WO2008051094A1

WO2008051094A1 - Direct meat mark identification system

Info

Publication number: WO2008051094A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2007/000319
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kevin Wilkie
Original assignee: Kevin Wilkie
Priority date: 2006-10-25
Filing date: 2007-10-24
Publication date: 2008-05-02

Abstract

The present invention relates to a meat identification and tracking system ('Direct Meat Mark Identification System') for use in the meat packing industry. The invention provides a system for marking primal cuts (wholesale cuts) and sub-primal cuts (consumer cuts, retail cuts or market ready cuts) with information relating to the animal. The information may be collected throughout the different meat processing stages. The invention provides a method and apparatus for printing data collected at any stage of the supply chain within a meat processing plant directly onto the meat.

Description

DIRECT MEAT MARK IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a meat identification and tracking system ("Direct Meat Mark Identification System") for use in the meat packing industry. The invention provides a system for marking primal cuts (wholesale cuts) and sub-primal cuts (consumer cuts, retail cuts or market ready cuts) with information relating to the animal. The information may be collected throughout the different meat processing stages. The invention provides a method and apparatus for printing data collected at any stage of the supply chain within a meat processing plant directly onto the meat.

Background of the invention

Many countries are in the process of implementing animal identification systems as part of traceability schemes for meat and meat products. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented a voluntary National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 2004 (see http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml). NAIS is a standardised system that integrates three components: premises identification, animal identification and animal tracking. By 1 January 2009, the NAIS system aims to have 100% of premises registered, 100% of "new" animals identified and complete movement data for 60% animals <1 year of age.

Similarly, in the EU a suite of five new hygiene regulations came into force on 1 January 2006. These are EC 178/2002 (traceability requirements), EC 852/2004 (HACCP and registration requirements), EC 853/2004 (specific rules for foods of animal origin), EC 854/2004 (official controls of foods of animal origin) and EC 882/2004 (official controls to ensure verification of compliance with feed and food law). The traceability of food, feed, food-producing animals and all substances incorporated into foodstuffs must be established at all stages of production, processing and distribution (see http://europa.eu). Where required by the Regulation, products of animal origin must be given a health mark or an identification mark applied during or after production. Furthermore animals delivered to a slaughterhouse need to be preceded (in exceptional cases accompanied) by food chain information, which contains for example details of animal identification, animal health and medical treatments.

These international programs are based on the concept of "farm to fork" traceability and echo consumers' increasingly sophisticated expectations regarding food safety and their requirement for information relating to the origins of foodstuffs purchased (see for example "From Farm to Fork: Safe food for Europe's consumers" (2004), European Commission).

There are two types of traceability that are of interest to producers. These are internal and chain traceability. Internal traceability is within a business and allows data about raw materials and processes to be linked to the final product in each stage of production, processing or distribution. Chain traceability provides the ability for information to accompany the product from one link in the chain to the next.

Traceability is of interest to consumers as a part of systems which:

• Protect food safety by effective product recall in the case of an emergency;

• Enable avoidance of specific foods and food ingredients easily, whether because of allergenicity, food intolerance or lifestyle choice; and/or

• Enable real choice to be exercised between food produced in different ways.

The value and uses of traceability systems are now becoming clear to retailers and meat producers alike. For example, exporters to high value export markets, which now demand "farm to fork" traceability after recent food scares, believe traceability is a marketing advantage. Traceability systems are also of interest to meat processors as part of systems that assist them to track products internally within their processing plants.

