IdentiGEN deal allows US hamburgers to be traced back to their origin

GENETICS specialist IdentiGEN Ltd has agreed a deal with US-based Performance Food Group (PFG) to supply a DNA-based solution to trace hamburgers back to their source.

IdentiGEN says the deal is the world’s first commercial solution to trace Braveheart Black Angus hamburgers back to their origin. PFG will use Dublin-based IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack technology in thousands of restaurants across the US.

Steve Sands, PFG’s vice-president of protein, said: “This is an exciting development in meat traceability systems, because it enables us for the first time to trace a hamburger back to its origins. Our Braveheart customers demand the highest quality Angus beef that has been raised in the Midwest. DNA TraceBack is a critical tool to verify that Braveheart Black Angus mince beef is what they’re getting.”

Unlike paper-based systems which are prone to error or fraud, IdentiGEN’s technology enables meat processors and producers to unequivocally trace meat back to its source.

The deal with PFG follows on from a previous collaboration begun in May 2011, which saw PFG deploy IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack technology for its steaks, roasts and other beef cuts across its 11,000-strong chain of restaurants in the US.

Dr Ronan Loftus, CEO of IdentiGEN North America, said: “This new aspect of our PFG partnership marks the first US use of DNA technology to trace hamburgers back through the production chain. IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack system captures the unique DNA of Black Angus cattle as they move through the production chain, so that each burger can be traced with a precision that is unachievable with conventional tracking systems.”

IdentiGEN was founded as a spin-off from the Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, where the company’s core area of expertise — genetic identification — was developed.