New Zealand company a winner in FDA New Era of Food Safety Low- or No-Cost Tech-Enabled Food Traceability Challenge

On the 13th of September 2021, the FDA New Era of Smarter Food Safety Low- or No-Cost Tech-Enabled Traceability Challenge winners were announced. The competition saw 90 submissions from around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the USA. The New Zealand company Rfider was the only winner from outside North America.

The challenge’s primary goal was to encourage a wide range of stakeholders from all disciplines, including innovators, entrepreneurs, technology providers, and public health advocates, to develop food traceability software and hardware. This includes end-to-end, source-to-table traceability, and data analytics platforms that are low or no cost to the end-user.

This competition ties in with the goals of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative. The initiative aims to find and promote ways of improving food safety by leveraging technology to harmonise tracing systems for human and animal food producers. The ultimate goal is to reduce food-related illness.  

It was in July 2020 that the FDA announced the New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint. The idea was centered around several key elements: tech-enabled traceability, improvement of predictive analytics and outbreak responses, new business models, reduced food contamination, and the development of a more robust food safety culture.

The competition brought international focus to food safety issues while also highlighting innovation. The ideas and technologies promoted by participants provide low to no-cost solutions that are beneficial and actionable for food businesses and safety advocates.

Rfider, the winning New Zealand entry, develops software that tracks food at each link of the supply chain. This helps in both the reduction and the response to foodborne contamination.

As populations grow and the world becomes more connected, food supply chains will continue to grow in length and complexity. Therefore, initiatives and competitions such as this – that encourage the use of the latest technologies – are a great way to improve food safety at an international level.

To see the full list of finalists and learn more about the Challenge, click here.

Article by: Food Safety Select