In the context of meat packing processors, tracking systems could be incorporated into the normal operations of the plant. When livestock arrives at a processing plant it is slaughtered and the carcass is cut into primal cuts. These primal cuts are further processed into sub primal cuts. Then the meat is processed into vacuum-sealed boxed meat products and packaged into boxes for sale to retail establishments. It is during this process that information about the specific animal from which the meat was produced is lost because meat-processing plants are unable to identify each piece of meat and track during packing. This issue has been addressed previously, but the prior art identification and tracking systems suffer from several problems that reduce their efficiency and success rate. The previously developed systems have a poor success rate for uniquely identifying pieces of meat. The low success rate arises from numerous areas, including: • difficulty in maintaining the necessary equipment because of the adverse conditions found in meat processing plants; • the potential for inefficiencies to be introduced to the processing line if a identification tag or label needs to be manually attached to the meat; and

• potential loss of information if an identification tag is separated from the meat. Some previously described systems for tracking meat rely on a conveyor system in combination with electronic storage of information about the meat. These systems typically comprise a means for reading information, such as a bar code reader, and means for printing the information on to labels for labelling the meat. Most of these systems deal with meat in batches and are not capable of providing information about individual cuts of meat.

WO 01/91565 provides a more sophisticated conveyor-based system for handling information in relation to meat as it passes through the different processing stations in a meat processing plant. This system physically tracks the position of a piece of meat on a conveyor belt, for example, by means of sensors arranged along the conveyor belt, or by monitoring index pulses in the conveyor system.

In general, these types of "memory" conveyor systems are extremely complex, and rely on human skill and reliability to operate successfully. The systems have the potential to lose track of pieces of meat on the conveying system and get out of sequence. Once they are out of sequence, it is difficult to relate information about the animal to the individual pieces of meat.

Other tracking systems known in the art use a plastic crate or box to which a RFID tag is attached. This system identifies the crate itself, but not the meat. The drawback of such a system is that once the meat is removed from the crate it is no longer linked to the unique identifier associated with the crate. Therefore, it is not possible to provide traceability to the level of sub-primal cuts of meat.

WO 04/104970 describes a system in which a tag is provided with a unique identifier. The tag is inserted into a predetermined meat portion of an animal carcass and it remains associated with the meat portion during processing. Prior to packaging, the tag is removed and a label with another identifier is attached onto the packaged meat portion. The two identifiers are associated with each other, so that the label provides identifying information about the livestock product. An obvious drawback of this system is the potential for the tag, and therefore the associated information, to be lost during processing.

There have also been systems disclosed that directly mark the meat. A very basic system is hand-stamping of meat products with a code that identifies plant where the meat was processed. However, this only provides an indicator of the processing plant, and not any information about the animal or meat itself. A more technical system is provided by WO 01/80654. This system uses a robotic arm to print a carcass identification number on predetermined areas of a carcass before the carcass is processed into primal cuts. However, while the system is effective, the robotic arm is very expensive and requires a sophisticated control system. WO 2005/100033 attempts to improve on the system of WO 01/80654 by providing a stationary printer which marks carcasses or half carcasses with a machine readable identification code. This system does not extend to identifying and tracking primal cuts and sub-primal cuts. Therefore, it does not provide the ability to link information about the animal to individual cuts of meat.

The present invention provides a means to trace meat products, particularly in a cutting room environment, where the process of cutting down a carcass happens very quickly and produces many primal and sub-primal cuts. The present invention provides a cost-effective and viable alternative to existing technology. In addition, it enables a variety of downstream applications. For example, the unique identifier provided by the present invention could be used to assist marketing, product tracking, food safety, measures against anti-forgery / misrepresentation of meat products and "farm to fork" traceability.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system that overcomes the limitations of the prior art by directly printing or otherwise marking meat with data obtained from an existing carcass identification system or any other recognised identification system, or to at least provide a useful alternative.

Summary of the invention In a first aspect, the invention provides a method for identifying a piece of meat during meat production, the method comprising: obtaining information about an animal or carcass; and printing or otherwise marking the meat with a mark containing information in the form of a barcode, image or human readable text; and optionally reading the information.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a system for identifying a piece of meat during meat production along a meat production line, the system comprising: a means of obtaining information about an animal or carcass; a printing means or marking means for printing or otherwise marking meat with a mark containing information; a reading means positioned along the meat production line to read the information; and a means of transmitting information from the reading means to a database and processor.

