Agritask

***New Blog Post: Don’t Wait for EUDR: Why Food Companies Must Embrace Geo-Location Data Now*** The future of food is traceable, sustainable, and transparent, starting with knowing exactly where our ingredients come from. Traceability allows companies to verify the authenticity and quality of their products, ensuring they meet safety standards and ethical sourcing practices. It also helps in quickly identifying and addressing any issues in the supply chain, thereby maintaining consumer trust. Sustainability in food production means adopting practices that protect the environment, conserve resources, and support the livelihoods of those involved in the supply chain. Companies that commit to sustainability are not only protecting the planet but also appealing to a growing segment of environmentally conscious consumers. Transparency, on the other hand, involves openly sharing information about sourcing, production methods, and business practices. This builds trust with consumers, who are increasingly interested in how their food is made and its impact on health and the environment. Incorporating these principles positions companies to better respond to market demands, regulatory changes, and environmental challenges. This will also enable companies to build stronger relationships with consumers, enhance brand loyalty, and create a competitive edge in the marketplace. Read the blog post here: https://bit.ly/3zyTgno #traceability #cropsupply #foodsupplychain #eudr #sustainability

***Certification Overload: Are You Drowning in Sustainability Paperwork?*** Certification management digital and advanced solutions are crucial for food and beverage companies to efficiently handle complex sustainability and quality standards. GIS capabilities are an obvious criteria, but what else? Here are five essential capabilities to look for in your next certification management solution: 1) Centralized Management of Multiple Certifications: This allows companies to manage various internal and external certifications in one platform, streamlining processes, removing data redundancy (questions will only need to be answered once) and reducing administrative overhead. 2) Real-Time Compliance Tracking and Monitoring: This enables companies to track the compliance process across their supply chain in real-time, quickly identifying and addressing any issues that arise. 3) Customizable Workflows and Data Collection: Flexible systems that can be tailored to specific agricultural certification processes and efficiently collect field data are crucial for meeting diverse certification requirements. 4) Supply Chain Traceability: Traceability throughout the supply chain is a must in the food and beverage industry, helping companies ensure and demonstrate the origin and journey of their products. 5) Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics: Robust reporting tools make it easier to demonstrate compliance, track progress towards sustainability goals, and provide valuable insights for decision-making. #certifications #sustainability #agriculture #traceability

Looking forward to continued growth!

***Is Your Agricultural Data Working as Hard as Your Fields?*** When selecting an ESG software platform for agricultural data collection and analysis, sustainability professionals should focus on the following key features: 1) Comprehensive emissions tracking: The platform should be able to measure and monitor Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions specifically related to agricultural operations in real-time. This includes tracking emissions from various sources such as machinery, fuel usage, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. 2) Data integration and analysis: The software should seamlessly integrate both physical and financial data flows from various sources in the agricultural supply chain. This includes the ability to collect and analyze data on crop production practices, resource utilization, and environmental impact. 3) Customization and scalability: The platform should offer flexibility to adapt to different company sizes, agricultural sectors, and specific crop types. It should be able to handle increasing data volumes and expand coverage as the company's needs grow. 4) Reporting and compliance tools: The software should facilitate the creation of comprehensive ESG reports tailored to agricultural operations, ensuring adherence to relevant regulations and reporting frameworks like the EUDR 5) Action planning and benchmarking: The platform should provide tools to develop and track climate action plans based on the collected data, as well as the ability to compare performance. This includes features that support the implementation of regenerative agricultural practices and sustainable farming methods. Read more in Deloitte's article: Technology’s Role in Improving Climate Disclosures. https://bit.ly/3VVu55P #sustainability #esg #cropsupply #agriculture #eudr

