Managing food supply chains and ensuring quality is no easy task when it comes to providing restaurants and grocery stores with fresh food. There are a variety of components which must be examined individually and as a whole, which is why sustainability software is a must have in the business. Businesses and consumers alike have become more concerned with both where their food comes from and whether or not it meets food safety requirements. Looking at produce alone, customers may want to know whether it’s genetically modified, organically grown, harvested locally, or flown in from an exotic locale. Food supply companies have to ensure that everything is tracked and labelled appropriately, so the end consumer knows what they’re eating. An effective health and safety environment management system in conjunction with sustainability software is the key to this.
Managing and Tracking Supply Chains
It is one thing to know that your company is compliant with regulations, but it cannot be assumed that the suppliers you work with are. Therefore, using sustainability software to monitor, manage, and audit your suppliers is the best way to ensure that you are using suppliers who are complying with industry standards. Through software, analytics can be performed on all suppliers to assess whether or not they are compliant, in which areas they have not been compliant in the past, and how they compare to other suppliers in the industry. By creating supplier profiles and charting where their goods are coming from, food supply companies can assess if the produce is coming from countries with lax regulations in comparison to the countries in which the food is being consumed. If certain suppliers are known for being more ethical and cost-effective this can also be keyed in to their supplier profile for future use. Essentially the software is a gateway to ensuring compliance and maintaining up to date information on all supply sources.
Today’s consumer is more concerned than ever about the sustainability of our food supply. Whether in the produce department of the grocery store or ordering a meal at a favourite restaurant, there are a variety of factors to consider – what is the carbon footprint of this burger? Was this lettuce locally grown? Is this fruit in season?
If you’re looking to supply your customers with the most sustainable food possible, it helps to have a software solution that can help you look at all of the factors going into the growth, production, processing, and shipping that is involved in getting food products from the farm, to you, to your customers. This information can be especially important if you are applying for specific certifications related to how “green” your business is.
Safe and Sustainable
Quality assurance is more important than ever now. Having a quality management system which is run through EHS software is one of the ways in which a company can ensure that industry standards are met by suppliers. Using software for the sustainability process by utilizing supplier profiles to manage every aspect of the supply chain, while providing consumers with accurate information on what they are ingesting is the key to running a safe and sustainable company. From farm-to-table, we all want to know where our food is coming from, and make sure that we know exactly what is in it!
