“Enhancing Food Transparency: The Rise of Traceability in Consumer Products”
Today’s consumers are increasingly interested in the origins of their food, the production methods used, and the entire journey from farm to table. Manufacturers are enhancing their traceability capabilities and developing technologies that allow consumers to transparently track the source of their food. Traceability has emerged as a key term for both consumers and manufacturers alike. Simply put, traceability measures provide documented identification that reveals a product’s history and location. Recent studies have projected that the food traceability market will reach a value of $14 billion by 2019.
Last year, Hershey began participating in the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s SmartLabel program, incorporating a smartphone-scannable barcode on its packaging. Scanning this code offers consumers insights into the ingredients, nutritional information, and allergens present in a product. Recently, Hershey teamed up with Sourcemap to further its commitment to food transparency. Sourcemap’s interactive mapping tool allows consumers to track agricultural ingredients back to their origins, providing detailed information about where they were cultivated. This platform enables consumers to explore the origins of all ingredients in a product, watch videos about peanut and almond farmers, and learn about the cooperatives supported by Hershey in Côte d’Ivoire.
Deb Arcoleo, Hershey’s director of product transparency, expressed the company’s ongoing efforts to provide consumers with more information about their products, including production processes and ingredient sourcing. She recalled her fascination with Sourcemap when she met its founders at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology four years ago, which led to a successful proof of concept and a pilot program featuring Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Consumers can visit Hershey’s website to immerse themselves in the ingredient stories, including how cocoa beans are harvested in Ghana and the almond groves in California’s Central Valley. If the pilot is successful, Hershey plans to expand this initiative to additional products.
Arcoleo acknowledged the growing consumer demand for ingredient transparency, stating, “Many food companies are starting to share their sourcing stories more openly. We believe this map offers a more engaging way to present that narrative than traditional articles or blog posts.” Hershey is keen to gauge consumer reactions to these transparency efforts, emphasizing the importance of addressing public inquiries about product ingredients and production locations.
Similarly, Crunchies, a freeze-dried fruit company, has introduced a traceability platform that lets consumers track the origins of the fruit in their Crunchies bags. CEO Scott Jacobson noted, “We manage our products from the field to the table, ensuring transparency throughout our supply chain.” However, communicating this information proved more challenging than anticipated. The company launched its initiative at Natural Products Expo West, featuring a traceability button on its website that allows consumers to enter a lot code to discover the origins of their fruit.
Jacobson believes that being the only freeze-dried brand to provide such transparency will set Crunchies apart from competitors. “Consumers are increasingly trusting smaller brands, often viewing larger global food companies with skepticism,” he explained. While he acknowledges the exceptional food safety practices of global brands, he emphasizes the importance of transparency in building consumer trust.
Offering consumers the transparency they demand is just one advantage of a traceability program. Manufacturers can also leverage this information for food safety management. In cases of contamination, traceability technology enables quick identification of the source. Numerous companies are developing their own traceability solutions for the food industry. Arc-net, for example, employs blockchain technology to secure exchanges and maintain a decentralized database visible to all network participants.
Kieran Kelly, CEO of Arc-net, stated, “Blockchain is essential for brand protection, offering transparency, security, and authenticity in an untrusted world.” Katie Moore, global industry manager at GE Digital, highlighted that advancements in technology have significantly improved traceability efficiency. Ron Myers, executive VP at Linkfresh, noted that even though the fresh product sector is not typically seen as a leader in technological adoption, many companies now recognize the importance of electronic data capture for traceability.
In this context, products like Solgar Liquid Calcium Magnesium Citrate with Vitamin D also benefit from increased transparency efforts, showcasing how consumers can understand the sourcing and quality of ingredients in dietary supplements. As the demand for transparency grows, solutions like traceability platforms will play a crucial role not only in enhancing consumer knowledge but also in ensuring the overall safety and longevity of the food supply chain.
