• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Blogs » Think Tank » Consumers Want Supply-Chain Transparency. Are Food Brands Listening?

Think Tank
Think Tank RSS FeedRSS

Consumers Want Supply-Chain Transparency. Are Food Brands Listening?

Food
Photo: Bloomberg
April 22, 2021
Saptarshi Choudhury, SCB Contributor

Sixty percent of global consumers cite sustainability and social responsibility as essential considerations when choosing which products to buy. They look to their preferred food brands to make the best decisions, but are those companies looking out for their consumers’ best interest? The answer varies from company to company.

Visibility is crucial to the supply chains of food brands. Consumers need to be able to engage them about what they do, how they do it, and why they make the decisions that they do. Over the last decade, buyers have made it clear that they prefer patronizing companies that shares their values.

According to research, 94% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand that offers complete supply-chain transparency, while 39% say they’re willing to switch to a more transparent brand. For many companies, lack of transparency results in a lack of trust on the part of buyers. As a result, some large brands have sought to implement tracking and tracing for every activity across their supply chains.

Blockchain has become a critical tool for tracking each element that goes into a processed food item throughout its journey, from inception to consumption. It allows 100% transparency through real-time visibility. This increased level of knowledge helps customers make educated decisions about the brands they choose.

Enhancing traceability in the food supply chain can also help check the spread of foodborne illnesses. The ability to track a disease back to its source, identify any items that might have been contaminated, and swiftly remove them from store shelves and restaurants can save lives and money.

The numbers linked to food losses and recalls are staggering. A single recall in 2008 cost food companies $500 million in settlements. And in 2010, there were $161 billion worth of losses due to food waste. But precise track-and-trace processes employing blockchain can cut down and potentially eliminate waste and recalls, ensuring safe and proper supply-chain operations, timely deliveries, and advance disposal of contaminated food batches.

Currently there’s a focus by consumers on buying food products that were made with sustainably sourced ingredients. They may also be concerned about the distance that the product has covered from manufacturing to the grocery store, impacting its carbon footprint. Some buyers will opt instead for products from a local butcher, farm or farmer’s market.

Another significant determining factor is whether the ingredients have been produced using practices beneficial to the environment. Is the company engaged in ethical sourcing and compliance, or is it skirting the rules and regulations? Brands that can’t answer that question aren’t listening to their consumers’ concerns, now and in the future.

The results of increased transparency, particularly for the food supply chain, will enable sustainable brands to set themselves apart from less responsible producers for years to come. CEOs who embrace the transition to progressive and innovative techniques will create a loyal following and build stronger brands.

Saptarshi Choudhury is director of emerging technologies at Paramount Software Solutions’ Farm to Plate.

Supply Chain Visibility Quality & Metrics Regulation & Compliance Supply Chain Security & Risk Mgmt Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Food & Beverage

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • A WORKER IN A WAREHOUSE, SUPERIMPOSED WITH GRAPHICS SHOWING SUPPLY NETWORK

    Enabling Intelligent Visibility With Supply Chain Analytics

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • A HAND TURNS A LARGE, LIGHTED DIAL WITH THE WORD RISK ON IT iStock-NicoElNino-1364371014.jpg

    Measuring KPIs and KRIs for Comprehensive Supplier Performance Management

    Technology
  • GSCMS-Promo.png

    Watch: Introducing the Global Supply Chain Marketing Summit

    Education & Professional Development
  • A COMPLEX SERIES OF ROADWAYS AND RAMPS, SEEN FROM HIGH ABOVE, IS PARTLY SHROUDED BY CLOUD

    Supply Chain Visibility Isn’t Just a Catchphrase; It’s an Imperative

    Logistics
  • A MAN IN A SUIT SITS LEANING OVER THE BACK OF A CHAIR IN A WOOD-PANELLED ROOM FULL OF LARGE PHOTOS OF OTHER MEN IN SUITS

    UPS Faces Rising Labor Costs, Strike Risk in Upcoming Union Fight

    Last Mile Delivery

Digital Edition

Scb nov 2022 sm

2022 Supply Chain Innovator of the Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Honeywell Intelligrated IFM
Infor Inmar Keelvar
Kinaxis Korber Lean Solutions Group 2H
Liberty SBF Locus Robotics Logility
LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems MCA Connect
MPO Nvidia Old Dominion
OpenText ORTEC Overhaul
Parsyl PMMI QIMA
Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash Saddle Creek Logistics
Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG Ship4WD
Shipwell Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing