When it comes to consumer demand for sourcing and traceability of dairy products, the word “transparency” looms large. Transparency regarding not only food safety, but consumers wanting to know ingredients in products they consume are properly sourced and traced.
The dairy supply chain continues to face ongoing pressures including labor and transportation shortages, high fuel costs, evolving regulatory and food safety concerns and more.
Having a proper distribution system is essential to maintaining an efficient and effective dairy processing operation. The dairy supply chain continues to face ongoing pressures including labor and transportation shortages, high fuel costs, evolving regulatory and food safety concerns and more.
The dairy industry, along with the broad food industry, is on its way toward a more traceable supply chain. The FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint outlines a goal for the food industry to track and trace foods from farm to fork with the help of computer-based technology. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has supported the blueprint since its release in July 2020.
Seventeen U.S. dairy processors, accounting for 68% of U.S. milk production, have committed to voluntary best practices for enhanced dairy traceability established by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, it was announced last month.
Companies representing 25% of domestic fluid milk production already have committed to voluntary traceability guidelines. The Innovation Center for Dairy Research aims to have an 80% adoption rate across by September.
Protocols from The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy give processors a guide for implementing new traceability systems. Processors with long-established traceability procedures can utilize the protocols to see how they measure up.
ON DEMAND: In this webinar, we are looking at how we can unlock new opportunities to get more value from packaging. No longer is it only about product protection and functionality – it is about connectivity. The future of packaging is undoubtedly digital.