Traceability for the Fresh Produce Industry

The Covid-19 crisis has undoubtedly impacted

the fresh produce industry. Fruit and vegetable

exports have declined significantly, and

consumers have become more conscious of

food safety and quality.

These changes indicate the increased demand

for more complete information on the safety,

quality, and provenance of fresh produce.

This o�ers an opportunity for fresh produce

businesses to establish a traceability system to

better understand and respond to consumers’

changing purchasing behaviours, establishing

customer trust by ensuring product quality and

providing greater transparency in the supply

chain.

The Opportunity

Traceability plays a crucial role in the fresh

produce industry, particularly in cases of food

safety issues. Despite the protective measures

in place to prevent contamination in the fresh

produce industry, outbreaks of food poisoning

from fruit and vegetables occur at an increasing

rate according to the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration.

The FSANZ noted in 2019 that fruits, herbs, and

vegetables are the most recalled products due

to Salmonella contamination. Tracing and

recalling fresh produce through the supply

chain can be a very costly, di�cult, and

labour-intensive process according to the U.S.

Center for Disease Control. If not properly

managed, these cases can result in a decrease

in demand for the product line, directly

a�ecting profitability and the company’s brand

reputation.

The Challenges

Figure 1: Number of microbial contamination recalls from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019.

Produce traceability is the key to reducing

costly product recalls and protecting public

health as it provides the capability to quickly

identify the precise source of contaminated

produce and withdraw them from the supply

chain. Having an accurate traceability system in

place is critical to ensure preparedness in the

event of a crisis. It simplifies the labour-intensive

process of a product recall and protects

consumers through faster identification of the

contaminated product. It also reduces the

quantity of produce being recalled, and

therefore limits losses and reduces costs.

Supply chain traceability makes it possible to

obtain information on the source, location, and

movement of produce from the growers to the

consumers, as well as identify factors a�ecting

quality and delivery. It allows businesses to

monitor and manage their supply chain more

e�ectively and e�ciently, ensures product

quality, reduces waste, and protects your profits.

Consumers can scan a QR code and be given

instant access to information on the product’s

provenance, quality, and authenticity to assist

them in their purchasing decisions (see figure

2). The option to verify the quality and journey

of a product improves a customer’s confidence

in the product quality. A traceability label is a

powerful competitive tool that is highly valued

by today’s consumers as it signals that a

product is of high quality. The Journal of Food

Products Marketing reported that consumers

are willing to pay around 29.8% more than the

standard price for fresh produce with a

traceability label.

Furthermore, a traceability label provides a

direct marketing channel which connects

consumers with producers. It gives an

opportunity for brands to sell and market

directly to consumers, to engage consumers

with interactive mobile experiences and tell the

story behind their brand. This provides the

potential for brands to earn a higher margin,

increase consumer loyalty, and gain direct

insights to their consumers’ purchasing

behaviour.

The Solution

Figure 2: Consumers can verify a product’s provenance, quality and authenticity.

OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESSES TO GENERATE REVENUE THROUGH:

Supply Chain Optimisation

Supply chain traceability allows businesses to monitor and manage their

supply chain more e�ectively and e�ciently, ensures product quality,

reduces waste, and protects your profits.

Recall Preparedness

Traceability simplifies the labour-intensive process of a product recall

through faster identification of the contaminated product. It reduces the

quantity of produce being recalled, limits losses and reduces costs.

Provenance

Supply chain traceability makes it possible to obtain information on the

source, location, and movement of produce from the growers to the

consumers, as well as identify factors a�ecting quality and delivery.

Authentication and Consumer Trust

The Journal of Food Products Marketing reported that consumers are

willing to pay around 29.8% more than the standard price for fresh

produce with traceable information on provenance and quality.

Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

Traceabiliy allows brands to sell directly to consumers, creating the

potential for brands to earn a higher margin, increase consumer loyalty,

and gain direct insights to their consumers’ purchasing behaviour.

HOW IT WORKS

At iTrazo, we help brands and product owners

with their Traceability journey with our

combined experience in technology,

agriculture and manufacturing. We provide

you a seamless, cost e�ective Traceability

implementation allowing you to realise your

return in investment almost immediately.

Our award-winning platform utilises a range of

trace technologies for brand protection and

consumer engagement, including IoT, NFC,

RFID and Serialisation codes such as QR and

Datamatrix.

We can help your produce business build

superior understanding and control from farm

to consumer by:

• Individually identifying, tracing, and

tracking products, cases, pallets,

containers, and other assets with an

active digital identity

• Automatically capture data with

connected trace and scanning

technologies

• Employ real time geolocation,

anywhere on the globe

• Engage consumers at point of

purchase and consumption

Working with Us

The active digital identity is created and applied to the process, product, asset, service and linked

together to create end-to-end traceability.

We deliver superior business insights,

quality control and cost reduction through:

• Improved supply chain optimisation

• Controlled product recall and spoilage

• Counterfeit detection

• Engagement with consumers

anywhere in the world to protect and

grow brand value and deliver product

transparency

• Real time data insights with advanced

analytics using AI and Machine

The Benefits

Contact us today for a free consultation and product demo!

www.itrazotracetech.com

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@itrazotracetech

@itrazotracetech

marketing@itrazotracetech.com