YottaMark granted patent on food traceability data capture method

YottaMark, a leader in fresh food traceability and supply chain insights, has been awarded a patent on methods to collect harvest and production data at the start of the food supply chain. This is the fifth patent in YottaMark's growing intellectual property portfolio.

The new patent, US patent number 7,909,239, covers systems and methods to capture harvest data easily, allowing packages or items of fresh produce to be traced back to the fields where the produce was grown. The '239 patent includes methods to capture data in the field or packing shed using paper forms, thereby eliminating the need to force technology into the field. The inventions also include the ability to 'activate' traceability codes easily at the point of harvest, which are printed on labels or affixed to packages such as clamshells.

‘Capturing harvest data and associating it with packages and items of fresh produce is the foundation for a broad range of valuable programs, including sharing information with shoppers and buyers, enhancing recall programs and measuring quality and freshness at edge of shelf,’ said J. Scott Carr, president and CEO, YottaMark. ‘This new patent covers essential inventions for making traceability cost-effective and practical.’

Elements of the '239 patent are being used in more than 1,000 farms across North America as part of the company's HarvestMark fresh food traceability technology. Using HarvestMark, growers and shippers have been able to add traceability to products such as field-packed strawberries and raspberries, clamshells and bags of table grapes, tills of mushrooms, individual watermelons and dozens of other commodities. Not only does traceability bring peace of mind to consumers, but it also enables new insights into the fresh food supply chain, speeds response to food safety events and creates a new channel for gathering valuable consumer feedback.

In a separate development, the produce industry recently adopted YottaMark's patent-pending VoiceCode technology to be part of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) standard for use on all traceability labels for cases. VoiceCode technology enables a distribution center using voice-picking technology to record outbound movement of cases without the need for scanning barcodes, without adding any cost to the label. VoiceCode was provided to the produce industry to eliminate barriers in the adoption of the Produce Traceability Initiative.

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