In a third aspect, the invention provides an apparatus for identifying a piece of meat during meat production, the apparatus comprising: a means of obtaining information about an animal or carcass; and a printing means or marking means for printing or otherwise marking meat with a mark containing information.

The means of obtaining information about an animal or carcass may include, but is not limited to, electronically receiving information from an external source; retrieving data from an ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal; retrieving data recorded on a skid or from a data storage system attached to a carcass; or electronically receiving information gathered at different stages during meat processing.

The external source of information may be an animal management or other database. The ear tag or other data storage system attached to an animal may contain electronic data in a RFID tag, or data printed on a label in the form of a barcode or text. Information gathered at any stage of meat processing may be entered into and accessed from a database and processor, for example by way of serial communication, wireless transmission and Ethernet connection between the apparatus or system of the present invention and the database and processor. The information gathered for use in the present invention may include but is not limited to rules on hygiene, quality of animal feed, animal welfare standards, pest control records, animal health records, species, slaughter date, shift, carcass weight, market, contamination, level of damage, wounds and bruises, disease, body number, mob number and/or state of carcass (for example, chilled or frozen). The information may be printed or otherwise marked directly onto the meat in the form of a one- or two- dimensional barcode or in the form of human readable information. The human readable information may be in the form of text or in the form of a symbol. Preferably, the meat may be printed or otherwise marked with a plurality of barcodes from different stages of the meat production process. The direct meat mark identification system of the present invention may be capable of marking at least 30 pieces per minute. The ink used for printing information in the present invention is non-toxic, edible, quick drying and waterproof and not affected by changes in temperature or humidity. The ink may be any colour and may be printed onto meat during processing. The types of meat include but are not limited to meat from beef, pork, lamb, game, poultry, fish, and meat from a number of invertebrates such as crabs, lobsters, shrimp, squid and shellfish. The meat may be printed automatically while attached to a conveyor. Alternatively, the meat may be manually printed at a station. The station may comprise a fixed mounted printer or a portable printer.

When meat is marked according to the present invention, this marking is performed using a laser. The laser used in the present invention causes a change in colour of the meat surface where the intense heat of the laser beam is focused. The laser has the ability to mark meat during meat processing. The types of meat include but are not limited to meat from beef, pork, lamb, game, poultry and fish, and meat from a number of invertebrates such as crabs, lobsters, shrimp, squid and shellfish. The meat may be marked automatically while attached to a conveyor. Alternatively, the meat may be manually marked at a station. The station may comprise a fixed mounted laser or a portable laser.

As an alternative to marking the meat by changing the colour of the surface of the meat, the laser of the present invention may be used with a special colour change fluid that has been applied to the meat. The meat is marked by the laser causing a colour change in the fluid when the laser beam is aimed at the area where the mark is desired. The colour change fluid is suitable for human consumption, is waterproof, quick drying, is non-toxic and meets the approval of regulatory authorities.

The means for reading information may be, for example, a barcode reader. The barcode reader may be adapted to read from animal tissue. The barcode reader may be capable of reading normal or negative printed barcode symbologies. Preferably the barcode reader can read in low light conditions. The barcode reader for use in the present invention can read a barcode on a piece of meat as the meat travels along a conveyor at about 10m per minute. The barcode reader may be fixed or portable.

Preferably, the barcode reader has a means of assessing the barcode quality. The data on the meat may be read at any point along the conveying system. The barcode reader may transmit information to a computer system by, for example, serial communications, wireless transmission or an Ethernet connection. Preferably, the transmitted information may be stored and retrieved from a database with the identifying barcode number. Alternatively, the data on the meat may represent the total information about a carcass and may therefore be independent of a server- based computer system.

Further aspects of the invention may become apparent from the following description with reference to the Figures, which is given by way of example only.

