< Previous30 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net TRACEABILITY © stock.adobe.com/manjurulFood & Drink International 31 www.fdiforum.net TRACEABILITY Proper traceability systems not only help prevent a crisis, but also put criminals on the backfoot. Every separate process along the way is known as a traceability system – the combined entirety of data and operations which contains and maintains all information about a product. As a product moves between stages, the system records all data required to not only keep track of where it is in the production chain, but also to track its progress back to its point, or points, of origin. As well as putting greater degrees of information in the public eye, and supporting farmers and producers, traceability is critical in combating adulteration. Almost every ingredient or product is vulnerable to adulteration, but some more so than others – for example honey, maple syrup and dried spices rank among the top ten most adulterated food products globally. Robust traceability measures means that produce is tracked and monitored throughout the supply chain, minimising opportunities for adulteration and tampering to occur. One need only look back a decade, to the 32 Á32 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net TRACEABILITY infamous horse meat scandal of 2011, to see the reality of operating supply chains without adequate traceability in place between suppliers, importers and retailers. In the years since the finding of horse meat in ready meals purporting to contain beef first emerged, consumer interest in traceability has increased. With the outbreak of COVID-19, and, more recently, repeated outbreaks of E. Coli and Salmonella, consumer concerns surrounding the importance of safe and healthy eating habits only been heightened. It took a painfully long time to discover that contaminated lettuce was the culprit in a recent case that affected packaged sandwiches and wraps, and that time resulted in more brands than were impacted removing their products from shelves. Had the traceability been better, there wouldn’t have been such wastage. Maintaining a competitive edge has forced companies to bolster traceability efforts. Now, many products sport QR codes on their packaging, allowing consumers to scan them with their phones and learn more about that product and its origin: how it was produced and where etc. As well as allaying fears, this can also help to nurture consumer confidence at a time when many are still feeling vulnerable. Over the last decade, blockchain has emerged as one of the most reliable and robust traceability measures. Although it was originally invented in 2008 as a public transaction ledger of the cryptocurrency bitcoin, blockchain has rapidly evolved into a means of providing a transparent and accountable record of goods and services. It provides an immutable truth about supply chain events, allowing consumers to trace their products directly back to the source, enabling producers to provide information on where their produce comes from and how it is prepared, and ensuring suppliers are connected and protected by evidence if an issue occurs further along the supply chain. Part of what makes blockchain so reliable is that it is private with only permissioned parties able to access the data, making it incredibly difficult to abuse. This makes it ideally suited for ingredients and products that have supply chains fraught with slavery and human trafficking such as coffee and cocoa. Traceability shines a light in the dark corners of the supply chain, combating food © stock.adobe.com/siripimon2525Food & Drink International 33 www.fdiforum.net TRACEABILITY fraud and adulteration, whilst also protecting the livelihoods of producers, and allowing consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions. As such, companies need to ensure they have robust, reliable traceability measures in place. The future of the food industry depends on it. In developing a food traceability system, there are three more key areas that must be taken into account, as well as the general traceability of food back to suppliers and forwards to business customers. Defining separate batches of product can vastly reduce the amount of food needing to be recalled in an emergency – essentially not putting all your eggs in one basket. Information in data and on labels should include a business name, business address, descriptions and quantities of all foods purchased and sold, and transaction dates. Finally, all data must be made available to access at any time throughout any product’s journey along the chain. It’s also a good idea to be mindful of the traceability systems used by any traders or suppliers you do business with, ensuring that they are up to standard and will comply with your own operations. In fact, there can never be too much careful thought and checking. Further points for consideration might include organising regular reviews of your systems and discussing safe lengths of time for data to be saved. www.halalfoodauthority.com - info@halalfoodauthority.com - 0044 (0) 20 8446 7127 Meat, Food Processing, cosmetics, logistics, chemicals, additives & aromas, cleaning substances, packaging, pharmaceutical, ingredients GETHALALCERTIFIED GOBEYONDBORDERS © stock.adobe.com/Grustock34 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT © stock.adobe.com/panaramka Waste Waste Food & Drink International 35 www.fdiforum.net RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT Food waste has always been a glaring issue for the sector. With consumers demanding more action, microplastics in the ocean, fish and even human blood – and now with wastewater being pumped into rivers in the UK – effective waste management, and wastewater management, are more important than ever before. B usiness accountability and sustainability have been buzzwords for a long time, but with added focus and COP29 taking place, they are more important than ever. The desire to appeal to consumers with an ethical and environmentally minded approach to business, as well as the potential money saving benefits to efficient running operations and waste management systems are important for all modern enterprises to consider. Food and drink manufacturers are major waste producers, and