Many aspects impact the market shares you have. One of the most obvious is the trustor desire of the customer in the product. Due to the growing widespread usage of mobile phones, information travels at a lightning-fast speed. Every day due to the publication of undercover videos and occasionally irresponsible tweets and blogs on the Internet.
North American food producers need to keep pace with the other countries and remain proactive in keeping their faith. Software for traceability has been shown to increase animal welfare awareness and increase profitability in other countries. Technology that is considered a problem to some people can be utilized in conjunction with traceability software to become an effective tool for changing marketing trends to improve.
The most important story that we can share about the food we consume is the method of production. Customers seek honesty from the companies that provide their food, and processors who are willing to reveal traceability information in a transparent manner rank very highly with the customers. One adverse event to undermine confidence. It isn’t easy to restore trust once it’s gone.
Food security in protein is always a primary concern of large food corporations and every government level. As we get more and more involved, we are witnessing the introduction of traceability becoming a necessity for evermore Agri sectors that are being added to their agendas. But, are our efforts sufficient?
Denmark is the first nation to ultimately adopt a national voluntary tracking software to track its poultry industry. Officials in Denmark believed that absolute traceability starts before the egg incubator and is maintained throughout the animal’s entire life by recording and connecting all inputs that affect food quality, safety, animal welfare, and economics.
With the help of Lyngsoe Systems’ Agri traceability software, farmers are now able to utilize traceability as a production management tool that can increase productivity. With all the data stored in one database, farmers can now examine their results and develop benchmarks. This allows farmers to evaluate their productivity, performance, and economic performance compared to the average national version. This means they can focus on areas in which they are not performing and the national average.
Since 2010, the cost of feed has been at an all-time high in Denmark. However, Danish farmers have had a chance to make high profits per bird over the same time frame. The implementation technology for traceability has reduced the frequency and costs of third-party audits. Retailers and restaurants with large scales across the EU demand better traceability and will not purchase from a business that isn’t in compliance with.
To develop better traceability systems, it is essential to establish an established standard and get total “buy-in” from all participants. Electronic records and data collection should replace a majority of paper-based systems. Data collection should be simplified with accessible interfaces (Smart Phone apps and cloud Access) and automatic ID collection like Barcode and radiofrequency identification (RFID). The systems should be periodically scrutinized to ensure conformity and better record-keeping. Additionally, it is essential to examine the traceability data to aid in measuring production and benchmarking. The advanced traceability system comes with value-added features to help to increase sustainability and improve yield on investments.
About the Author
An alumnus from Ryerson University, Robert Lynn has spent the last 12 years providing a wide range of corporate clients throughout North America, helping to improve their efficiency by introducing various technologies, including bar-coding, software, and the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Over the past three years, Lynn has focused on enhancing Food safety software compliance and the understanding of productivity in those working in the industry of food. He is currently the Director of business development within Lyngsoe Systems Ltd., the world’s market leader in Agri’s auto-identification, logistics, and traceability software.