Brief description of the Figures

Figure 1 demonstrates an embodiment of overall process of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a carcass and the subsequent primal cuts and sub-primal cuts produced from the carcass. The primal and sub-primal cuts are marked with a unique identifier or other form of information.

Figure 3 shows one embodiment of the present invention in which the sub- primal cuts are marked with a unique identifier using a printing or marking means while the meat is travelling along a conveyor.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the printing or marking means is a semi-portable laser or inkjet printer.

Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the printing or marking means is a static laser or inkjet printer positioned over a workbench. Figure 6 shows one embodiment of the invention in which sub-primal cuts travelling along a conveyor are sprayed with colour change fluid and marked using a laser.

Figure 7 shows one embodiment of the present invention in which sub-primal cuts marked with a unique identifier are read by a reading means as the meat travels along a conveyor.

Figure 8 shows one embodiment of the invention in which a reading means, which may be a handheld barcode or character reader, is used to read the unique identifier as the sub-primal cuts travel along a conveyor.

Figure 9 shows a further embodiment of the invention in which a carcass is marked with a unique identifier and also marked with cutting lines using a printing or marking means which may be either a laser or an inkjet printer.

Figure 10 shows a subprimal cut marked with a unique identifier according to the present invention. Detailed description of the invention

As used in this specification, the term "carcass" refers to the corpse of a slaughtered animal, and may include a whole corpse or a side of an animal.

The term "primal cut" refers to a basic major cut into which carcasses are separated prior to further processing.

The term "sub-primal cut" refers to cuts of meat produced from primal cuts during processing.

The phrase "printing or marking means" refers to a laser or an inkjet printer.

The phrase "one-dimensional barcode" refers to a series of vertical bars of varying widths, in which information is represented by a pattern of bars. A "two- dimensional bar code" refers to barcodes which consist of a grid of square cells rather than bars.

The term "barcode reader" refers to a scanner, for example a laser scanner, capable of reading a one- or two-dimensional barcode. The present invention provides a method for identifying a piece of meat during meat production. Also provided by the present invention are a system and an apparatus for identifying a piece of meat during meat production.

Figure 1 demonstrates an embodiment of the overall process provided by the present invention. As shown in Figure 1 , an animal [1], in this case a beef cattle, with an attached external data storage system [2], for example a RFID ear tag, is received at the meat processing plant. Data from the external data storage system [2] is retrieved and stored before the animal is slaughtered. The carcass [3] is assigned a unique identifier or other form of information ('the identifier¹) [4]. As the carcass [3] is processed, the identifier [4] is printed or otherwise marked onto the primal cuts [5]. The primal cuts [5] undergo further processing to sub-primal cuts [6], which also are printed or otherwise marked with an identifier [4]. The identifier [4] printed on the sub- primal cuts may be the same as the identifier from the carcass [3] and the primal cut [5] or the sub-primal cut may receive a new identifier that is linked to the original identifier. The sub-primal cuts [6] are then packaged into containers [7], which may or may not include cuts from other animals. The sub-primal cuts [6] are then sold to the retail market. The identifier [4] provides the retailer and consumer with an effective and reliable means to identify the sub-primal cut [6] they have purchased. If necessary, the identifier [4] can be used to trace the sub-primal cut back to the point of origin. Figure 2 demonstrates one aspect of the present invention. A carcass [3] is processed during meat production into primal cuts [5] and sub-primal cuts [6]. The method, system and apparatus of the present invention enable the primal [5] and sub- primal [6] cuts to be marked or printed with an identifier [4] using a printing or marking means. The identifier [4] is printed or marked on the meat by a printing or marking means, which may be a laser or an inkjet printer. The meat may be marked prior to or after the primal cuts [5] have been made. The sub-primal cuts [6] may be marked with the same identifier [4] or with a different identifying mark that links the sub-primal cut [5] back to the carcass [3].

The identifier [4] may be in the form of a one- or two-dimensional barcode, or in the form of human readable information. The identifier [4] may be read by a reading means, for example a barcode reader or, for human readable information, by a human operator at any stage of meat processing.

