As consumers demand more transparency around what they are eating, NSW DPI is encouraging fresh food producers to use technology to track and trace a product’s journey from paddock to plate. Biosecurity incursions, food safety recalls or emergencies such as floods or bushfires need rapid responses to protect the supply chain and consumers but gathering this information takes time. Until now, that is.

A pilot study using GS1 data standards and a GS1 Digital Link QR code to create a digital map of products in the NSW cherry and potato industries has the potential to change that. Study results showed that using an integrated digital traceability system Paddock to supermarket traceability can improve industry competitiveness, buyer confidence and market access for horticultural products produced in NSW.

In a new era of food security challenges, traceability provides transparency of a product’s provenance and where it is in the supply chain, providing consumers with confidence in a high-quality Australian product. By working with growers, the study improved understanding of what is required on-farm to enable traceability and what the benefits would be to others along the supply chain.

As part of the study, unique serialised QR codes with a GS1 Digital Link label were applied to Woolworths-branded brushed potatoes and organic cherries bags and punnets. The GS1 Digital Link was encrypted with location data and a scannable QR code, which led to an interactive consumer application that Digital solutions helping to trace food from paddock to plate could be viewed on a smartphone. The GS1 Digital Link enabled the product to be traced in real-time, from property to store.

It also provided information about how the product moved along the supply chain, the time spent at each location and allowed for realtime feedback from consumers. Capturing and sharing data at every point in the supply chain — growers, carriers, retailers and the government —can enable full trace-back and trace-forward visibility in real-time.

The pilot study was conducted in partnership with Woolworths, Food Agility CRC, Freshchain Systems, GS1 Australia, Mitolo Family Farms, Cantrill Organics and Cherry Growers Australia.