Member Article

Company Leading Health Matters Research In UK Food Industry

Latest Trade Interchange White Paper Highlights Solution for Controlling Antibiotics in Food Supply Chain

Research released this week has been shared with the UK food industry in a bid to stop dangerous antibiotics in livestock reaching consumer’s plates.

Trade Interchange, a leading supplier management solutions provider that specialises in the industry, collated the findings into the white paper ‘Anticipating Change: Antibiotics in the Food and Drink Supply Chain’

The paper shows that currently only four out of 10 businesses in the foodservice and food manufacturing sectors actually monitor antibiotic use in the supply chain. This is despite increasing evidence from the World Health Organisation that its administration to animals in the food supply chain is dangerous to long-term human health, as it can build up a resistance to the drugs.

However, a more heartening 77 percent of those in the industry are aiming to take the health threat seriously in the future and have concerns about the increasing pressure from customers and stakeholders to tackle the issue.

The white paper was conducted with 225 professionals directly responsible for managing food and drinks suppliers. It should, therefore, drive a change in the way that supplier information is managed across the foodservice, hospitality and food and drink manufacturing sectors to ensure the reduction of routine antibiotic usage in livestock.

Co-founder and managing director of Trade Interchange, Mike Edmunds, said:

“This concern spreading through the food and drink industry is heightened when operators use manual systems to document and store vital supplier information, which can be unmanageable, especially if the supply chain is large.

“Major issues such as antibiotic use in livestock and the potential negative impact on human health means full visibility must be sought when sourcing products, and when undertaken manually, this can be difficult to achieve.

“The solution lies in specialist software such as Trade Interchange’s ARCUS® Supplier Information Management (SIM) module. This allows businesses to improve transparency of what matters the most, improving the quality of their supply chain and streamlining the process of on boarding and managing supplier data. This reduces risk to both the companies and the consumers, ensuring compliance, protecting company brand and reputation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Toms .