Food Origin Traceability – What are the main challenges?

Nowadays, it is quite easy to pick up one product from your nearest supermarket, scan the embedded QR (Quick Response) code with your smartphone, and have all the information about that product appears on your phone’s browser. You’re able to learn about where the ingredients come from, when and how the product is collected and produced, and maybe even a background story about the history and establishment of the product’s brand.

The trend of traceability in the food and beverage sector was introduced in the 2010s, and now a fundamental requirement. From the supply chain and operation’s point of view, having such tool in place was beneficial to logistics management, that have to deal with market complaints and product withdrawals due to quality issues. As for the marketing, QR code implementation on products could increase brand recognition and increase the sales as it satisfies the customers’ increasing demand for knowledge about food safety, nutrition, and transparency in production methods. Despite all of these benefits, what are the challenges that we face in realizing such goals?

1. Information Security and Fraud concern

Food fraud has always been an issue worldwide. The establishment of traceability technology has somehow helped our community to cope with it. The development of the blockchain technology provides solution for corporations to store all data sources about their products in a faster and more secure way. However, even with blockchain-based solutions, experts warn that fraudster could still manage to penetrate and falsify data. The QR codes can be reproduced and then fraudsters can pass off the code with distorted information. However, this problem can be mitigated with the introduction of NFC (Near Field Communication) tags and active sensors. As these methods don’t require an intermediate app to scan it as with QR code, and the information is encrypted and stored on a blockchain, it makes them unclonable and improves the authenticity.

2. High upfront investment cost

Despite the availability of more secure tools, getting start with food traceability would need a lot of effort in installing technology, collecting data, setting up the database as well as the need for on-going maintenance to cope with the aforementioned cybersecurity risks. Such activities require not only the financial budget but also human and non-tangible resources – such as time. Therefore, it is harder for small and intermediate business owners/entrepreneurs to adapt such technology in their system, unless the turnover rate is guaranteed or such investment costs can be supported and sponsored by governmental organizations.

3. Adaptation

Fast-changing market demand urges the intensive development and adaptation. This in general can be only be done if the company has a good set of skillful employees that is able to help the organization to move forwards. Hence, making food traceability compulsory by law could press another burden on the corporation in preparing their staff with sufficient skills for such transitions.

Altogether, these reasons are considered as the main barriers to enforce the application of food traceability. As the benefits and importance of traceability technologies to Food and Beverage segments are undeniable, I do believe that it deserves more attention, especially from the governmental level, in order to make it more feasible and accessible.

Author: Linh Tran

Image Source Title: Shutterstock

Cites:

https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2019/08/22/Tracking-product-origins-The-hot-topic-of-traceability-in-F-B-and-the-emerging-technology-enabling-advances
https://authena.io/food-traceability/
https://authena.io/blockchain-based-traceability-for-the-food-beverage-sector-the-qr-code-deception/