The digitalisation of traceability is becoming a central requirement of the meat industry in the European Union, driven by more intensive official controls and the need to standardise data flows across the entire supply chain. In its analysis of food systems for the period 2025–2027, the European Commission stresses that processing plants must ensure rapid access to information on animal origin, slaughter batches, microbiological parameters and logistics routes. This common structure is necessary to reduce reaction times in cases of non-compliance and to facilitate data exchange between authorities.

The current European framework is based on Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and on additional standards set out in the “Digital Food Chain” package, for which the JRC and DG SANTE recommend the adoption of compatible IT systems at Member State level. OECD estimates show that the use of digital technologies reduces document verification time by 30–40%, while integrating data into shared platforms can cut administrative costs by up to 20% in medium-capacity slaughterhouses.

EFSA highlights that digital traceability improves microbiological risk control by linking each batch to temperature, hygiene and handling parameters. In facilities using automated monitoring systems, the risk of contaminant transmission due to operational errors is significantly reduced, while data remain available for audit. The implementation of such systems is becoming essential amid intensified controls across the beef, pork and poultry supply chains.

European processors must adopt standardised data collection and interoperability systems by 2027, in line with the EU programme for the digitalisation of agriculture and the food industry. In practice, the most widely used solutions include ERP platforms tailored to the meat sector, IoT monitoring for temperature control, automated label reading and integration with slaughterhouse reporting systems. For small slaughterhouses, the Commission recommends modular, lower-cost solutions with simplified interfaces.

In Romania, the implementation of digital traceability is advancing through pilot projects supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) and the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA), particularly in large processing units. Requirements from retailers and foreign markets are accelerating the adoption of bilingual traceability systems and dynamic labelling. Between 2025 and 2027, the gap between competitive and vulnerable operators will be defined by their ability to provide real-time, verifiable data throughout the product chain.

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