The method, system and apparatus of the present invention may be utilised to print or otherwise mark meat with the identifier in a number of ways. Examples of these embodiments are shown in Figures 3 to 10. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the meat (shown here as sub-primal cuts [6]) travels along a conveyor [9] and is marked by a printing or marking means [8] with the identifier [4]. The printing or marking means [8] may be a laser or an inkjet printer. The information marked on the meat in the form of the identifier [4] may be a one- or two-dimensional bar code, or human-readable information such as text. There are two alternate embodiments of the present invention in which the meat is not moving along a conveyor and is instead printed or marked at other stages of processing.

In one alternate embodiment, shown in Figure 4, the meat (shown here as primal cuts [5]) may be marked with the identifier [4] using a printing or marking means [8] in the form of a semi-portable laser or inkjet printer.

Alternatively, as shown in the embodiment in Figure 5, the printing or marking means [8] may be static. Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment in which the printing or marking means [8] is fixed over a workbench [10] while the operator [11] marks the primal cut [5] with the identifier [4]. As an alternative to printing the identifier on the meat using an inkjet printer, the mark may be applied using a laser. This may be achieved either by the laser causing a change in colour of the meat surface where the intense heat of the laser beam is focused or by using a colour change fluid in conjunction with the laser.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, colour change fluid [12] is sprayed onto the meat (shown as sub-primal cuts [6]) while the meat travels along a conveyor [9]. The printing or marking means [8], in this embodiment a laser, marks the meat with the identifier [4] by causing the fluid to change colour where the laser beam is focused and therefore the identifier [4] to become visible to the eye.

The identifier printed or marked onto the meat may be read at any stage of meat production using a reading means. As shown in Figure 7, in one embodiment of the present invention, the identifier [4] marked on the meat (shown as a sub-primal cut [6]) is read by a static reading means [13] as the meat travels along a conveyor

[9]. The reading means [13] may be either a barcode or character reader.

Alternatively, the information printed or marked on the meat [6] in the form of the identifier [4] may be read using a portable reading means [13] either while it moves along a conveyor [9], as shown in Figure 8, or while the meat is at a workbench or other area (not shown). In this embodiment of the invention, the portable reading means [13] may be a handheld barcode or character reader.

In a further embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 9, the carcass [3] itself may be pre-printed with the identifier(s) [4] and cutting lines [14] using a printing or marking means [8] before the carcass [3] is processed into primal cuts. In this embodiment, the areas of the carcass [3] that will become the primal cuts receive the identifier [4] prior to being processed into such cuts.

Figure 10 A to C shows different applications of the present invention. Figure

10A shows a sub-primal cut [6] marked with a simple numerical identifier [4n] according to the present invention. Figure 10B shows a sub-primal cut [6] marked according to the present invention with an identifier comprising text and numerical information [4tn]. Figure 10C shows a sub-primal cut [6] marked according to the present invention with a text-only identifier [4t].

In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, information (that is, a unique identifier) may be applied or read at any stage of the carcass butchering and dressing process. The system of the present invention also allows for more than one unique identifier to be printed onto the same cut of meat if desired.

This may be desirable at some stages of processing, for example to incorporate information obtained from multiple stages of processing. This may include information gathered at stages such as in the detain line, at the weighing and grading station, or at entry into or exit from storage facilities.

