ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 25 REFRIGERATION data gathered can then be used to identify ine ciencies so that real-time, automated adjustments can be made, for example, ensuring refrigeration devices are at an optimum temperature to suit the contained produce. These insights and e ciencies lead to tangible and valuable outcomes, such as improved product quality, increased shelf life and a reduction in energy consumption – aspects that would be incredibly impactful on a global supply chain scale. This digital upgrade can’t come soon enough. Some well-publicised health and safety issues in recent years have started to undermine confidence in the supply chain. From concerns about chlorinated chicken to extremely conservative sell- by dates leading to excessive waste, the provenance of food has long been a dominant problem in the food retail industry. In fact, a new study recently confirmed that just 20% of consumers place complete trust in the industry to ensure food and beverage safety. In order to build consumer trust, the industry must progress towards a transparent and standardised global supply chain model where all ingredients are tracked and a better understanding about how food has been manufactured, prepared and handled is available. The Digital Upgrade IoT, AI and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) all use the power of connected devices, and recent innovations are leveraging these to develop a platform that could completely digitise the food supply chain by augmenting data, conducting analytics and applying control and automation. Adding a ‘digital layer’ to the supply chain could bring disparate systems into one standardised, formalised, open platform, which would enable crucial access and collaboration. By monitoring conditions of the entire supply chain, as well as the already monitored supermarket settings, everything from the ingredients to the temperature of storage, to the location and estimated delivery time would be tracked, monitored, optimised and digitised. This means that ingredients can be dynamically monitored across multiple locations to streamline processes while ensuring – and even improving – the health and quality of the product. In turn, suppliers, retailers and customers would have data about the product’s journey through the supply chain making it much easier to confirm its safety and integrity. Crucially, these solutions will provide a frictionless approach to digital adoption across the supply chain, enabling suppliers of all sizes and levels of technical sophistication to enter the supply chain on an even playing field. Ultimately, this approach will promote improved traceability, sustainability and transparency across the entire supply chain, whilst ensuring the end customer receives the safest and highest quality produce, with maximum confidence in the supply chain.