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From Farms to Store Shelves: The Importance of Ingredient Traceability

February 2024

Shoppers don’t always … kitchen, but every day more of them are demanding greater levels of transparency. With the increased interest in ingredient traceability, and 70% of consumers flagging global traceability as a priority1, your business can meet this rising interest by offering facts and a more comprehensive breakdown of the supply chain.

Formulators know that this isn’t as easy as it sounds. First, they must source ingredients that have a traceable background. That can take extra time and resource investment, but it’s a worthwhile step that can lead to greater inroads to this growing consumer market.

Why do your customers care about the history of their food? Let’s explore the reasons global consumers are growing more interested in ingredient traceability.


Reduces Chance of Illness
If you’ve ever had food poisoning you know how miserable it can be. But it’s also dangerous. Globally, 10% of people fall ill as a result of eating contaminated food3. That’s why customers are asking brands to take a serious look at their processes and build in more preventive measures when sourcing their ingredients.

Traceability saves lives. In the event of a recall or outbreak of foodborne illnesses, governments, individuals, and companies can track down the source of the outbreak more easily when a brand is transparent about where their product ingredients come from. When using Chaucer’s freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, such as strawberry, pineapple, spinach, and sweetcorn, both businesses and shoppers can feel more at ease knowing an ingredient’s full supply chain journey is accessible.


Increases Visibility
With advances in modern technology, people can gain access to a deeper level of ingredient details. With the global food technology market estimated to grow 9.9% from 2023 to 2030, everything from QR codes to allergen tracking can help people better assess what they eat2.

To effectively source ingredients, brands must start by working with a transparent supplier. At Chaucer Foods, we ensure our ingredients are grown and processed following the highest standards, including British Retail Consortium Global Food Standard (BRC) Grade A or higher, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).


Focuses on Sustainability
For individuals, it can be hard to trust, and verify, the sustainable impact of certain foods and brands. With 76% of consumers citing sustainability as a top influence1, brands must do everything they can to be sustainable and provide environmentally friendly products. Ingredient traceability can be the solution, as experts call out supply chain traceability as a key factor in ensuring the reliability of sustainability claims4.

Chaucer’s sustainably grown, freeze-dried ingredients allow your R&D teams to innovate new and exciting products while appealing to their organization’s procurement requirements, quality and safety standards, and customer demands. From wolfberry to beetroot, our ingredients can be influential in the innovation process thanks to their bold flavors and colors.


Delivering Food the Chaucer Way

Food safety is non-negotiable for us. Our quality process starts with careful selection, risk assessment, and the auditing of our growers, processors, and packers. This high level of awareness allows us to reassure customers through honest transparency and traceability. With the ability to track every batch of raw materials moving through our supply chain and production facilities, we can help food and beverage brands know that their quality is unwavering with full traceability back to the root.

 

To learn more about the rising demand for ingredient traceability, check out our article with Matt Hill, (former) Group Head of Technical and Quality Operations at Chaucer Foods, or contact us today to talk to our team of experts.

Resources
1 – “Top 5 Trend for 2023: Why traceability is crucial for a transparent and sustainable supply chain,” Loftware. 2023.
2 – “Food Technology Market Size, Share & Growth Report 2030,” Grand View Research. 2023.
3 – “Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases,” World Health Organization. 2023.
4 – “Traceability in Sustainable Supply Chains: The 7 Steps,” RyeStrategy. September 2023.

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