The information about an animal or carcass contained in the identifier of the present invention may be obtained from an external source, for example, through electronic transmission of the information, by retrieving data from an ear tag or other data storage system physically attached to an animal, or by retrieving information gathered at different stages during meat processing. The external source of information may be an animal management or similar database and may be received for example, by electronic mail. The ear tag or other data storage system physically attached to an animal may contain electronic data in a RFID tag, or data printed on a label in the form of a barcode or text. Information that is gathered at various stages of meat processing may be entered into and later retrieved from a database and processor. The information may be transmitted to the apparatus or system of the present invention from the database and processor by way of for example, serial communication, wireless transmission or via a direct connection. The information that is obtained about the animal may comprise but is not limited to, rules on hygiene, quality of animal feed, animal welfare standards, pest control records, animal health records, species, slaughter date, identifiers from fixed/static skids, shift, carcass weight, market, contamination, level of damage, wounds and bruises, disease, body number, mob number and/or state of the carcass (for example, chilled or frozen). The data may be in fixed format or definable. The information printed onto the meat may be a simple identifier, for example in the form of barcode(s) or an identification number, or alternatively the printed information may comprise a company trade mark or symbol that clearly identifies the origin of the meat product. The printing or marking means, is for example a laser or an inkjet printer. If the printing or marking means is a laser, it can mark the meat in one of two ways. One marking method is that the laser causes a change in colour of the meat surface where the intense heat of the laser beam is focused. Alternatively, the laser of the present invention may be used with a special colour change fluid that has been applied to the meat. The meat is marked because the laser causes a colour change in the fluid. The colour change fluid is suitable for human consumption, is waterproof, quick drying, is non-toxic and meets the approval of regulatory authorities.

When the printing or marking means is an inkjet printer, it uses ink that is nontoxic, edible, quick drying and waterproof and not affected by changes in temperature or humidity. The printed information according to the present invention may be applied to the meat without interfering with the normal operation of the slaughtering and conveying process.

The reading means may be, for example, a barcode reader which may be adapted to read from animal tissue. The present invention also provides the possibility that the printing or marking means and/or the reading means may be portable.

The direct meat mark identification system is compatible with the existing technology used in meat processing plants, for example existing mechanical conveyor systems and computer infrastructure.

The database and processor may be any type of computer or computer system known to those skilled in the art, and it may store identification and tracking information associated with carcasses and/or meat from any stage of meat processing. In addition, a server or other computer system, for example, the existing computer system of a meat processing plant, may be integrated with the database and processor such that all information relating to the animals, carcasses and/or meat can be stored. This will provide management and staff the tools to track orders and processing in real time. It will also provide the ability to link fully processed meat (such as sub-primal cuts) back to the animal of origin, thus providing traceability throughout the supply chain. The identifier printed onto the meat may additionally be used to automate sorting and order picking.

Alternatively, a database and processor that is not the existing computer system of the meat processing plant may be used in the system of the present invention. In this case, the database and processor may interact with the existing systems of the meat processing plant. For example, when an animal is presented to the processing company, the information regarding the animal may be retrieved from the data storage system physically attached to the animal. The information is stored in the database and processor. As the carcass is being processed, the information is kept in sequence with the animal by means of a carcass tracking system. An identifier that associates the carcass and/or cuts of meat with the animal of origin is printed onto the meat according to the present invention. The database and processor may store additional information about the meat that can be linked to the meat by way of the identifier. This may include, but is not limited to, recording the time of processing events, monitoring the synchronicity of the system and storing additional information such as meat grading and inspection results from the processing path.

The system of the present invention may also be used to facilitate tracking of a carcass or primal cuts at later stages of processing. For example, when a carcass or primal cut arrives in the fabrication or boning room for further processing, the identifier is read by a reader and communicated to the database and processor. Alternatively, the identifier may be entered by hand into the database and processor. This information may be used to create a new identifier that is linked to the original identifier. The new identifier may be printed onto cuts of meat during further processing. Alternatively, the original identifier may be reprinted onto the meat cuts during further processing. In summary, the present invention may provide a method, system and apparatus allowing meat (either as primal cuts or as sub-primal cuts) to be printed or otherwise marked with a unique identifier. This is achieved by printing or marking data about the animal carcass directly onto the cuts of meat. The data may be printed in the form of a one- or two-dimensional barcode or in the form of human readable information. The method, system and apparatus of the present invention provide a number of advantages over systems of the prior art. These advantages include that the system is compatible with existing meat processing technologies, the meat can be machine read at any point along the conveying system or at a workbench, the associated system software will provide management and staff with the tools to fully track orders and processing in real time, the manpower requirements to move and sort meat cuts will be reduced and all meat movements may be logged and recorded in a database to improve traceability.