***Why are KPIs the Secret to a Successful Regenerative Agriculture Program?*** Defining and measuring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for regenerative agriculture is crucial for food and beverage companies trialing these practices because: 1) Accountability and Transparency: KPIs provide a clear, quantifiable way to track the progress and impact of regenerative agriculture initiatives. 2) Informed Decision-Making: Measuring specific KPIs enables companies to gather data to evaluate the effectiveness of their practices, allowing for informed decisions about which strategies to continue, modify, or abandon. 3) Improving Soil Health and Productivity: By tracking soil health indicators like organic matter content, companies can ensure their practices are leading to improved soil health and higher crop yields. 4) Environmental Impact: KPIs related to carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions, help companies understand and mitigate the broader environmental impact of their agricultural practices, supporting sustainability goals. Downloud our new comprehensive framework for measuring regenerative practices, including practical insights on data collection and analysis: https://bit.ly/3RZqO4p #regenerativeagriculture #regenag #sustainability #agriculture #cropsupply #ghgemissions #carbonsequestration

Climate change isn't just melting ice caps—it's turning the job of food sourcing professionals into an extreme sport. Here are four major challenges facing sourcing professionals in the food and beverage industry who source agricultural raw materials globally: 1. Resource Shortages and Supply Chain Disruptions: Climate change, extreme weather, and geopolitical conflicts, have led to shortages and volatile prices for key resources like corn, wheat, and sunflower oil. These shortages increase costs, cause delays, and impact product quality and availability. 2. Price Volatility and Cost Pressures: Tight margins and price fluctuations due to inflation, rising fuel prices, and higher transportation costs create significant challenges. Sourcing teams must balance cost optimization with maintaining a stable supply of quality ingredients in a volatile market. 3. Evolving Consumer Demands and Sustainability Requirements: Changing consumer preferences for local, sustainable, and healthier products requires finding suppliers that meet these demands while maintaining quality and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the need for sustainability adds complexity and requires new supplier evaluation criteria. 4. Regulatory Compliance and Food Safety: Navigating complex regulatory landscapes and ensuring compliance with food safety standards, labeling requirements, and environmental regulations is crucial. Managing traceability and mitigating risks associated with food fraud are also essential to avoid costly recalls and protect brand reputation. #climatechange #regulation #eudr #sustainability #cropsupply

Happy to share that Rob Shaw, PEFC International's Head of Standards & Integrity, will join our webinar about Certifications in the food and beverage industry, today at 16:00 CET. Together with Juan Maties Garcia, General Director for DACH at Control Union and Guillermo S. as host. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/d-BxAnqg #certifications #foodsupplychain #cropsupply

***New Blog Post: Climate-Smart Agriculture: A Triple Win for Food and Beverage Companies*** Sharing the three pillars of climate-smart agriculture: 1. Boosting Productivity and Profitability 2. Building Resilience and Mitigating Supply Chain Risks 3. Reducing Environmental Footprint Climate-smart agriculture is an integrative approach that addresses the interlinked challenges of food security and climate change, grounded in three fundamental pillars. Firstly, climate-smart agriculture focuses on boosting productivity and profitability by promoting innovative farming practices that enhance crop yields and increase farmers' incomes. Secondly, it emphasizes building resilience and mitigating supply chain risks, ensuring that agricultural systems can withstand and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events and shifting growing conditions. Lastly, it aims to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture, implementing strategies that lower greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and preserve biodiversity. Together, these pillars create a sustainable agricultural framework that not only secures food supply but also contributes to the health of our planet. More in the blog post: https://hubs.la/Q02DPsXt0 #climatesmart #climatechange #agriculture #cropsupply

***Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality: What's the difference?*** Net Zero aims to balance the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere with the amount removed. Achieving Net Zero, as defined by SBTi, involves prioritizing direct action through sequestration and reduction activities. While SBTi discourages reliance on offsets, it allows up to 10% offsetting for validation due to the acknowledged difficulty of complete avoidance. Carbon Neutrality implies achieving a state where the total carbon emissions associated with the production and supply chain activities are entirely offset or balanced by measures that remove or reduce an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. ** Additionality refers to the idea that the emission reductions or removals claimed by a project are additional to what would have occurred in a business-as-usual scenario. It assesses whether the project's activities or interventions have caused a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that would not have happened without the project's existence. #carbonemissions #ghg #sustainability #cropsupply #scope3 #netzero