and Goods Traceability Portal. Screenshot

Sharing more with reporters of the Industry and Trade Newspaper about the benefits that the Portal brings, Mr. Bui Ba Chinh - Acting Director of the National Code and Barcode Center (the unit assigned by the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality to build and operate the portal) - said that the National Product and Goods Traceability Portal is a centralized digital platform, allowing consumers, businesses and management agencies to access and check detailed information about the origin, production process and distribution of a specific product. This platform acts as a bridge between participants in the supply chain, ensuring the transparency and reliability of product information.

“Up to now, the Portal has had thousands of units, businesses and localities participating in data connection. Along with that is the participation of key industries such as agricultural products, food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, etc., showing the increasingly important role of this system in the supply chain in Vietnam,” said Mr. Bui Ba Chinh.

Mr. Bui Ba Chinh - Acting Director of the National Code and Barcode Center. Photo: Phong Lam

Businesses and users benefit together

According to Mr. Bui Ba Chinh, the operation of the Portal over the past time has brought many benefits to management agencies, businesses and consumers. For businesses, the Portal creates a centralized data connection platform for traceability, helping businesses easily publish and manage product information.

At the same time, it enhances the competitiveness of businesses because goods with clear traceability information will be easily accepted in the international market; meeting legal requirements because many markets such as the EU and the US require products to have full traceability.

For consumers, the Portal helps consumers easily check the origin of products using QR codes; increase trust in products, especially food, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods; protect rights because if there is a problem with product quality, consumers can look up information to make appropriate decisions...

For management agencies, through the Portal, they can monitor, control and handle violations of food quality and safety; collect and analyze product data, serving the development of policies and regulations.

“The operation of the Portal is one of the important steps in the process of improving transparency, ensuring product quality and supporting businesses to meet market requirements. In the coming time, the implementation, guidance and support for businesses will continue to be promoted, helping traceability truly become a useful tool in product and goods management in Vietnam,” Mr. Bui Ba Chinh emphasized.

As a unit participating in declaring traceability information through the Portal, Ms. Dinh Thi Loan - Manager of Dong Son Medicinal Materials Cooperative (Ninh Binh province) - said that the entire production process of the cooperative is digitized, all data is entered into the traceability software integrated on the Portal.

Since being supported to implement the traceability system, the cooperative's products have become more widely known to consumers, and they have more confidence in the quality of the products. In addition, publicizing traceability information also helps reduce the risk of counterfeiting the cooperative's goods.

“Consumers can completely see the product production process from seed selection, planting, care, harvesting, and product packaging, thereby feeling secure when using the cooperative's products,” said Ms. Loan.

According to Ms. Loan, from selling only a few hundred to a few thousand products a year, thanks to traceability solutions, the cooperative has sold 12-15 thousand products/year. The cooperative's revenue last year also reached 2 billion VND.

Standing from the perspective of a consumer, talking to reporters, Mr. Le Xuan Hiep (Cau Giay, Hanoi) said that he himself had practical experience with the National Product and Goods Origin Tracing Portal. On the system, he and other users can find information about the origin of products of more than 4,000 enterprises that have listed and publicly disclosed information.

"For example, if you want to find a cosmetic product of company A, you just need to scan the QR code to get full information about this company. In addition, there is detailed information about packaging specifications, production date, expiry date, place of production... This helps users save time while still getting the information they need, making it easier to decide to buy the product," said Mr. Hiep.

The role of retrieval is increasingly enhanced

According to Mr. Bui Ba Chinh, Acting Director of the National Code and Barcode Center, the issue of traceability is gradually becoming a non-tariff barrier, and the content on traceability in free trade agreements (FTAs) is almost mandatory in the future.

As tariff barriers are increasingly reduced by FTAs, non-tariff barriers will tend to develop and strengthen. Traceability is also gradually becoming such a barrier.

In order for our products to maintain their position and develop new markets, traceability plays a very important role. For example, in the official Chinese market, with agricultural and light industrial products, traceability requirements are becoming mandatory in the Protocol between the two countries.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/doanh-nghiep-nguoi-dung-huong-loi-tu-cong-nghe-truy-xuat-nguon-goc-379202.html