Supply Chain

When the pandemic swept across the U.S., the restaurant food supply chain was one area that was directly implicated. The weeks afterward —late March and then April— first saw a large drop in demand for produce, followed by a large increase as restaurants reopened. One of the organizations that pivoted…

It is safe to say that 2020 was a year unlike any other. The COVID-19 pandemic brought on significant changes to everyday life across the world. It also brought some significant challenges to businesses from retail, to restaurants and manufacturing. The supply chain industry faced a challenge like no other when shutdowns began and manufacturers were left scrambling to come up with a backup plan. Although these challenges were tough to handle, it gave the industry a much-needed eye opening to make the changes needed in order to avoid this from happening again.

The newly launched, Association of Labour Providers ‘Extra Workers Needed Portal’ supports the food supply chain to address critical worker shortages. A short demonstration video may be viewed here. Despite rising unemployment figures, ALP’s recent labour supply survey identified that 92% of food growers…

As the population continues to grow and the effects of climate change, global warming, pollution and other factors impact humanity’s ability to grow and provide enough food for itself, the concern that the world could run out of food is increasing.. The COVID-19 pandemic has put more focus on how fragile the food supply chain is and how easy it is to disrupt the process of feeding the world. For years, it has been mostly a topic of discussion. But with so many disruptions, it is now an issue that needs to be acted on. Social groups, civic associations, government bodies and food manufacturers have taken notice of the problem and are attempting to get their hands around the issues. One of the key points in this discussion revolves around the amount of food and food sources that will be needed in the future. It always starts with the same question: “Will there be enough food?” Most people immediately say no. But is that 100% true? This is where the debate between food insecurity and food waste begins.

In a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOUN), it was discovered that approximately 1.6 billion tons of food per year are either lost or wasted globally, resulting in annual losses of US$1.2 trillion. However, food wastage worldwide could be reduced by 20% by…

Last week,  the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recommended economy-wide regulatory change after investigating fresh produce supply chains. During a three-month inquiry, it was discovered that harmful power imbalances were rife between farmers, wholesalers and retailers. ACCC deputy chair Mick…

Many regions have abolished 2G networks and switched to 4G networks. The coverage of 4G networks is rapidly expanding and is quickly becoming the mainstream frequency in most countries. Improvements in network coverage and the related development of the Internet of Things (IoT) also raise requirements…

Supply-chain science behind ensuring tomatoes are fresher, riper and better-tasting for consumers and more profitable with less waste for retailers

A kilogram (kg) of potato at the Centenary Farmers’ Market (CFM) costs Nu 80 to Nu 100 this weekend. Retailers pay Nu 4,000 for a 45-kg sack of potatoes. In the past, a sack of potato imported from India cost Nu 1,500. Wholesalers at the CFM paid Nu 3,500 to Nu 4,500 for a sack of potatoes to the farmers…

What is ERP?

For a large company to successfully grow, it is critical to manage business activities efficiently and accurately. This is especially important in a vertically integrated company like Nature Fresh Farms, where every part of our business is connected–from growing to packing to shipping, there are many business activities to manage on a day to day basis.

To properly manage all our different business processes, we use a business management software called ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning. Our ERP software is an integrated platform of different applications where every function of our business is accounted for. Our ERP system is currently designed to help us manage business processes related to accounting, inventory management, distribution, supply chain, and business intelligence.

Whether you work on the supply chain side, manage our finances, or anything in-between, you will use this ERP software to collect, store, manage, and interpret data related to our business practices!

A new report warns that 84% of companies are failing to address their largest source of carbon emissions â their supply chains. We speak to Dexter Galvin, Global Director of Corporations & Supply Chains at CDP, to find out what should be done.

Greenyard’s vision and commitment for a fully integrated sustainability strategy is set out in a new report, published today. This third edition of the company’s Sustainability Report puts its purpose and ambitions firmly in the spotlight, and outlines planning for its forward trajectory through a set of…

Global logistics company C.H. Robinson is bringing supply chain expertise and technology to the aid of grocery retailers facing unprecedented demand and consumer change during one of the busiest food shopping seasons of the year. With an analysis of USDA data projecting a $250 billion annual shift to…

Last week the link to the supply chain discussion concluded with the deliberations over semantic interoperability, the second element of that discussion was technical interoperability and that is where Part Two begins.

In addition to the semantic interoperability and considering the huge potential of the IoT data to improve the door-to-door logistic chains, there is a need to address the physical connectivity of the devices and among the different information systems.

DCSA has recently defined the physical connection characteristics related to the radio interfaces to be supported by gateways that ensure smart assets’ connectivity on the vessel and on land facilities.

There are new initiatives and approaches now under consideration and development that aim to make the system-to-system communications’ exchange of the operational information much easier and much less costly than today. The EIF refers to these communications as “technical interoperability”. The overview below to connect IT systems technically is in no way comprehensive. The review, however, will identify some of the ways standards-creating organisations are now moving forward to facilitate an end-to-end transportation supply chain.

