Advancing Food Safety, Traceability Through Digital Tech Innovation

This episode is brought to you by Aptean.

As food and beverage processors seek ways to operate efficiently while monitoring and maintaining food safety and a traceable supply chain, they’re looking for advanced technology to help them achieve their goals. Jack Payne, solution consulting director, Food & Beverage and Process Manufacturing, for Aptean and a longtime industry expert in the field, shares his insights on the innovations that have driven the industry forward, and how a shared passion for serving the best quality, safest food and beverage products has shined through in nearly every partnership he’s developed with processors.

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Jack Payne: Family meals growing up were very special. Every person in the family was expected to be there on time. It was a time of sharing and learning. As I got into the industry and had been working in various roles, I got to thinking about how food is essential to everyone. I became aware of the unique challenges of managing inventory and food. So I searched and found a food and beverage company just getting started in ERP and said, “I’d like to see if I could provide some expertise and help to you.” I never even imagined I would be doing this for 30 years! I hope to keep doing it for a lot longer. It’s just been an exciting industry.

FP: What are some of the more notable developments you’ve witnessed in food safety and traceability first-hand?

JP: I have to go back and remind everyone what kind of technology we lived with 30 years ago. We didn’t have the internet, mobile devices, iPhones or iPads. In fact, not many people had cell phones either. So just think about how consumer technology has changed in the last 30 years. That same technology has changed the food and beverage industry. Thirty years ago, to do traceability, you recorded everything on a piece of paper and entered it into a system. Then you had the ability to track your inventory, your lots, and also to put the pieces together one by one in terms of tracing from ingredients to finished goods. We now have moved into the era where there are mobile devices on the factory floor, receiving your barcode scanning. That then gives us the ability to almost instantaneously see full traceability. Again, going back 30 years ago, if that information was recorded, we could typically see it step by step. Now modern systems give you that real time — almost instantaneously, you’re able to see full traceability backward and forward.

FP: The food and beverage industry, right or wrong, often gets a bad rap about being more hesitant on things like digital technology. What is your take on that over the last 30 years?

JP: There are early adopters of technology. I’ve seen certain companies that want to be on that leading edge. They want to be able to adopt that technology because they see the potential value in it. But then there are other companies that are almost a little bit hesitant. They don’t want to adopt the latest technology until it’s proven. Like any industry, there are laggards. The best way I’d describe the food and beverage industry is “cautious.” They want to adopt technology, but they want to be cautious to make sure it is proven technology before they do.

FP: I understand you’ve even written a book on this subject. Could you share a bit about it and what inspired you to write it?

JP: The motivation really goes back to that passion for food safety, traceability and sustainability. The industry has been very generous and patient with helping me learn, and every day I learn more about the industry. I decided that I wanted to be able to give back to the industry to share what I have learned. The title of the book is “Appetite for Success: Thriving with Technology in the Food and Beverage Industry.” It’s not a technology book; it’s more about how to apply technology in food and beverage to meet the regulatory requirements of traceability and food safety. How do you become more sustainable? How do you become more profitable? How do you grow?

FP: Food safety regulations are top of mind across the industry, and you’ve obviously got a lot of background there, so what advice would you give to executives out there trying to balance compliance efficiency and long-term growth?

JP: The first thing I would tell them is, these are not competing priorities. They’re actually complementary. I’ve seen companies implement technology to help with traceability, and it also helps productivity and efficiency. I’ve been recommending companies get ahead of the game on FSMA 204. Earlier this year, the FDA delayed the compliance date by 30 months, and the reason they delayed it was because suppliers were not providing information to their customers, who need to provide that forward. So, there’s that 30-month extension, but don’t wait: Get started now and be ready. It’s going to make you a stronger, more efficient company.

FP: What makes Aptean such a special partner for food and beverage companies and positions it to help navigate the complexities of the industry today?

JP: We’ve always focused on providing solutions for food and beverage companies starting out on ERP, in terms of lot control, shelf-life management, traceability, costing, and other unique requirements in the food and beverage industry. We want to stay in touch with the industry; we go to conferences; and we listen to our customers; and we build those best practices back into our software. We want to stay ahead of the game and understand what’s going on, but we also want to be a partner with our customers and provide all the technology solutions they need in one place, managing everything from product development through shipping that final product out to customers. And now, with our investments in AI and automation, we’re helping those companies make smarter decisions across their entire business. That is the focus of the company. We have quite a few people that are dedicated to food and beverage, a whole team across the company, and I’m just very privileged to be here.