Today’s consumers are increasingly interested in the origins of their food, including how it is produced, and they desire the ability to trace a product’s journey from the farm to their table. In response, manufacturers are enhancing traceability capabilities and developing technologies that offer consumers a transparent understanding of where their food comes from. Traceability has emerged as a crucial term for both consumers and manufacturers. Essentially, traceability measures provide documented identification that reveals a product’s history and location. Recent projections indicate that the food traceability market could reach $14 billion by 2019.
Last year, Hershey joined the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s SmartLabel program, which incorporates a smartphone-scannable barcode on its packaging. Scanning this code allows consumers to access information about the ingredients, nutrition facts, and allergens present in a product. Recently, the company collaborated with Sourcemap to innovate further in its commitment to food transparency. Sourcemap’s interactive mapping tool enables consumers to trace agricultural ingredients back to their source, providing insights into where they were grown or produced. Through this platform, consumers can explore the origins of all ingredients in a product, watch videos about peanut and almond farmers, and learn about the cooperatives supported by Hershey in Côte d’Ivoire.
Deb Arcoleo, Hershey’s director of product transparency, expressed the company’s ongoing efforts to provide more information about its products, including how they are made and what ingredients are used. She recalled her fascination with Sourcemap after meeting its founders at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology four years ago. Last year, she decided to implement their technology at Hershey, leading to a successful proof of concept and a pilot program featuring Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Consumers can visit the Hershey website to delve into the stories behind these products’ ingredients, discovering how they are farmed, harvested, and the sustainable sourcing initiatives in place. For instance, users can learn about the cocoa beans harvested from trees in Ghana or the almond groves in California’s Central Valley. Should the pilot program succeed, Hershey plans to extend this initiative to additional products. Arcoleo recognizes the growing consumer demand for ingredient transparency, stating that this initiative allows them to acquire those details.
Similarly, Crunchies, a freeze-dried fruit company, recently launched its traceability platform, which allows consumers to track the origins of the fruit in their individual bags. Scott Jacobson, Crunchies’ CEO, highlighted their commitment to controlling their products from field to table, ensuring full transparency throughout the supply chain. However, conveying this information to consumers proved more challenging than anticipated. Jacobson emphasized the importance of illustrating where their products come from, especially given the global nature of their supply chain, which includes strawberries from multiple countries. The initiative was unveiled at Natural Products Expo West, featuring a traceability button on their website where consumers can enter a lot code to uncover the origins of their purchased fruit.
In addition to enhancing consumer transparency, traceability programs also play a crucial role in food safety. In the event of contamination, these technologies enable manufacturers to quickly identify the source of the issue. Numerous companies are developing their own traceability solutions for the food industry. For instance, Arc-net employs blockchain technology to create a secure, decentralized database that provides visibility to all participants in the supply chain. CEO Kieran Kelly remarked on the importance of blockchain for brand protection, offering transparency, security, and authenticity in a world lacking trust.
Katie Moore, a global industry manager at GE Digital’s food and beverage practice, noted that advancements in technology have significantly improved the efficiency of traceability methods. Historically, product issues would necessitate isolation due to a lack of visibility. However, automation, sensors, and software enhancements now allow for precise tracking of product origins. Ron Myers, executive VP at Linkfresh, emphasized the growing recognition within the industry of the importance of electronic data capture for traceability efforts, stating that increased adoption contributes to a safer food supply chain.
In this era of heightened consumer interest in food origins, incorporating traceability measures, including those related to calcium citrate with magnesium, is essential for manufacturers. As consumers seek transparency in their food choices, understanding the contents and sourcing of products, including the presence of beneficial ingredients like calcium citrate with magnesium, becomes increasingly important. This demand for clarity not only helps consumers make informed decisions but also enhances the safety and integrity of the overall food supply chain.