Trustwell Blog

From Tomato Vine to Tomato Sauce: A Look into the Visibility Traceability Provides

Written by Katy Jones | Nov 12, 2019 8:00:00 AM

Tomato, tomato: let’s trace the whole thing as salad or sauce! Download our Tomato Vine to Tomato Sauce Traceability Infographic to view two possible journeys produce can take with enhanced visibility through traceability.

Today, it’s not just possible for food safety leaders to know every step a food item has taken along the supply chain—it’s a critical business imperative.  However, for those who are just starting to tackle supply chain transparency, visualizing how traceability can be achieved from farm to fork can be challenging. At FoodLogiQ, we partner with leading brands like IPC/Subway to implement traceability throughout their supply chain. To showcase the intricacy and granularity in end-to-end traceability, we created a summary of two possible journeys one of the most popular produce items could take: that of the tomato.

The culinary versatility of the tomato lends this perishable good to supply chain complexity from farm to distribution and beyond. Enjoyed fresh as a salad ingredient, or transformed at a processing facility into a shelf-stable marinara sauce, tomatoes from a single supplier can branch off into divergent paths consisting of numerous critical tracking events.

If stakeholders in the supply chain can’t meet traceability requirements, these varied paths can leave consumers exposed in the case that a quality issue is identified. A withdrawal could take weeks, rather than hours, as a supplier, distributor, processor, retailer, or restaurant tries to untangle the complicated journey that the lot of tomatoes has undergone. Download the infographic to see the full traceability journey of a tomato.

Traceability is gaining traction throughout the industry. With over 24 million tracking events and over 300,000 quality incidents identified in FoodLogiQ Connect to date, we have seen first hand the benefits of embracing a supply chain transparency program. Schedule a demo with one of our experts to learn how your business can take the first steps with cloud-based traceability software.

DOWNLOAD INFOGRAPHIC