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.”