The horticulture industry is on the look-out for emerging technologies to make it easier for growers to trace their produce along the supply chain, to support maximum food safety, quality and sustainability claims.
Supported by a $471,000 grant from the Australian Government, the initiative is being led by Hort Innovation in partnership with key players within the horticulture supply chain such as Freshcare and Fresh Markets Australia.
The grant is part of $6 million in funding for innovative solutions through the Regulatory Technology (RegTech) Research and Insights Grant Round of the National Agriculture Traceability Grants Program. The RegTech grants aim to help businesses and exporters meet regulatory requirements more efficiently, giving Australian agriculture a trade advantage.
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said the funding would boost the horticulture sectors’ efforts to enhance and protect their supply chains.
“Having robust traceability systems in place assures consumers and trading partners that Australia’s produce is fresh and safe,” Mr Fifield said.
“Australia is a world-leader when it comes to having trustworthy processes and systems in place, but this funding gives us the opportunity see what else is out there and identify technology that can bolster our traceability systems, while also reducing costs for growers.
“The project will identify ‘regulatory technology’ solutions that increase efficiency for growers and industry, which will be made available to the whole horticulture sector to help remove unnecessary red tape and bolster the way we trace product claims throughout the supply chain.”
