The demand for greater visibility within the food industry has increased exponentially over the years. Although consumers have had a certain understanding of how food is grown for several years (organically vs. genetically modified), today we want to know how food originates. More specifically, crop traceability and how the produce was harvested, transported and distributed before landing on the store shelves. Essentially, we want to know the movement of the product from harvest to shelf to ensure these products are handled well and retain their high quality throughout their distribution journey.

According to a Trace One survey, which surveyed over 3,000 consumers across nine countries, 91% of consumers want to know where their food comes from, with 62% of them feeling that they are not provided with enough information about the origins of their food. This means that companies within the agriculture and food services industries would benefit from giving greater focus on improving the traceability of their products if they want to meet the requirements of today’s consumers.

The demand for enhanced visibility in the agricultural sector is so great that a total of $11.7 million will be allocated in Victoria’s 2021/22 budget to modernise agricultural traceability programs and systems in Victoria’s agriculture sector alone. But just what can you do to improve the traceability of your own products? The Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment, introduced the National Traceability Framework aimed at improving the traceability systems in the agriculture space. With conscious consumption on the rise, crop traceability has never been as important as it is today.

This is why creating systems and agtech that enhance the ability to trace the product, whether produce or livestock, from land to shelf is so vital. Aside from boosting the confidence of buyers with the high integrity of the products they are purchasing, traceability also allows greater transparency in market pricing, which ensures fair pricing across products. It also guarantees freshness and quality and highlights supply chain bottlenecks, which can then be reduced or eliminated through the creation of a more streamlined and efficient process while speeding up delivery and distribution and ensuring products reach shelves and fridges with guaranteed freshness.

Technologies like these, combined with other agtech, like GPS collar and ear tags, allow for a deeper insight into the movement and behaviour of livestock which ensures greater transparency and quality. Something as simple as understanding the stress levels of livestock can affect the product consumers buy. The MLA reports that low stress livestock handling “will deliver improved livestock health and production, and better meat quality to the customer”. The best way to get this insight is to track your livestock and review the analytics provided by 365mesh IoT solutions, such as those offered by Farmdeck.

“If we are to continue to build on our reputation, including maintaining and improving our competitive advantage in international markets, it is timely that we look at enhancing our traceability systems to ensure our agricultural products are well supported into the future and able to respond to international drivers for change,” reports The National Traceability Framework. The framework, described as “the result of an extensive collaboration between Australian agricultural industries and the Australian Government”, explains the vision, principles for traceability systems, roles and responsibilities of industries, and all stakeholders. It also provides suggestions about implementing the framework, including objectives.

365mesh can help manage your agricultural and farming needs. Whether you need assistance with water level monitoring, livestock identification, or electric fences, our end-to-end IoT solutions ensure you are in safe hands. 365mesh has a variety of solutions tailored to help simplify and make your farm more efficient.