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Traceability a Key Element in the Export of Mexican Avocados

By Jose Armando López Orduña - Asociación de Productores y Empacadores Exportadores de Aguacate de México, Asociación Civil, (APEAM, A.C.)
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By José Armando Lopez Orduña | CEO - Thu, 01/19/2023 - 16:00

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When we talk about avocados, we also talk about popularity. The fruit has been booming for several decades and is a worldwide consumer favorite, particularly in Mexico and the US.

Iconic on special dates, and full of nutritional properties at the same time, avocado consumption in the US grew  between 1989 and 1990 and went up 612 percent until 2021, which means an average annual growth rate of 9.6 percent during that period, according to data from a Texas A&M University study.

Given this massive demand, how can you guarantee that food reaches consumers' homes with the highest quality and safety? To achieve this objective, a traceability system was established, understood as the possibility of finding and tracking food in all its stages of production: planting, harvesting, packaging, storage and processing, as well as the chemical and biological products used, until their final consumption.

Traceability allows us to understand where a product comes from and affords the timely removal from the market of food that does not meet safety standards. In addition, this facilitates the response to any health emergency, since the system makes it possible to identify the link in the chain where the problem has occurred.

Since agriculture is among  the world’s most important economic activities and involves the work of thousands of people in the avocado belt of Michoacan, the success of exports depends largely on the management of the supply chain.

In that sense, the Association of Producers and Packers of Avocado Exporters of Mexico, APEAM A.C., has a traceability system that responds to the obligations established for producers and packers by the Binational Work Plan, which requires implementing a system for that purpose.

The traceability system of the APEAM A.C. follows the avocado from the orchard to its arrival in the US through a series of controls, verifications and other steps that guarantee its traceability.

Given the great responsibility that APEAM A.C. has as the only business partner for the export of Mexican avocados to the US, it was essential for the association to find an efficient system. For this reason, it developed a computer platform that allows it to take advantage of technological benefits in favor of traceability.

The platform in question comprises two applications: the first is SICOA (Integral Harvest System for Avocados), which allows supervision of the first stage of the work, — from the orchard to the packaging — and the second is SICFI (Integral Phytosanitary Certification System), which allows supervision of the final stage — from packaging to destination.

Another of the procedures implemented by APEAM A.C. is the RECO (Electronic Harvest Record), also known as the Harvest Log, whose objectives include ensuring that the avocado sent to packing plants comes only from orchards certified for export.

Added to these essential tools, which have also evolved, is the SICOA (Integral Harvest System for Avocados), which systematizes the processes of the handling chain and traces the product from its origin in the field until delivery in the destination packaging. Its geographic interface allows immediate statistical analysis and access to the information necessary to improve decision-making in favor of the avocado industry.

SICOA has implemented technologies that make the process easier and more systematic, such as QR codes, hologram labels to avoid imitations, and electronic cards assigned to exporting producers for each of their certified orchards. In this way, it is possible to monitor the fruit electronically and there is better control over the quality expected from all the orchards proposed for harvesting.

The export market does not end with the US even though it is the largest by far. Today, with the help of the Integrated Phytosanitary International Export Certification System (SCFI), the avocado also has traceability to export to Japan, Canada, China and Chile, so the influence of the Mexican avocado extends to the rest of the world with the same quality standards.

Data from SAGARPA's National Agricultural Planning 2017-2030 shows an expected increase in demand in 2030 from 2.84 to 4.24 million tons; that is, an accumulated growth of 48.98 percent, while national avocado production could increase from 1.89 to 3.16 million tons, which represents an accumulated growth of 67.28 percent.

Given these estimates, it is more important than ever to maintain high levels of quality, and traceability is positioned as the key element to achieving the objective and that the avocado remains a valuable and appreciated fruit.

Sources: 

Informe de Compromiso con los Principios del Pacto Mundial de la ONU (COE) 

https://www.gob.mx/profeco/documentos/para-aguacates-los-de-mexico?state=published

https://avocadoinstitute.org/avo-journey/commitment-to-quality-and-food-safety/food-safety-and-traceability/

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/21/14633/pdf

https://aguacatesparasiempre.com/avodatos/trazabilidad-marca-del-aguacate-con-calidad-de-exportacion/

https://avocadoinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Report-US-Economic-Benefits-of-Avocado-Imports-from-Mexico-2022-Update.pdf

Photo by:   Jose Armando Lopez Orduña

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