concern over food waste and packaging, and where it ends up (our oceans and, in recent times, even our own blood!), is increasing, with demand across societies for more sustainable and responsible waste management growing Manufacturers in the past have been more than happy to let waste companies simply take waste off site, with little extra thought. Now, though, there is greater understanding over the value of waste produced and opportunity to address costs. Across the industry efforts are homing in on reducing waste, avoiding disposal, and circular approaches are striving to keep raw materials in use, designing out waste, and ensuring the waste from one process is the input for another. Wastewater, especially, is valuable for this, as it is far cheaper in the long run to be able to re-use water time and time again, then to keep bringing more in. Circular principles are being incorporated into all processes and products - from research and development to production, companies are minimising the number of materials required and waste generated in the manufacture and use of products, increasing reused and recycled content of materials 36 Á36 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT used directly and within supply chains, and maximising the amount of waste recycled to slash what is sent to landfill. Similarly, reduction in packaging to reduce waste is important, but cannot alone solve the issue – as food will always require some degree of packaging. Therefore, the attention is not only on reduction, but how to better ensure the end product is recycled. In a sense, there are two angles to consider for food manufacturers: how they, themselves, can deal with their own waste created in the manufacturing process, and how their consumers will dispose of the waste left after consuming their product. It might seem unfair for a company to have to consider both, but that is very much the way it is, and there is little hope in that changing. Instead, companies need to look for ways to make recycling easier for consumers, while also balancing their own costs and needs when it comes to dealing with their own waste – all the while, being expected to meet net-zero targets across various countries and continents. It is a great challenge, but one that can be as much an opportunity as a disadvantage, as those who fail will likely see their market share damaged, allowing more flexible companies who are quicker to adapt to snatch up extra profits. It’s not only food and packaging waste that needs to be considered, however, but as recent scandals in the UK have also drawn attention to water and wastewater. The cornerstones of water treatment involve the treating and safe release/disposal of water used in business processes back into the environment. This can have major ecological impacts when handled ineffectively, harming biodiversity and causing ecological, as well as environmental, damage. We live in a world where these factors are prized more than ever by consumers and customers who, in a more digital world, are quick to find fault and criticise brands and companies who cause damage to the landscape. Wastewater – and waste management in general – represents not only copious amounts of greenhouse gas, but damaging environmental waste that can impact entire ecosystems, changing concentrations of animals, pests and insects in ways that can upset natural habitats. Water is used extensively in food and drink manufacturing, which makes it a key concern for brands to consider, especially those in the UK with the current attention on the issue. One doesn’t have to look far to see timely and topical examples of water treatment done wrong, as the UK Government was recently highlighted for decisions that allowed treatment works to pump raw sewage into the UK’s rivers which, a new report has found, was known to be happening by the Environment Agency ten years ago. The report found that in 2012, it was known that United Utilities were dumping raw sewage into rivers in north-west regions and were failing to treat the required amount of sewage as agreed by their permits. The fact it has only come to light now has led many to anger and will place more attention on water treatment and wastewater disposal going forward as the Government, and concerned groups, try to limit the damage. Food & Drink International 37 www.fdiforum.net RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT © stock.adobe.com/panaramka38 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net WAREHOUSING AND OPTIMISATION The difficult game of warehouse optimisation Food & Drink International 39 www.fdiforum.net WAREHOUSING AND OPTIMISATION E fficiency and cost-reduction has traditionally been the most important factor in running a warehouse or distribution centre. The balance between minimising costs and maximising throughput, isolating and identifying factors that cause delays or problems becomes increasingly important. While social isolation and distancing have thankfully come and gone, fresh pressure from rising fuel prices, inflation and a lack of staffing has led to a whole new raft of issues. Given the new and unpredictable world we live in, perhaps it’s time to spend less time worrying about how to squeeze the most out of your warehouse, but more on how to keep it running no matter what hits. Resilience, more than efficiency, may be the industry’s latest keyword. It might come across as though these outward pressures are being touted as beneficial for the industry, and they’re really not. Adaptation rarely comes willingly, or happily, but the optimisations that will result from them can serve the sector well, and the lessons learned should not be forgotten. The largest of which now is inflation surrounding workforces, with low unemployment and wages combining to make warehouse workers in high demand. For those companies who cannot afford to offer exceptionally attractive packages to maintain and attract staff – and this approach isn’t very sustainable long-term anyway – the © stock.adobe.com/panuwat © stock.adobe.com/Petinovs Difficulties finding staff, reliance on AI, increasingly demanding customers. It’s beginning to feel like managing a warehouse is a never-ending game of whack-a-mole with the life and death of the company at stake. 40 ÁNext >