While this invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments and Figures, it is to be appreciated that further modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments and examples without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for identifying a piece of meat during meat production the method comprising: obtaining information about an animal or carcass; and printing or otherwise marking the meat with a mark containing information in the form of a barcode, image or human readable text; and optionally reading the information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is obtained by electronically receiving information from an external source; retrieving data from an ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal; retrieving data recorded on a skid or from a data storage system attached to a carcass; or electronically receiving information gathered at different stages during meat processing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the external source of information is an animal management database maintained by a supplier or farmer or is any other database containing information about the animal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal is a RFID tag or a printed label.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the information gathered at any stage of meat processing is entered into and accessed from a database and processor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information is entered into and accessed from the database and processor by way of serial communication, wireless transmission or a direct connection from the database and processor.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of rules on hygiene, quality of animal feed, animal welfare standards, pest control records, animal health records, species, slaughter date, shift, carcass weight, market, contamination, level of damage, wounds and bruises, disease, body number, mob number and/or state of the carcass.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information is printed or otherwise marked directly onto the meat in the form of a one-dimensional barcode, two-dimensional barcode and/or in the form of human readable information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the human readable information is in the form of text or a symbol.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the meat is printed or otherwise marked with a plurality of barcodes from different stages of the meat production process.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein information is printed on the meat is printed using ink.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ink is non-toxic, edible, quick drying and waterproof.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein information is marked on the meat using a laser.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the laser marks the meat by directly causing a colour change on surface of the meat.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the laser changes the colour of a colour change fluid applied to the surface of the meat.

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the meat is printed or otherwise marked automatically while attached to a conveyor.

17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the meat is manually printed or otherwise marked at a work station.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the information is read using a barcode reader.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the barcode reader transmits information to a computer system.

20. A system for identifying a piece of meat during meat production along a meat production line, the system comprising: a means of obtaining information about an animal or carcass; a printing means or marking means for printing or otherwise marking meat with a mark containing information; a reading means positioned along the meat production line to read the information; and a means of transmitting information from the reading means to a database and processor.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for obtaining information is electronic receipt of information from an external source; retrieval of data from an ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal; retrieval of data recorded on a skid or from a data storage system attached to a carcass; or electronic receipt of information gathered at different stages during meat processing.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the external source of information is an animal management database maintained by a supplier or farmer or is any other database containing information about the animal.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal is a RFID tag or a printed label.

24. The system of any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the printing means or marking means prints or otherwise marks information in the form of a one- dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode and/or human readable information.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the human readable information is in the form of text or a symbol.

26. The system of any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein the reading means is a barcode reader.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the barcode reader is adapted to read from animal tissue.

28. The system of claim 26 or 27, wherein the barcode reader is capable of reading normal or negative printed barcode symbologies.

29. The system of any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the barcode reader has a means of assessing the barcode quality.

30. An apparatus for identifying a piece of meat during meat production, the apparatus comprising: a means of obtaining information about an animal or carcass; and a printing means or marking means for printing or otherwise marking meat with a mark containing information.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for obtaining information is electronic receipt of information from an external source; retrieval of data from an ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal; retrieval of data recorded on a skid or from a data storage system attached to a carcass; or electronic receipt of information gathered at different stages during meat processing.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the external source of information is an animal management database maintained by a supplier or farmer or is any other database containing information about the animal.

33. The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the ear tag or other data storage system attached to the animal is a RFID tag or a printed label.

34. The apparatus of any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein the printing means or marking means prints or otherwise marks information in the form of a one- dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode and/or human readable information.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the human readable information is in the form of text or a symbol.