In the second of a series of daily blogs as we move through GFSI Conference week, Mitch Chait, CEO and Founder of Greenfence talks about some of the main issues affecting the industry.

Competitive Sustainability

If you take a moment and look back over the first 19 years of this 3rd millennium, it’s simply obvious that major brands need to hunker down and adapt to local mind sets. There is a movement and it’s not slowing down. Shoppers do care about the world and their community; whether they can afford to support the movement is a topic for another day.

Against this backdrop, if you bundle this reality with e-commerce – the obvious disruptor – the result is that you have shoppers becoming smarter and more influenced at click-speed. Add to the mix recalls, eroding trust for big industry and blogs and ratings via social media and one doesn’t need a crystal ball to see into the future of big brands.

Big brands have seen a steady slippage in market share and organic growth since 2010 (soft drinks had a bump in ‘15 but lost it in ‘16) and as of 2017, some $20bn in the US alone shifted to emerging food innovators, who simply ‘walk the talk of millennials’ and the millennial minded.

So, what does all of this have to do with the GFSI and food safety? Everything!

Transparency and traceability go right to the heart of this. The collateral benefits of knowing ‘who planted what and how’ right through to ethical and efficient logistics are immeasurable. Add to the mix the promotion of these products with innovative (bio-degradable please) packaging and messaging boasting at least some relevant but evolutionary claims such as non-GMO, pesticide free, ethically sourced, sustainably produced and locally grown (even if local is a faraway place that boasts shared values in relation to your own CSR commitments), this approach will certainly get your game up.

Hello food safety community! Help drive your brand’s success.

        Greenfence. Blockchain Made Easy.

CONTACT US