Can you really trace your food from farm to fork? Can you track a bushel of wheat from the field to the bread aisle or a cow from the barn to the deli counter? The answer is an emphatic yes, and doing so benefits not only consumers who care about their food but also agricultural producers who stand to increase their revenue and future-proof their farms.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about the quality and safety of their food, which is driving the precipitous growth in the organic food and beverage market. Valued at over $230 billion in 2023, this market is expected to grow by a whopping 13.9% by 2030. And it’s not just organics that matter to consumers — food recalls have skyrocketed due to allergen concerns, contamination and more. None of this is lost on regulators like the FDA, which recently expanded traceability record-keeping requirements.
Both the challenges and the opportunities facing agricultural production can be addressed by greater transparency, and that transparency is driven by data traceability. “Traceability encompasses data on what exactly a product is, where it’s located and where it’s going,” says Liz Sertl, Senior Director, Supply Chain Visibility, Community Engagement, with GS1 US, the leading not-for-profit information standards organization. “With this kind of foundational data about agricultural products in place, you can then marry additional information, like farming methods or origin of materials in packaging, to build a full picture of sustainable practices,” she says.
When sustainable practices are logged and verified throughout the supply chain, farmers and producers can demonstrate environmental stewardship and give customers confidence in their products.
Farms gain revenue streams with data on organic practices
The key to selling products with organic, fair-trade, non-GMO or other designations is proof. Data traceability provides this proof, and it all starts with identifying agricultural products. Unique identifiers such as GS1’s Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and Global Location Numbers (GLNs) show what a product is and where it’s located as it moves through the supply chain.
“A GTIN can be applied to something as specific as a bag of seed, while a GLN identified the location which can enable stakeholders to see exactly where it’s moving,” Sertl explains. “For example, how many Main Streets are there in the U.S.? With this globally unique traceability data, you know precisely which location a product is from.”
With identifiers in place, producers can add data inputs affecting organic or other designations to be associated with the item. These can grazing locations for cattle, water usage for crops or livestock, or any fertilizers used on a particular field. These important events can be captured digitally via barcodes or RFID and IoT sensors, and the data is uploaded to Electronic Product Code Information Systems (EPCIS) repositories.
“A system like EPCIS lets you pass information along the supply chain like you’re passing a baton,” Sertl says. “A retailer can determine if a product was grown in a non-GMO manner, or if it’s truly organic, because of the certifications and data attached to a uniquely identified product.”
This interoperability across the supply chain allows farmers and producers to prove the necessary attributes of their products and unlock markets for organic, fair-trade and more.
Traceability improves regulatory compliance
Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Rule 204 requiring food traceability, it’s imperative that producers, retailers and all supply chain stakeholders implement data-sharing practices. Critical tracking events (CTEs), such as harvesting, cooling and transformation, must be recorded for regulatory compliance, and key data elements (KDEs) are the data inputs — the who, what, where, when and why — that inform CTEs. This information can then be tracked in EPCIS so that regulators and stakeholders have access to it.
That data is particularly important in the event of a product recall. Supply chain interoperability through a platform such as EPCIS enables tracking the physical item. “The FDA, producers and retailers can then remove the precise item, say, a specific brand of lettuce with specific batch/lot codes, rather than removing all lettuce from the shelves,” Sertl explains.
The key is having the necessary conversations with all stakeholders to ensure the right data is being captured and that it’s interoperable for all who need to access it.
Sustainability ensures future farm productivity
Capturing data on environmental practices may seem daunting, but visibility creates long-term benefits for the producers who rely on natural resources. Tracking water consumption provides opportunities to conserve it; certifying soil conservation techniques embeds these practices into an agricultural business, all of which means healthier resources for future production.
These efforts also lower agriculture’s carbon footprint overall. Individual farms and producers can use the data they track to reduce their emissions, which aggregates to meaningful improvements. As Sertl explains, “We tracked an individual mango grown in South America, frozen, and shipped to the U.S., and because every step was monitored, the producer could understand the total energy consumption of that one product. That truly granular, end-to-end visibility creates a powerful set of metrics for producers to determine what they can adjust.”
Traceability also tackles the growing problem of food waste, which costs billions, creates damaging emissions, and results in nearly a third of the U.S. food supply going in the trash. Retailers can use data traceability to track items and know when expiration dates are approaching so that food can be shelved first, for example, or donated quickly to ensure it is consumed safely. Reducing waste and using resources responsibly benefits everyone throughout the supply chain, and it all starts with data.
Transparency is the next food trend
Traceability is now a regulatory imperative, but it’s also the key to solving numerous challenges in our food supply. Traceability data enables verification of agricultural practices and opens up new markets for organics, fair-trade items and more. It proves when products are allergen-free, or, conversely, if they’re subject to a safety recall. It supports the farming practices that protect land and water for future harvests. In these ways, tracking sustainability metrics in agriculture creates a healthier, better-fed world for everyone.
About GS1 US:
GS1 US® enables companies to power their supply chains to deliver safe, consistent, authentic and trusted experiences. Best known as a source for UPC barcodes, GS1 is a not-for-profit global data standards organization that creates a common language for companies to identify, capture and share trusted data that links their physical and digital supply chains. Millions of businesses around the world power commerce with GS1 Standards. Learn more at www.gs1us.org.
