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Could food supply chain management software eradicate the risks of relabelling in the food supply chain?
A large food wholesaler has come under scrutiny recently following a report that the company had been “caught relabelling Uruguayan beef.” Could using Food supply chain management software have prevented this?
It raised concerns about the origin of the meat within the supply chain and the extremely long ‘’shelf life’’ in the supply chain. In one instance it was reported that there was a two-year gap between freezing and consumption of meat products.
“…labelling over the original label is against the law…’’
Neil Shand – Interim Chief Executive National Beef Association
Relabelling food products, by covering up the majority of information on the original label, is a breach of trading standards and environmental health law.
This has highlighted yet again the need for “transparency in the foodservice sector”.
In our previous blog we covered a recent Footprint review which highlighted 56% of businesses would not, or could not provide data on their meat origin.
How is this possible?
Is relabelling causing even more confusion and lack of clarity?
Are suppliers able to cover up the original source due to a lack of visibility in the supply chain?
The recent reports have continually shown the need for transparency in the foodservice sector, particularly now it’s on the consumers radar.
With powerful supply chain management software, businesses will be able to spot signs of relabelling, by knowing exactly where products were originally sourced from and get ahead of the probl
The challenges of supplier mapping
Simple fact, to measure and manage your supply chain effectively you must have full visibility.
We have worked in the food sector for over 20 years so fully understand the challenges food businesses face when it comes to mapping their supply chain.
We understand that the food supply chain is:
– Complex
– Global
– Multi tiered
– Frequently outsourced without your knowledge
– Constantly changing as buyers source new suppliers.
In the past, businesses have been reliant on multiple spreadsheets and trust. Not only is this time consuming and difficult to manage, it also can miss inherent risk that is hidden in the supply chain.
A tool to help with supply chain risk management in the food industry
The good news is it no longer needs to be an onerous, manual task!
QADEX powers the low cost solution; Supply Chain Mapper.
With a quick and simple set up you can gain visibility and therefore clarity of who is supplying you at EACH tier, right back to source.
By identifying every supplier you can
– Identify and mitigate risk.
– Identify any unauthorised subcontracting or sourcing
– See the actual source of all products.
Only through this data and knowledge can you truly manage your supply chain effectively.
Your supply chain map is only a few steps away….
Ready to get started?
Supplier Mapping – How to spot Antibiotics Misuse in your supply chain
India was the world’s biggest milk producer between 2018 and 2019, producing a whopping 188 million tonnes.
However, it has become evident through a review by the Centre for Science and Environment that many suppliers in India have been misusing antibiotics. Read on to find out how supplier mapping can eliminate this type of abuse.
“We have found that antibiotics are extensively misused in the dairy sector; antibiotic residues remain largely untested in milk, an integral part of Indian diets, particularly of children”
CSE Director General Sunita Narain
Source; New Food Magazine, 14th September 2020
The World Health Organisation states two scary facts surrounding impacts of antibiotic misuse:
- Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today, but is hard to uncover.
- Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process.
So we can see why it is so important that we manage this via the supply chain.
The WHO also outlines guidance on how agriculture can improve its processes and turn this problem around:
- Only give antibiotics to animals under veterinary supervision.
- Not use antibiotics for growth promotion or to prevent diseases in healthy animals.
- Vaccinate animals to reduce the need for antibiotics and use alternatives to antibiotics when available.
- Promote and apply good practices at all steps of production and processing.
How can businesses uncover a producer misusing antibiotics?
The answer; supplier mapping UK wide and globally.
This must be done at every tier of the chain to fully understand the provenance of the product.
Food supply food chain management and logistics from farm to fork, managed through supply chain mapping tools will provide the required transparency.
If a food safety alert or news story breaks surrounding this area, businesses can see if any of the named suppliers are in their supply chain. Decisions can then be made to either:
- Remove the Supplier/Producer from the supply chain, or
- Begin a Corrective Action.Preventative Action (CAPA) plan.
A collaborative approach is the long term solution, working with suppliers to help them with innovative good practices.
Supplier mapping sounds complicated, but we can help you gain full visibility through our supplier mapping tool.
Can supplier mapping gives full transparency and supports food supply chain management
Food supply food chain management and logistics from farm to fork, managed through supply chain mapping tools will provide the required transparency.
When you undertake supply chain mapping, the biggest challenge you will face is getting enough data from all levels in your supply chain to create and maintain an up-to-date supply chain map.
This is where Supply Chain Mapper can help.
QADEX are a leading provider of Supplier Approval, Risk Management & Specification Management tools and now offer Supply Chain Mapper.
In a few easy steps you will be able to view EXACTLY who is supplying you!
This knowledge is key to supply chain risk management in the food industry as you can proactively check that they are using good practices when it comes to the use of antibiotics.
Deploy supplier mapping for effective food supply chain management
It is so simple to get started, once you register here in a few clicks you’re ready to begin your journey towards full visibility.
Following registration you will receive a series of tutorials and you can access help guides to walk you through the process step by step.
Now you are ready to to start mapping in a few simple steps:
- Add your site(s).
- Enter your users.
- List your suppliers.
- Include the products you source and require a supply chain map for.
- Request a map.
Your suppliers receive an email notification to login and complete your request. This process continues until you have full transparency.
Once completed, the map can be shared multiple times to your Customers saving valuable time.
Are you ready to take the steps towards viewing your food supply chain management and logistics from food to fork?