On Thursday, the final day of Cool Logistics 2020, the first speaker on the topic 'Rethinking cold chain nodes & modes to market' was a well known face at the conference: Albert Cheung Founder, JC Food Republic, Hong Kong. He spoke about the Japan Reefer on Rail project and the future of rail technology.…

A food distribution platform managed by Jacob Weiss, N20, was awarded $25,000 in Friedman School’s annual Entrepreneurship Competition

A team of alumni from Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy who are supporting small farmers in Sacramento Valley, California, took home the top prize in Friedman School’s Food and Nutrition Entrepreneurship Competition.

The mango market situation is improving. That's according to Marcel van Rooijen of Trofi, in the Netherlands. "Spain's going to end the Osteen mango season early. That's because of, among other things, sun damage. German supermarkets are, therefore, increasingly demanding Brazilian mangos." Palmer mangos…

Part One looks at the background to supply chains and how common standards can benefit stakeholders using a number of transport modes, offering a digital link between the seller and buyer. Bringing standards together will provide visibility along the whole of the supply chain.

End-to-end supply chains typically involve several modes of transport and a wide range of stakeholders. The original seller, as well as the final buyer of the product have little visibility of the location and condition of the product during the transportation phase(s).

The original shipment from the seller is represented as a consignment under contract with each transport operator and may be identified using different identification methods. The shipment also may be consolidated with other non-related seller to buyer shipments in different ways, depending on the mode of transportation.

Edible Garden, an agriculture-technology company that operates advanced environmentally controlled greenhouses and indoor hydroponic farms under stringent food safety protocols, announces its commitment to a sustainable future of next generation farming with Zero-Waste Inspired innovation. The company's…

There are many reasons why a government or international organization may advocate the introduction of urban indoor farming. The association for vertical farming looks at some of the main motivations for bringing agriculture closer to the consumer. While urban indoor agriculture may have seemed a…

With 500 million tomatoes grown every year, the APS Group is the UK’s largest supplier of British tomatoes to the high street, being responsible for around 30 percent of production in the country. Lately, the APS Group looked to develop its supply chain further to enhance productivity and efficiency. It…

"The growing season of the top fruit started with an exceptionally early flowering and has had to withstand many weather extremes. For many growers it has certainly not been an easy season and in a number of cases disastrous due to hail or drought", says Alex van Ieperen of Direct Fruit Services. "Due to…

Sustainable farming and visibility of the fresh produce supply chain is key to building a strong partnership with retailers. Today’s consumers are also keen on knowing where and how their fruit is grown and want the assurance that product is grown responsibly.“Innovation in supply chain management from…

Bye bye plastic: At REWE and PENNY, more and more fruits and vegetables are offered unpackaged. But completely dispensing with packaging is not always sensible, as a long-term test has shown. Despite the ongoing corona crisis and its severe impact on supermarkets, supply chains and agriculture, REWE is…

PARAMUS, NJ — H-Mart, a Korean grocery chain that was founded in New York in 1982, has ambitious expansion plans and is looking to make deals directly with growers to supply the dozens of stores it operates nationwide.

Gi Moon, who works in the procurement department for Lyndhurst, NJ-based H-Mart, met with The Produce News Aug. 14 at the chain’s location, here, to discuss the shift in its buying practices, which heretofore have focused on the use of brokers and distributors.

“We have plans to open four to five new stores per year, and along with that we are interested in making deals directly with growers as a way to get the freshest, best quality product at the best price,” he said.

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For example, Moon said he has been recently working with ProComer, the export promotion agency for Costa Rica, to procure various products from that Central American nation. He hopes to connect with other similar organizations and directly with growers in the United States and abroad to help satisfy the demand by H-Mart shoppers for top-quality fruits and vegetables.

When it comes to secondary packaging and transport packaging, people nowadays often think of hinged crates as used in the common pool systems. Nevertheless even rigid fruit and vegetable crates still have a right to exist, says Gerold Wilms from bekuplast. "This type of crate has been around for 25…

More than $20 million is being invested in a plant—that will manufacture plants. A large building has quietly popped up on a 65 acre cornfield off Calvert Street on South Bend’s south west side. From a distance it may look like a factory, but it’s not. “For the longest time the legacy supply chain for…

As supply chains adapt to Covid-19 social distancing requirements, autonomous reporting technologies like RFID (radio frequency identification) offer a consignment monitoring solution with minimal human intervention. RFID is used to reliably gather temperature data along regular, high volume supply…

Organic produce has hit the mainstream. So says Jim Donald, co-chairman of the board of Albertsons Companies Inc., a leading retail company with some 20 retail banners to its name. “Our produce manager is doing 40-50 percent of his business in organics. It’s mainstream and it’s not going away,” said…

While the pandemic has brought many changes to all levels of the produce industry supply chain, for Piñabar, the machine that cuts pineapples for consumers inside of grocery stores, the disruption has fortunately been minimal. Michel van Keeken explains: “We saw the initial dip, like everyone did, but we…