Mouse to trace strawberries

LOS GATOS, USA: FoodLink,a commerce and traceability platform that connects fresh food retailers and wholesalers to a network of over 2,000 growers, packers and shippers, announced that California Giant Berry Farms will use the company's item-specific tracking solution on all strawberries grown in the U.S.

Under terms of the agreement, FoodLink will create QR coded labels for "clamshell" strawberry containers. The code will contain information about the specific growing location of the packaged berries, allowing trading partners and consumers to trace the berries back to their source. In the store or at home, consumers will be able to use a smartphone to scan the code and learn the origin of any California Giant berry. The company grows and ships more than 20 million trays of berries annually.

"The FoodLink Item solution really is a game changer for California Giant and their customers," said Eric Peters, CEO, FoodLink. "Shoppers are increasingly demanding more and better information about the food they eat, and California Giant is among the first to cost effectively align a complex supply chain moving millions of items to embed traceability data all the way from the field to the consumer."

FoodLink further claims it is unique among providers of produce traceability solutions. The company's recent acquisition of TrueTrac brought together that company's advanced case and item-level tracking solutions with FoodLink's broad network of buyers and sellers, as stated.

"The result is a web-based network directly linking information from a field where food is grown and harvested all the way through packing, shipping and purchasing by retail category managers, ultimately bringing full visibility to consumers."

According to California Giant, the new system will serve as a valuable food safety tool and help consumers learn more about where their food is grown.

"We have worked very closely with FoodLink and our clamshell providers to create an accurate, efficient way of achieving our goals with this project," said Lucky Westwood, Vice President of Operations for California Giant. "We hope that this enhances the consumer's confidence and overall experience with our berries. In the meantime, our daily attention is focused on a food safe production system based on prevention and training throughout the company."