Agriculture Technology and “The Messy Middle”

Agriculture Technology and “The Messy Middle”

The agriculture technology industry – more commonly known as AgTech – is ripe for accelerated growth. Over the past few years we’ve seen widespread adoption of technologies such as pre-harvest sensors for monitoring irrigation, fertilization and weed abatement, and drones that provide farmers greater remote crop visibility. There’s also been a lot of investment in “last mile” technologies as food moves from the supplier to the retailer and consumer. But what about what’s in between, that space between harvest and delivering fresh...Continue Reading...
Sustainability and the Supply Chain

Sustainability and the Supply Chain

What are the impacts of sustainability on the supply chain? How do things like hurricanes and flooding impact the production and distribution of fresh food? Does climate change play a role? How does food waste contribute to the environmental problems? I think that, intuitively, we know the answers to these questions, but do we know how much of a role food waste plays and climate change’s impacts and trends over time? Sustainability: The Impact of Weather on the Supply Chain At a recent meeting of the Cold Chain Council, an...Continue Reading...
Shelf-life Variability at Grocery Stores: Half-bad is Not Good

Shelf-life Variability at Grocery Stores: Half-bad is Not Good

Shelf-life variability can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty to a grocery store. According to the Food Marketing Institute, the number one reason a shopper chooses a grocery store is because of “high quality fruits and vegetables” with 80 percent of people rating this as their primary motivation. Too many customers, however, have had the unfortunate experience of purchasing produce that looks good on the store shelf only to have it “go bad” at home shortly after they purchase it and before they consume...Continue Reading...
The “Best If Used By” Date Label: Will It Reduce Food Waste?

The “Best If Used By” Date Label: Will It Reduce Food Waste?

On May 23, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a letter urging industry-wide adoption of a “Best If Used By” date. The letter seeks to simplify what has for years been a somewhat random system of various dates printed on foods that generally confused consumers and led to waste because consumers – often incorrectly – threw out food because of a printed date, even if the food was still safe to eat. It’s interesting to note that there is only one category of foods that require date labeling: infant formula. For...Continue Reading...