Brands Must Lean on Consumers to Help Manage Their Supply Chains

Food companies are part of a connected world where the process is more social, transparent and curated by consumer demands.  The GFSI theme “One Connected World.  One Safe Food Supply” has never been more resonant.  Food recalls, pandemics, climate change, and other global influences dominate the world’s focus, and this is empowering consumers to drive the supply chain conversation more than ever.

The future of food safety in supply chains begins with the consumer.  Consumers are now looking at the external factors that shape the way food is safely produced, managed and distributed worldwide.  The demand for healthy choices, sustainable production, ethical treatments of farmers and animals, and other global factors are changing the way food is produced, distributed and consumed.  Now, consumers expect their food to be produced and distributed with a smart and sustainable global footprint.

Consumer purchases guide the next generation of global food supplies

Consumer purchase decisions have driven innovation in the food supply chain.  At the Greenfence sponsored dinner event at GFSI 2020 in Seattle, we introduced a menu item that in our perspective is emblematic of the theme of the conference – Beyond Meat sliders.  This US based company has built a brand by listening to the consumer and created a “food platform” that integrates a shift in supply chain execution and messaging.  With the focus on consumer demands, Beyond Meat’s shift from animal to plant-based meat, they address four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources, and animal welfare.  This is a prime example of leveraging those same consumer purchase  decisions to create a demand-based product – whilst contributing to the health of the food supply chain ecosystem at the same time.

Brands lead the future of global food safety

Working with innovative brands that push the envelope by listening to the consumer and creating products that drive planet sustainability will produce a future for a safer and healthier global food supply chain.  The next generation of food entrepreneurs have had the luxury of growing up in a connected world that continues to bridge the consumer with the producer in near real time.  With the advancement of blockchain technology helping manage supply chains to personal “consumer blockchain wallets” that enable the distributors and brands to communicate directly with consumers, the food supply chain has a real time, two-way, information exchange.

Stakeholders in the supply chains can now “talk to each other” in real time and send information through platforms like Global Product Recall Alerts™ (GPR Alerts™)  to consumers to educate, reward or rebate and, ultimately, save lives.  Now, consumers have the power to learn, interact, and be informed by supply chains.  The new technology leads to a new generation in supply chain models and procedures that moves from seed to mouth and back to seed.

Greenfence at GFSI 2020

Greenfence introduced the market a way to connect directly across global food supply chains to engage, educate and reward through Global Product Recall Alerts™ (GPR Alerts™) – all underpinned by blockchain technology – to start real-time dialogues on food safety matters.  We introduced the platform and held a special session with our partners Toshbia and E&Y.  We look forward to continuing the conversation and helping deliver the next generation in food safety technology.

This post was written and contributed by:

The Greenfence Consumer Team