According to a new study conducted by AMR Research, a majority of food and beverage companies surveyed participated in at least one product recall in 2007 with more than half of the losses associated with those recalls exceeding 10 million dollars.
The study, which was developed in conjunction with Lawson Software, found that 40 % of respondents had incurred losses of at least 20 million dollars in 2007. This is despite the fact that traceability processes and systems can make many of these recalls avoidable.
The AMR Research study, “Traceability in the Food and Beverage Supply Chain,” surveyed companies in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden.
The study reveals that, on average, it takes food and beverage companies 14 days to sense the need for a recall and 34 days to enact it. By that time, less than 40 % of the affected product can be collected because the rest either has already been consumed or thrown out, respondents said.
“Despite a perception among food companies that they’re doing a good job managing product quality, the staggering cost of recalls proves ‘business-as-usual’ isn’t working,” said Rob Wiersma, industry strategy director for Lawson.
“Food producers can be much more proactive in managing food safety to improve product quality and reduce supply chain risk.”
While the food and beverage industry has been slow to adopt modern traceability software, many companies appear to recognize it may be time to change.
More than three in four companies surveyed plan to spend money this year to improve their time to sense a quality issue and enact a recall. An equal share of respondents plan to invest in the improvement of supply chain traceability this year.
Modern traceability software helps food companies track information about every raw ingredient they use, such as when an apple was harvested, at what temperature it was shipped, and in which batches of which product it was used. By capturing this level of detail − down to the individual case or specific product − traceability software can help food manufacturers sense and resolve food safety and quality issues before products leave their manufacturing or processing plant.
Yet, a food safety issue is just one of many reasons that can trigger costly recalls. Traceability software also helps food companies quickly sense other triggers like a soup label with an incorrect marketing claim or that lacks an allergen warning. This improved time-to-sense enables food companies to address a variety of product quality issues during the manufacturing process to reduce losses associated with all types of recalls.
Companies that proactively manage product quality best, according to the AMR study, have five characteristics: multi-enterprise tracking, unit-level tracking, manufacturing automation, cross-functional team reviews of quality data and mature supply chain teams. |
