Think Backward

In the area of food safety, we need to think from the
perspective of the consumer backward. Consumers typically expect
their food to be safe. With all the visibility now, they are making
a purchasing decision on what goes into the food, the source of
their food and the product compliances a company deploys.
Processors, on the other hand, need to demonstrate their food
safety claims by implementing testing, auditing and traceability
for ingredients and finished products through each step of the
supply chain. The key is being rigorous about collecting and
verifying information from suppliers.

The return on investment really comes in the form of access to new
customers and new markets. Retailers, food service companies and
manufacturers are mandating the compliance to the Global Food
Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards. Those companies at the
forefront of ensuring food safety are also focused on quality
through differentiating their brands and proving brand claims to
consumers.

Track and trace technologies are being touted as the solution to
the dangerous and costly challenge of tainted food recalls for both
the industry and governments. There is no doubt that information
technologies can and will provide track and trace functionalities
to address certain aspects of food recalls. However, when you
consider the configuration of a complete supply chain, it becomes
apparent that there are indispensible features required that cannot
be delivered by current solutions.

The lack of end-to-end visibility from manufacturing to consumption
complicates the recall process and can contribute to unnecessary,
dangerous exposure for consumers. As advanced as our technology is
in 2009, a complete traceability system needs to address the
following challenges across the manufacturing supply chain:

• Data Collection and Identification
– Uniform international standards for data collection in the
food supply simply do not exist. The sophistication of technology
used in food manufacturing is at various stages depending upon the
industry, product, geographies and companies involved.
• Supply Chain Complexity –
Farm-to-fork supply chains involve numerous participants that add
complexity to the tracking.
• True End-to-End Visibility Throughout Product
Lifecycle – Interoperability of IT systems and
business processes is difficult across all supply chain
participants to identify the presence and location of tainted food
products in the event of a food recall. 

Given the numerous recent reference events (e.g., peanut butter,
beef, tomatoes, pork, spinach), there is significant movement in
the food supply chain to adopt visibility technologies to
effectuate targeted recalls. The removal of untainted foods results
in significant costs and benefits to industry participants. These
include brand/product recognition and customer loyalty over buying
substitutes. All can be avoided simply by being proactive across
the supply chain with swift, targeted recall management. And by
thinking backward.