The perishable foods industry is feeling the pressure to quickly provide real-time information on how food is produced, packaged, shipped, delivered, stored, and stocked in stores. This is especially of interest after incidents like the romaine lettuce E. coli scare in 2018. The entire perishable foods industry is trying to keep up with and react to new standards for food safety compliance and increased government regulations. Not to mention, the growing demand from consumers for improved traceability and recalls.

So why is traceability so important to the perishable foods industry? It all comes down to public health. In reality, food safety problems thankfully remain fairly rare. However, when they do happen, time is of the essence! The financial impact of a recall is quite significant, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association. In the U.S., 52% of all recalls cost over $10M and 23% cost over $30M. In the event of a recall, companies need to be able to respond quickly and follow the paths of their product(s) through the food chain.

Better tracking and organizing with food inventory management software

Food inventory management software allows companies to keep much better records of their products at all times. By using these innovative food systems, perishable food companies are better able to track and organize their products more efficiently than ever before. From the moment an individual product has been shipped, it will remain in the system until a consumer has removed it from the shelf. Because of this advanced capability, perishable food items can be tracked through every phase of the supply chain.

Prevention through the use of technology

Food traceability software has been completely redefined over the last few years, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop any time soon. There are more advancements coming to the perishable foods industry over the next few years. These improvements will continue to drastically increase production, traceability, and the delivery of perishable foods. Because so many people depend on fresh, healthy food, it is essential that this food is produced and delivered in the most efficient way. It all comes down to one thing – you’re only going to be as good at traceability as your technology. You must have the most efficient and compliant processes in place if you’re going to keep up with industry standards and regulations. Harvest Food Solutions offers a suite of systems specifically for the perishable foods industry. Each system is built with your company’s unique processes in mind and will resolve many of the issues you may be facing around food traceability.

Planning and preparedness

Logistics plays an integral part in getting your products to market. Keeping track and tracing the key points in our complicated food supply chain is imperative. Systems like HarvestERP bring control to your dynamic business environment. Years in development, HarvestERP enables perishable goods companies like yours to optimize, manage, and control every aspect of your operation. With clear implementation guidelines and a strong community of support, HarvestERP builds in planning and preparedness in your operation.

Looking beyond recalls

Food traceability is more than just recalls – it’s also about being able to recognize the origin of the product(s) from the farm through to the processing, storage, and distribution. And the cycle doesn’t stop there – it’s important to also include consumer trends, evolving health, and shopping habits. We think it’s good to even consider social media, and media in a broader sense, as part of food traceability. Misinformation and panic often ensue when issues surrounding global food supply arise in the media. This increases concerns about both food safety and food quality in our food supply chain. Implementing food traceability software will give your business the tools it needs to optimize communication and share information across networks. The result is an increase in transparency and real-time information that not only benefits the growers, processors, and suppliers, but also the retailers and consumers.

Building trust in the food supply chain

A huge benefit of implementing food traceability software is that it will streamline and synchronize your data into one single platform. Transitioning your business to new technology will help to minimize the risk of incorrect or lost data. Food traceability software will provide integration over all departments, not only building efficiencies into your business but providing your company with a proper foundation for the future. A foundation that will be both resilient and responsive to evolving standards for food safety compliance and increased government regulations.

Are you ready to transform your business with a modern food traceability management system? Then give us a call today to find out how our systems can help your business.

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