InfoSAWIT, BRUSSEL – Every year, European Union did trade in animals and other commodities and got into the region. Within more than 440 population, it is significant to question about food security issue.

To deliver answer about the challenges, European Commission did some action for the past years. One thing lately done was about to operate Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES), an online essential platform to confirm the food chain safety.

As InfoSAWIT quoted from the official page of European Union Commission, TRACES is an online platform which was developed by European Commission to manage animal and plant’s healthy certification. It is used to supervise animal, food, and non-animal product imports into the continent. Besides, TRACES would manage European Union intra – trade and animal exports and products from the continent.

TRACES has become useful tool, been used in about 90 countries within more than 113.000 users whole over the world. The system would facilitate to publish sanitation and phyto-sanitation certificates and other official documents needed in export activities, the movement of European Union intra, and animal exports and products.

The main goals of TRACES are, the first, to simplify certification process. It would enable every related producer to be fully involved digitally without paper, as the main priority of European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – Europe is fixed to digital era.

The second, to escalate transparency. TRACES would facilitate data, information, and document exchanges among many trades involved in and control authority. This would also simplify and accelerate administration procedures.

The third, food traceability and safety. For it is able to trace every animal’s movement, animal products, food and non-animal woof, and also plants, it would contribute to minimize the impacts of disease and enable (to get fast) response to serious risks in every food supply chain sector.

The fourth, it would escalate the cooperation and coordination. It is believed, TRACE would make good collaboration among every country’s authority in European Union and non-European countries, the traders, and their competent authorities. “TRACES would enable to detect fake certificate fast, it would contribute to fight the fraud of food and escalate cooperation among authorities,” European Union Commission noted in its official page.

As quoted from the official page of European Union Commission, TRACES is available in many official languages and some non – European languages. It would facilitate the users (authority) as trade partners of non-European. The platform would be available for 24/7 free of charge. To access the system, it just needs internet connection and should log in the account of European Union.

By having TRACES, the European people trust that their meal has closely passed the supervision, confirmed the safety and quality. The system would escalate not only efficiency and transparency in animal and food product trades, but also reinforce the coopepration in food safety in international scale. (T2)