FEATURE Food & Beverage
The role of traceability in the future of the food and beverage industry
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onsumers today want more information about their food – from its nutritional composition and long-term impacts to its
carbon footprint and provenance. As the demand for knowledge develops, so does concern about sustainability and waste, which is anticipated to increase by 70 per cent by 2050. Food is wasted at every stage of the supply
chain, whether due to spillage or spoilage during production, improper storage, packaging, or transport, or being rejected for cosmetic reasons. If food waste were a country, it would be the third highest CO2 emitter after China and the United States. However, the situation is even more worrying when it comes to food packaging; food and packaging/containers account for almost 45 per As one of the core industries contributing to the economy, as well as health and wellbeing of citizens, the food and beverage industry must reimagine sustainability, reducing waste, production sites, holistic cleaning monitoring tools can ensure no water goes to waste, with new literally, endless.
Looking at the wider industry and as recognised
by the FDA, end-to-end traceability is now the key enabler of trust, transparency and sustainability. While data powers the vast majority of our day- to-day lives – the same must become the case for the food industry. Each and every event in the product journey must be recorded and validated to create an immutable digital passport that be viewed across the permissioned ecosystem. In case of error, say with product contamination or packaging failure – insights can be instantly uncovered and isolated, ensuring waste across the supply chain is minimised. End-to-end visibility enables consumers, businesses and governments to trace and understand the entire history of a product. This helps drive responsible as the foundation for continuous, end-to-end improvement. Nestlé has improved the traceability of Perrier spring water, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations. By incorporating operational business can provide real time access to enable
www.irish-manufacturing.com Irish Manufacturing November 2021
By Mike Jamieson, President of CPG at Schneider Electric
human and environmental sustainability record, again effectively raising standards and helping to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals.
also allows entities to create an accurate and reliable picture of food life cycles, assessing the environmental impact of it at every stage in its counterfeiting, and grey markets, all while helping to optimise logistics and minimise supply chain issues. By incorporating traceability, Nestlé was able to gain a full understanding of waste and to learn it was possible to help power its Girona plant with coffee ground waste.
GOING FULL CIRCLE To effectively meet the challenges ahead, regions and industries must embrace the circular economy, where waste can be minimised, and products reused. Creating an interlinked ecosystem drives accountability and can therefore be the catalyst for genuine change. End-to-end traceability means responsible production and handling claims can be substantiated, pointing to environmental culprits or supply chain vulnerabilities. Evidence of responsible handling is just one part of the advantages of traceability. By having visibility of all the actors involved in handling materials associated with the product, bodies can collate and validated sustainability credentials and allow businesses to assess and report on supplier’s
CONSUMER CONCERNS Finally, traceability across the whole value chain helps tackle consumer concerns. It enables consumers to connect with a product’s narrative on a deeper level, aiding buy-in to brand values, thus helping customers to make more informed decisions.
Digitalisation holds the key to completely grasping the present market and removing the mountains of waste we generate. The ‘trust but verify’ strategy will help not only our planet, but also businesses and consumers. Throughout industry, we must prioritise locally created and sustainably sourced products, while also respecting and supporting our communities and making
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