Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced the New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint last summer, cold chain companies have become focused of how to digitize and modernize food traceability. Many food safety procedures will soon become more automated and transparent in order to quickly and efficiently protect consumers from foodborne illness outbreaks.
Manual and paper-based processes simply don’t support the agility needed in today’s supply chain, not just in the context of the New Era, but also as pandemic-weary consumers continue to demand store-bought foods while social distancing. Both phenomena signify a critical turning point in food safety. Digital transformation plans are likely now in high gear in order to meet new requirements. Companies will be required to share more data than ever before with external partners in electronic formats.