Getting to know our food

Putting a label on it

When someone inspects the label on a food or beverage product, they are likely looking for a number of things. With health and wellness a global megatrend that has evolved into a global mindset – especially in light of COVID-19 – consumers want to know what they are putting into their bodies. But that’s only part of it.

Today’s consumers are also heavily invested in sustainability, leading to huge demand for information on where ingredients come from. Is the chicken local? If not, what is the brand doing to offset its carbon footprint in this area? Are the vegetables seasonal? If so, where are they from, and is the brand doing anything to support smaller, local ventures?

How to cover A to Z

Global manufacturers have become accustomed to the need for greater transparency from one end of their supply chain to the other. Concerning food sources, this can entail many steps. Firstly, one should consider what traceability means for food and beverage production. According to the European Commission, this means tracking “any food, feed, food-producing animal or substance that will be used for consumption, through all stages of production, processing and distribution”.

Why does traceability matter?

Next, to fully embrace traceability, manufacturers need to understand why it is so important. Aside from helping them meet the consumer megatrends mentioned earlier, traceability offers a number of benefits. With a food traceability system in place, manufacturers can optimise inventory management and improve the quality and consistency of their products. If they face a recall due to contamination, they can quickly discover the point of origin and minimise waste. Better traceability will also help build a loyal customer base, with consumers more aware of food safety than ever before.

A clearer future

With so many pros on the table, it stands to reason global regulatory bodies are placing more focus on traceability. Take the FDA, which in 2019 launched The New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative. One of the aims of the initiative is to improve traceability as a way to ensure food safety. We also have the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, which, among many other things, aims to reduce food fraud through greater adoption of, you guessed it, traceability models.

Technology & traceability

So, what does this actually mean for manufacturers? It means using technologies like AI and blockchain – among others – to ensure the entire lifespan of a product is documented. Technologies which can collect data to be translated into readable information either on a physical label or via a smart device. 

While AI is already in use, blockchain is yet to be fully utilised. This despite the many opportunities it offers. With blockchain, farmers can monitor crop health and manufacturers can remove contaminated food from supermarket shelves quickly and easily. Blockchain can also help improve transportation of food by enabling manufacturers to track the environmental conditions in which their products are being kept.

The code for success

Blockchain is also helping to improve brand transparency by giving manufacturers more room to be creative with QR codes. For example, today, a consumer can scan a QR code and find out where the fish they buy was caught, or even the soil type of the vineyard from where their wine came. And the reason they can access such in-depth info – in a number of innovative ways – is down to blockchain allowing manufacturers access to a huge amount of data. Data which can then be presented to consumers in a far less complex manner, simply by having them scan a QR code.

Whatever a manufacturer wants to do with blockchain, the time to try is now: the technology’s use within the food and beverage industry is expected to rise sharply over the next few years, with analysts predicting annual growth of 48.1% between 2020 and 2025, from $133m to $948m.

The SIG way

This growth is also being boosted by industry experts such as SIG. With solutions like PAC.TRUST and Track & Trace, we’re helping manufacturers meet new and more elaborate food demands from consumers and regulators alike. Allowing our clients to follow the entire journey of their products while optimising production – by giving them access to more real-time data than ever before.

Just how much goes into bringing a product to a supermarket shelf? Watch our video to find out: 

We will continue discussing the benefits of providing consumers accurate and complete information in part three of The Transparency Track series. Most notably, how this move can help food and beverage manufacturers provide nutritional and allergen labels that are simple and informative.

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