WE RELY ON TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
ftrace combines meat and sausage production supply chains
Recurring food scandals have made many consumers very wary, and this scepticism can be felt particularly strongly in the meat sector. Consumers and legislators demand more transparency and reliable information about the origin and quality of meat products. At the same time, there is a growing societal focus on the ethical and environmental aspects of meat production such as animal welfare and sustainability. Read here about the benefits of systematic supply chain transparency thanks to ftrace.
A typical supply chain in the meat industry
The following simplified diagram shows a typical supply chain in the meat industry. Supply chains can differ from this one – especially global supply chains, which can include additional intermediary suppliers.
Birth and rearing
Animals are born and fattened up.
Slaughter
Animals are slaughtered.
Cutting
Slaughtered animals are cut into parts.
Processing
Parts are processed into retail products.
Distribution
The retail products are stored in a central warehouse.
Transport
Products are transported from the central warehouse to individual stores.
Sale
Products are sold to consumers.
Supply chain transparency
Reliable information about the origin, quality and sustainability of meat products is critical for maintaining a competitive edge. In crisis situations, retailers and brand manufacturers are in the public eye and need to be capable of delivering information to prevent damage to their image. It is often the case that companies only know the suppliers and customers they deal with directly. By means of an exchange on the basis of collaborative defined and integrative standards, ftrace creates the transparency necessary to efficiently identify, depict and analyse every station of raw materials and semi-finished goods along your supply chain.
Comply with legal requirements
Complying with the myriad of statutory regulations is becoming increasingly challenging for companies in the meat industry. There is a growing risk of being held responsible for unintentional violations of the law. All actors in the process chain – including feed manufacturers, slaughterhouses, producers and retailers – are required to ensure seamless traceability. ftrace creates greater transparency and safety by connecting all stations and production conditions along your supply chain: for the marketing of packaged and frozen meat products, for the sale of fresh meat at service counters and for the B2B segment in C&C markets (click here for more information).
One language - greater efficiency
True transparency can only be achieved in a supply chain if all stages of production and processing can be seamlessly traced. However, this often proves difficult in practice because of the abundance of legacy IT systems and paper-based processes in many companies. To avoid substantial investments in resources and inefficiencies and to reduce the complexity of data exchange, ftrace therefore offers integrative standards for a cross-company and collaborative exchange of data along your supply chain. And that without having to intervene in existing IT systems. All that is required is a connection to the standardised IT interface.
Enhancing and leveraging customer trust
In times of greater customer expectations, trust is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage. Many consumers are wary as a result of food scandals and reports about shady production processes used by meat and sausage producers. Furthermore, ethical factors such as fair production methods are becoming increasingly important. ftrace transforms a simple quality claim into documented proof of a product’s quality. Consumers are able to scan a QR code on the product packaging to access further information about a specific product, such as its origin, details of farming methods and production processes.