Food traceability about to get fruity with Australian Table Grapes

Australian Table Grapes are leading the way in food traceability — benefiting from a $650,000 project investment that will help to protect this valuable export by developing producer-to-consumer traceability.

Table grapes are Australia’s largest fresh horticulture export. Interestingly, valued at $800 million in total, with $623 million export product. 90% of Australia’s table grape exports are generated by producers and exporters based in the Victoria region of the country alone.

Managing such a vast market across the entire Asia Pacific region is not without its challenges. Positioning the unique flavours and quality of the Australian Table Grapes with both importers, retailers and most importantly consumers is paramount to simply selling more table grapes and demonstrating the higher quality of the produce.

To date, true visibility and full transparency throughout the supply chain has been an elusive target. But societal, economic and legislative pressures have put pressure on this area to mature, and new technology around digital identities stands to revolutionise supply chains and the industry itself.

It’s therefore understandable why the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) has been taking steps to address this need for greater transparency. Working together with Australian-based Result Group and its traceability partner EVRYTHNG, a Digimarc company, ATGA has embarked on a new traceability system, funded by Agriculture Victoria.

The implementation of this new technology has enabled ATGA to mass serialise individual items by digitally printing unique identities onto each carton and also extending the process to Poly Bunch Bags and Clam Shells at a unit level. Coupled with enhanced computing power and cloud storage, this enables all of the information around the product’s life cycle to be accessed by simply scanning a code — delivering true end-to-end visibility for the first time at not only a consumer level but also through all points of the supply chain, from farm to importer to retail distribution and store.

Technology provider and traceability company Result Group applies unique serialised GS1 Digital Link-enabled QR code labels to export table grapes, allowing the automated collection of data from farm and supply chain. This can then be shared with consumers to authenticate the food’s precise origin and engage with the brand through an open platform smartphone scan. No special apps are necessary, and both business customers and end consumers can gather the data required without the need for any change to devices, either smartphone or industrial scanner.

The Active Digital Identity™ embedded in the QR code labels ensures each one is unique and traceable — an important innovation in combating all manner of food fraud. The labels carry critical international traceability data, based on GS1 current standards, covering consumer pack units, cases and pallet codes, as well as time and temperature logging, which will be captured through the EVRYTHNG Product Cloud® database.

The implementation of this new traceability system has far-reaching benefits across the board. In addition to enabling table grape producers and exporters to be sure of the safety and quality of the produce being delivered to consumers, it also allows for enhanced planning and logistical management, facilitating increased capacity and responsiveness in a fast-moving global market — helping to leverage the value of Australian Table Grapes.

There is no doubt that the use of this technology stands to revolutionise the agriculture industry as a whole — giving consumers the data they demand, providing clear insights across the supply chain and giving the industry and brand owners the tools to enhance business operations, all of which will deliver far reaching benefits.

Follow this link to find out more about this breakthrough technology for product digitisation: https://resultgroup.com.au/traceability-authenticity-and-consumer-engagement/