Welcome to the official blog of Carlisle Technology!
Why are we doing this?And why now?
We have a lot to say.
- We’ve been in business for 25 years, and serving the food industry for 22 years of that. We’ve seen incredible advancements in technology, and we’ve been at the forefront of more than a few of these developments, such as standardized bar codes, touch-industrial workstations, and integrated internal traceability systems.
- The food industry is changing faster than ever before. Food safety is now a major concern among consumers, as they are being inundated with reports of recalls in the media. And it’s not just FUD media (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt). Consumers are starting to grasp how incredibly complex our global food supply chain is, and with that complexity comes added risk. Brands are built on trust, and consumers are willing to pay extra for brands that remove the uncertainty of food safety.
- Niche product categories are expanding, and food processors that address these will be rewarded. Organic foods, locally grown foods, medicine-free meats, allergen-free foods, sustainably grown foods, and animal welfare protected foods are all areas of focus. But will consumers trust that product labeled as medicine-free really is? Integrated food processors should have visibility to ensure compliance, but comprehensive tracking systems that would allow this are still rare. And non-integrated processors must work on interoperable traceability systems to provide this visibility.
- Governments are responding to consumer demands, and are busy enacting new regulations that will affect the food supply chain.
- Labels must include the Country of Origin; Nutritional information must be compliant with standards; Allergenic information must be prominent; — All this added complexity requires a regimented label design and approval process to ensure food processors are onside with the law.
- Traceability requirements of the entire food supply chain is being expanded. The FDA Bioterrorism Act of 2002 requires one-up and one-down traceability, but this is only a start. New regulations are expected to be passed in 2010 that will increase traceability demands
- Food processors are justifiably concerned about who will pay for this. For some, this will be the cost of doing business. For some, they will be able to provide added value to consumers, and will be able to capture some of this. And for others, they will reap productivity gains by using the added information provided by their traceability systems.
We’re excited about the prospects of the food industry. We love solving problems. And we already have great solutions to address productivity, visibility, and traceability.
Through this blog, you’ll gain some of our insights into events that are changing the industry, hear about some of our experiences in addressing them, and understand how to extract value from traceability solutions.
We hope you follow along!
