GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Two Paths to Better Food Supply, Choices

Dennis McCafferty | Date: 09-02-10 | Comments

A pair of entirely separate tech solutions are finding ways to improve the quality of what we eat.

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Two Paths to Better Food Supply, Choices
There are typically two ways to ensure food safety and quality�from the supply side and from the consumer-awareness side. These new, completely distinguished solutions are promising to accomplish both sides of oversight from opposite ends of the globe:
� Food quality and the supply chain. HP and GS1 Australia are now working to develop a cloud-based recall service to remove potentially harmful food and other products from the supply chain. GS1 is a leading non-profit organization that administers standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains. The solution, called GS1 Recallnet, will run on an HP cloud computing platform for manufacturers. It will allow manufacturers access to an automated, online, industry-based recall and withdrawal notification process, with built-in security that sends notifications to authorized users and targeted retailers. The service includes clear handling, disposal and reimbursement instructions to speed the recall process. It also provides the ability to customize alerts and target specific retailers and distributors with relevant information. A traceable security and audit-trail component is included to ensure compliance.
The upshot: Manufacturers will have the capability to see and share information about possibly dangerous food products before they hit the shelves. Food and consumer products organizations will then be able to use the service to reduce errors, decrease the amount of time it takes to respond to a recall, and reduce the costs associated with managing the recall process.

There were 779 recalls in Australia last year, some involving many thousands of products. GS1 Australia is working with groups such as the Australian Food and Grocery Council, the Liquor Merchants' Association, and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand to establish GS1 Recallnet for the Australian grocery and liquor sectors by March 2011.

"GS1 Recallnet will reinvent the way recall information is handled among businesses," says Maria Palazzolo, CEO of GS1 Australia, in a statement. "By utilizing existing, industry-endorsed services to offer the additional functionality for product withdrawal and recall, we'll be able to assist in improving consumer safety. Global supply-chain standards are foundational to effective product recall."

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