How Big Data Is Improving Temperature Control in the Food Industry

Traceability is one of the most important factors or elements in the food and beverage industry. From the time a product or good leaves the source and is transported to a distributor, it undergoes many processes and separate handlers. Because of that, it’s important that all involved parties can track and monitor an item or goods status.

Why Is Monitoring Important?

You see, food or beverages can be contaminated at any point of the supply chain. Being able to pinpoint who, what, how and why is crucial to fixing major health and contamination issues. More importantly, monitoring is vital to maintaining the quality and safety of those goods. Keeping foods at the appropriate temperature no matter where they are ” or how they’re being transported and stored ” is necessary. With conventional systems, however, it’s difficult to track this information especially when the goods are constantly on the move.

That’s where big data can come in handy.

When locations or goods are equipped with a myriad of sensors and data tracking tools, all players in the supply chain can help keep an eye on optimal conditions. This opens up the opportunity for many new scenarios, including the option to identify and remedy temperature control problems right at the source.

A temperature data logger, for instance, can help executives and managers monitor environmental features and temperature settings and extract the data for further analysis. Tapping into the data can be done from nearly any device including smartphones, tablets, laptops and more.

Since there are both mobile and stationary type loggers, they can be deployed in some conditions. You could use them in warehouse or storage facilities or deploy them on transportation vehicles to keep an eye on travelling goods. It’s a reliable, convenient and budget-friendly solution for monitoring food quality and safety along the supply chain. And we’re merely scratching the surface.

How Accurate Are Big Data and Analytics Tools?

A number of studies have been conducted about newer technologies in the space, particularly regarding the cold food chain.

Needless to say, nothing too surprising has been discovered. The tools and systems discussed can offer improved efficiency ratings, better safety and better monitoring of time-temperature controls. This is especially true of the global-scale food industry where goods must be transferred great distances at varying speeds.

Do These Systems Actually Exist?

Zest Labs ” a subsidiary of Ecoark Holdings, Inc. ” has already begun using real-time analytics to monitor and keep an eye on perishable foods along the supply chain. Fast food company McDonald’s has also been using data-driven technologies to better understand their restaurants, including for the optimisation of local performance and more.

Finally, another unnamed Fortune 500 company relied on modern analytics and big data to lower operating costs and associated risks.

Yes, the potential is there, and these technologies are absolutely being deployed in the real-world as we speak.

They Increase Food Health and Safety for the Public

In early 2015, a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak occurred affecting various foods such as ice cream, soft cheeses and packaged salads. WGS or Whole Genome Sequencing data was used to identify and isolate the source of the outbreak ” namely Kansas ” further improving the health and safety for all. But data also allows officials and teams to identify when and where goods were sent during times like this. Items can be pulled off store shelves almost immediately, and the public can be informed through recalls and health warnings.

Surprisingly, the CDC has come up with a rather unorthodox method for using data to track foodborne disease outbreaks. With the help of social media and online Yelp reviews ” thanks to data mining ” they can quickly discern what restaurants have been affected by contamination issues that would have otherwise gone undetected.

Though neither of those scenarios are directly related to the food industry regarding temperature controls, they do offer a glimpse at what data-tracking tools can be used to uncover and take action against.

Our Future Is in Our Data

If and when these systems are deployed more openly, we can start to see the true benefits of complete transparency and traceability of the food supply chain. This can help eliminate many problems ” some of which are related to contamination and health, and others influence performance, sales and even revenue.

Our improved future relies on the ability to collect accurately, process and convert data into usable trends and patterns to then be deployed in real-world conditions. Remote temperature monitoring and controls can improve the food and beverage industry tremendously.