IoT is all about the data, but who owns that data? A panel at the MIT Connected Things Conference took up this topic. “The supply chain is one example where, even though a lot of people think they own the data, you’re tracking a product. And who owns that product is a good reflection of who owns the data at that time,” according to Zest Labs’ CEO Peter Mehring.
You can’t go a day without a story about blockchain in the press. Despite the hype, blockchain merits a discussion and serious consideration as the upside benefits for its use and application in the fresh food supply chain are significant. But, at this point, is blockchain a technology looking for a problem to solve or a way of solving a known problem? Why is a hybrid model the best approach?
“While the United States has a “very trusted” food supply chain, certain parts have less reliable information than others,” says Peter Mehring, CEO of Zest Labs. “Seafood has been one area of concern; it can also be challenging to confirm the validity of organic and locally grown products. Even among big brands, seasonal outsourcing of cultivation or manufacturing can lead to inconsistencies. “Getting product-level visibility is the ultimate goal, but we don’t know many retailers that are getting that today. There are some inconsistencies and overlapping data,” Mehring says. “And while they have trusted partners, you don’t know how reliable that is from day to day.”
When it comes to IoT and the fresh food supply chain, there is much to do because we’re still seeing 30 percent to 40 percent food waste levels post-harvest, and half of this waste is occurring before food even gets to consumers. Food wholesalers and retailers can improve their profit margins and reduce food waste by 50 percent or more by using more IoT sensors and real-time analytics for food tracking and monitoring.
The Food Safety Modernization Act has mandated certain levels of traceability. However, exactly what form those records take, how they are stored and importantly, how they are shared is up to processors. Peter Mehring of Zest Labs says to take advantage of blockchain, processors first need to collect quality data on their products. Zest does this by using sensors that automatically log things like when products are shipped and at what temperature the products are kept.
When it comes to hype, it’s hard to beat blockchain. You can’t go a day without a story about it in the trade or business press. Despite all the hype, blockchain merits a discussion and serious consideration as the upside benefits for its use and application in the fresh food supply chain is significant. But, at this point, is blockchain a technology looking for a problem to solve, or a way of solving a known problem? And, how does implementing blockchain relate to your existing business processes? Can or should blockchain replace your current systems or is a hybrid model the best? Where should you start?
2018 could be the most challenging year yet for the grocers, manufacturing and growers alike. With new competitors, tighter margins, sustainability goals, food safety concerns and the evolving shopping habits of today’s consumers, retailers have their work cut out for them navigating the competitive landscape successfully throughout the year. Join the complimentary webinar by registering here.
There are plenty of trends to follow in the decade ahead including preserving the planet by reducing waste. One thing all of the trends have in common is that they’re directly associated with the perishables supply chain. Moving forward retailers will need to take a much closer look at how their supply chains operate to keep up with demand.
There are plenty of bright spots where purposeful IoT shines and companies are benefiting. One story worth telling is about progress being made in the food industry, which, according to one 2015 report, loses $160 billion a year in waste. “We’re still seeing 30-40% food waste levels post harvest, and half of this waste is occurring before food even gets to consumers,” said Peter Mehring, CEO of Zest Labs, which provides food supply chain technology solutions.
Zest Labs has become a member of the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) in Salinas, Calif., operated by Western Growers. The WGCIT was created to help identify priorities in the agriculture industry, discover technologies to address those priorities, set up testing, facilitate industry feedback and communicate progress to fresh produce farmers in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
As a food retailer today, you face myriad challenges, but few probably keep you up at night more than food safety concerns. Fortunately, there is a new technology with the potential to accomplish this: blockchain. Blockchain can improve transparency, trust and safety within the food supply chain. And when properly implemented, it can also help to improve the delivered freshness of perishable food and reduce waste.
Zest Labs and Hy-Vee Inc. are partnering to bring farm-to-fork traceability of fresh produce to Hy-Vee’s 245 retail stores in the Midwest. Zest Labs’ Zest Fresh autonomously tracks and reports in real time the freshness of products from harvest to retail store, wielding the industry’s first freshness metric to provide retailers like Hy-Vee with traceability data and continuous real-time visibility of the remaining freshness capacity of fresh produce.
Hy-Vee is testing Zest Fresh, a technology designed to calculate and communicate the freshness of produce items as they move through the supply chain. Data gathered include temperature, time from cut to cool, time in the packinghouse, time in transit, humidity and more, according to Zest Labs.
Zest Labs is working with Iowa-based independent grocer Hy-Vee on a trial solution to help automate farm-to-fork traceability of fresh produce coming to Hy-Vee stores. Zest Fresh is a freshness management solution that leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) to autonomously track and report in real time the freshness of products from harvest to the retail store.
Midwestern grocer Hy-Vee is conducting a trial of a new solution to help automate farm-to-fork traceability of fresh produce coming to its stores. Partnering with San Jose, Calif.-based software company Zest Labs, the retailer is using the Zest Fresh solution to make sure it provides a vast assortment of high-quality natural, organic and locally sourced products – and ensure that customers understand the sources of the food they purchase. The solution is claimed to reduce grocers’ waste from spoilage by more than 50 percent.
Hy-Vee is testing Zest Fresh, a technology designed to calculate and communicate the freshness of produce items as they move through the supply chain. Data gathered include temperature, time from cut to cool, time in the packinghouse, time in transit, humidity and more, according to Zest Labs.
Hy-Vee is conducting a trial of the Zest Labs Zest Fresh solution to help automate farm-to-fork traceability of fresh produce coming to Hy-Vee stores. Hy-Vee is testing Zest Fresh, a freshness management solution that leverages the Internet of Things to autonomously track and report in real time the freshness of products from harvest to the retail store.
Hy-Vee is leveraging new technology to ensure food quality and transparency throughout its supply chain. The company is deploying Zest Fresh to autonomously track and report in real time the freshness of products from harvest to the retail store, in its work with a premium supplier of seedless Holiday grapes, a premium product that is exported all around the world.
Zest Labs is helping to improve the efficiency of the supply chain and help people make smarter logistics decisions.
While there isn’t a silver bullet when it comes to eliminating foodborne illnesses or contamination recalls, by implementing a solution using IoT and blockchain technologies in tandem, we can more efficiently track produce handling and quality, and make educated, proactive decisions about what food should make it into consumers’ homes.
