The United States has discovered a fresh champion for food traceability hailing from New Zealand. TradeWindow Assure+ (formerly Rfider) has emerged victorious in the “Food and Drug Administration (FDA) New Era of Smarter Food Safety Low or No Cost Food Traceability Challenge”.

This unique recognition by the FDA extends to TradeWindow Assure+, making it the sole enterprise outside North America to gain such an honour. Consequently, the FDA will widely advertise TradeWindow Assure+ as a key player in its “New Era Smarter Food Safety” initiative.

TradeWindow Executive Manager John Pennington notes this recognition of TradeWindow Assure+ global capabilities comes amidst a time when nations, including the United States, are urging companies to willingly incorporate traceability technologies across sectors involved in producing both human and animal foods.

According to the FDA, foodborne diseases affect about 48 million people (or 1 in 6) in the US each year, with recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that these diseases lead to 128,000 hospitalisations and 3,000 deaths annually.

The agency is now adopting a revamped approach to food safety, utilizing technology, and other strategies to establish a safer, more digital, and traceable food system. The ultimate goal is to “bend the curve of foodborne illness in the United States by reducing the number of illnesses”.

TradeWindow Assure+ has pioneered a state-of-the-art digital food traceability platform. “Any member of the supply chain network can be operational within minutes, amassing crucial event data efficiently, without the need for expensive integration or app development – we’ve handled that,” says Pennington.

“Frontline workers at every stage of a food’s supply chain, from farmers to logistics providers and distributors, can now scan products to utilize mobile-first tools that simplify traceability and origin information capture. Consumers, too, can scan these codes for real-time updates on product safety, enabling them to make more informed purchasing and consumption decisions.

“Consider our coffee clients, for instance. We don’t just assist them in tracing every batch of beans from the harvest to the consumer, but we also facilitate numerous process and supply chain efficiencies along the journey. Transparency is quickly becoming a valuable resource, potentially transforming into a competitive edge for brands predicated on integrity and sustainable practices.”

The FDA’s challenge is a follow-up to its “New Era of Food Safety Blueprint”, an initiative designed to boost traceability, enhance predictive analytics, respond more swiftly to outbreaks, adapt to new business models, decrease food contamination, and promote the cultivation of robust food safety cultures.