Wide Angle Visibility

Why Food Supply Chains Need A Granular Track & Trace Solution

​Global food supply chains are extremely complex and involve multiple potential points of failure. Constantly changing regulations, shipping costs and supplier dynamics mean that supply chains are also continually evolving. 
 
To ensure brand protection firms need to have access to granular data about their produce along its entire journey as it travels from farm to fork. 
 
 
 
Current Issues
 
Each year billions of dollars are lost in food fraud. Counterfeits of items such as Wagyu beef and rare Italian Olive Oils are sold regularly because buyers have no way of verifying the authenticity of the items they are purchasing. Theft is another major concern across supply chains. Food and beverages accounted for 34% of all cargo theft in North America in 2018. 
 
Adding to the complexity is the fact that food travels through multiple modes of transport often across international borders. 
 
Currently some data exists on the conditions under which food is transported, but this data remains locked away in silos and is generally limited to parts of the journey. Furthermore, the data is available for a truck or a full container load, but there is no proof that specific data is from a specific, identified batch of product. Variance in temperature, contamination and exposure to moisture may ruin a shipment or significantly reduce its shelf life. Poor handling of food at any point in the supply chain can compromise its quality.
 
Inefficiencies and complications often arise regarding compliance and following the local jurisdiction’s regulations. Delays caused due to incomplete or faulty compliance can lead to the spoilage of food and prove to be expensive for multiple stakeholders in the supply chain. 
 
E. Coli outbreaks over the past 2 decades have highlighted the need to be able to identify the point of contamination and quickly remove all contaminated units from restaurants and the shelves of grocery stores and supermarkets. Additionally, the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act mentions establishing a system to enhance track and trace abilities in order to “prevent or control a foodborne illness outbreak”. We believe this will usher in a New Era of Smarter Food Safety, emphasizing item level traceability.
 
Food companies need to have granular visibility into their supply chains if they want to protect their brand and guarantee food quality and safety.
 
 
What is Wide Angle Visibility
 
Wide Angle Visibility developed by our team at Nazar Systems enables users to access real time granular data about every item of theirs moving through the supply chain. We are able to monitor every unit of produce in our supply chain using the Nazar SmartELabel, a proprietary technology we’ve developed. This solution helps to address various challenges presented by today’s complex supply chains. 
 
Wide Angle Visibility gives a user key insights in real time of all their items in the supply chain. Using a range of sensors and IoT across the board, our system generates actionable insights and tracks each unit of food from farm to fork. Additionally, we store all the data related to each item in a tamper resistant, blockchain database. 
 
Smart contracts help code logic into the system and alert the user of specific events and changes of state. Regulation and compliance is also made faster and more transparent using this system. 
 
An important feature of Wide Angle Visibility is the recall management function. This system gives granular control over recalls ensuring that only those specific cases that need to be recalled can be removed from the supply chain at once. Our granular data makes recall of entire production or batch lots unnecessary, thereby vastly reducing costs to the Brand and their Insurance carriers
 
Our sensors continuously upload data to our servers. If there is an interruption in the stream of data or a deviation from the predetermined route our system will generate an alert to the user that there may be a possible ongoing case of theft or product tampering underway which should be further investigated.
 
Users get a comprehensive picture of their food items as they move through the supply chain. This helps them understand where their food has been and what has happened to it through the journey. This granular supply chain visibility helps managers protect their brands and ensure that only the highest quality of food makes it to the point of retail.
 
 
Conclusion
 
Real time actionable insights enable users to make critical decisions well before food reaches the point of retail. Our track and trace feature helps reduce fraud and theft. As the FDA is encouraging food companies to take charge of the safety of their produce Nazar’s Wide Angle Visibility will help ensure safety, compliance and actionable insights.

Nazar Systems