Analytical Tech Tools Allow Major Food Cooperative to Track Supply Chain from Farm to Table

By Mike Rozembajgier

Cherry Central, a domestic cooperative of several hundred fruit and vegetable growers, recently announced that it will use IBM analytics technology to enhance transparency in its supply chain operations, particularly as goods travel from the farm to supermarkets and consumers. This news is a positive development for all of the cooperative’s affiliated farm growers and shows a genuine commitment to advancing the safety and accountability of their supply chains. Now that their products will be fully traceable, recall management will be much easier and more effective, resulting in a safer food supply.

In a news release, IBM pointed out that highly publicized outbreaks of foodborne illness cost up to $152 billion a year in the U.S., “with 48 million food-related illnesses and 3,000 deaths a year.” The release went on to note that “a breakdown at any point in the food system on the farm-to-table spectrum can cause catastrophic harm to the health of consumers and great disruption and economic loss to the food industry.”

Thanks to the IBM analytics technology, fruit and vegetable growers will have the tools they need to track  produce from when it is harvested, sorted or processed, sent to a distribution warehouse and unloaded at grocery stores or delivered to ingredient buyers. Workers will even be able to upload key data, such as the temperature of the product and the dates and times it is delivered, by using mobile devices, streamlining the process and helping to ensure regulatory compliance and recall effectiveness, should that ever be necessary.

Discussing the new analytical tools, Steve Eiseler, vice president of operations at Cherry Central, said, “This collaboration is helping us create a well-connected and visible food supply chain to make it easier and faster to track the food items we market, while allowing us to spot trends as they’re occurring in real time. This visibility is enabling us to take proactive measures to ensure food safety and ultimately protect the consumer.”

According to IBM, the system also will help the cooperative improve productivity by up to 50 percent.

The use of sophisticated analytics tools is one of best ways to ensure food safety compliance. As previously discussed on ExpertINSIGHTS, projects such as the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) seek to achieve exactly the same goals. As technological improvements make oversight of the food supply simpler and safer, initiatives like this will advance public safety and create a new standard for recall management.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.