Connected Consumer – ICT in food safety and nutrition
Firstly, to get a real understanding of how ICT is beneficial but also how it can be a hindrance to food safety and the connected customer we have chosen to break it down into what we think are the four most important/key areas that are current hitting the current market.
1. How existing businesses utilise social media
2. How their use if IT relates to food security and safety
3. How the use of IT effects them and their trade
4. How they can use IT for transparency and data
We are choosing to come at these topics with the business perspective and the way each of these topics are out there to influence how the public are able to view both the good and the bad with just a couple of clicks.
How existing businesses utilise social media:
Many different businesses in the Hospitality industry use social media as it has many different forms and is easily accessible by everyone. Making it one of the best forms of communication. Below will be a list of different advantages and disadvantages of businesses within the food industry using social media platforms.
Firstly, one of the advantages is that businesses are able to use social media to help promote their business or franchise. This is beneficial because it means that businesses are able to informally communicate with customers, they can inform on many things such as discount; opening times; delays and events. This is beneficial because it means the customer is able to keep updated and informed on all things to do with the company in a relaxed environment at any time.
Another advantage of businesses being on social media is that customers are able to communicate with them. They are able to send a company a message instantly and receive one back in QuickTime. This is beneficial because it gives both the customer asking and other customers the chance to have their questions answered. This can often be seen on companies twitter accounts.
A disadvantage of companies having forms of social media is customers can write bad reviews of a company. This is bad because it means that other customers will see and have a bad perspective of the company. Meaning that the business would lose out on customers and revenue.
The second disadvantage is that large companies such McDonald’s and Coca Cola are using social media and target children. This is a prominent problem in today’s society as many children have access to the internet and smartphones making them vulnerable to psychological impacts from adverts and things that they see online. Furthermore, a lot of children follow bloggers and are often impacted by the many endorsements that they see on social media from vloggers such as Lauren Toyota and Rachel Mansfield.
How their use if IT relates to food security and safety:
As the technology sector has developed in great quantities, the scale for risks have increased in the global market, as well as the micro market. This has been proven in macro businesses with fraud interception which costs not only the company harm but the food industry millions of pounds. Blockchain technology has provided the security necessary from the source to the consumer. IBM supplied a blockchain for many food companies and suppliers such as Walmart, Nestlé and McLane Company and Golden State Foods. The collection has access to an open-source blockchain using the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger group sources. The technology being open-source means that any information passed through can be edited and easily accessed. This is not a sustainable piece of technology as it is open to being attacked, however, there is an easy fix by IBM finally completing this software and implementing encryption (encoding information that only certain parties can access with a key).
Customers have been more alert with safety in the food they eat, therefore, food preservation methods have a need to be improved to keep up with guidelines and customer satisfaction. Temperature control plays a major part in food preservation, certain foods have to freeze, cool, cook at certain temperatures; technology is used to check the temperature and make sure the temperatures are met to certain criteria. Henry’s foods have provided a service that controls an environment to a certain temperature using compressor racks around the environment, which uses online monitoring from outside the environmental facility to diagnose an issue.
How the use of IT effects them and their trade
In the food and hospitality industry, businesses have benefited from the use of ICT, in their main operations, products and its consumer deliverance. This was crucial for them, with being fast growing, so improving its systems and service through ICT use, which was also an expanding corporation was necessary for them to do.
Focusing on food production, the use of ICT was developed over time, in agriculture with sourcing their products efficiently and monitoring its security and accessibility to consumers. To elucidate these issues at first, farmers were equipped with resource remote sensors, radiometers and computer network databases, to gain knowledge and awareness of how to monitor and produce their food products efficiently, sustainably and correctly, therefore enhancing food security and consumer protection.
Furthermore, this subject was continued through the utilisation of technological advancements, for example, 3D printing tech-a manufacturing technique known for forming materials, however in that context, the study of using renewable natural sources to produce replenishable food stock; using drone technology for crop maintenance, so they were well restored and ensuring they were done correctly and efficiently. Moreover, Blockchain and Data-Driven farming that inquires food source qualities, information and contamination identification, which was proved to be foreseen beneficial.
How they can use IT for market transparency and data:
Companies do not always have the easiest ride implementing ICT into a business chain, Specifically in the means of transparency and data freedom. With an online presence especially in the food industry comes a lot of rules and regulations they must firstly abide by one I want to touch on is from the (Food safety act, 1990 Part II – Main provisions consumer protection section 15) which is the act of falsely describing or presenting food.
We can take this a couple of directions but to keep it topic relevant I want to wrap it around to the pros and cons of being transparent of where and how food gets from farm to fork. From the farm side it is integral to have accurate data covering how their crops/products is at the best quality standard. Farmers have the technological means to now produce data down to a meter of farmland. Getting a in depth breakdown of even tracking diseases immediately through the process while also being able to hybridise crops. For then in turn companies being able to pick from this data provided compare and pick only what suits them.
But it's not always as straight line. Both the home-grown suppliers and the big chain buyers have a double-edged sword they have to face. Farmers choose whether to use data for themselves, share locally or upload it to the cloud – which is all good to bring in the buyers but once that data’s up in the ‘cloud’ it’s at risk of rival suppliers obtaining their information – Where it then becomes harder is if you keep this information close to your chest it allows companies to take advantage – For example Farmers say data analytics have reduced input costs by 15% with crop yields up 13% ( source: American farm bureau federation). Data like this can impact how a company comes in with a value costs knowing that they are now making more for less.
Added to the above ‘transparency is taken to be the degree to which uncertainty about average livestock and meat prices is reduced as more information becomes available under mandatory reporting.’ (Azzam 2003)
In conclusion we have discovered that using IT in businesses has both benefits and drawbacks. There still needs to be improvements made so that the industry can use IT to its advantage. We have concluded that social media is both beneficial and has cons to the companies. It is however is hard to manage the cons because social media is accessed by everyone, meaning anyone can see and leave bad reviews. However, security and safety are a major risk to the food industry with the major factor drawback of fraud, but this has been improved with the use of encryption. Temperature controls have improved food preservation as technology has advanced. In addition to this, ICT has been a continuous and important asset for food and hospitality businesses and their trade in both front and back of house areas and will have a significant effect on food production and consumer protection, through high authorities and bodies – Onto market transparency and data to conclude the positives have outweighed the negative implications. IT has allowed the advancement in data to overwhelm the current market with knowledge – leading to exponential profits and protection of farmed foods.
To conclude the whole debate as a group we have come to an agreement that ICT has nothing but advanced the market in all sectors to heights that general means would of took generations to even compete. The pros have heavily outweighed the cons and we believe there is nothing but up from here.
Azzam, A. M., & Salvador, S. (2004). Information pooling and collusion: an empirical analysis. Information Economics and Policy, 16(2), 275-286
Food safety act, 1990 Part II – Main provisions consumer protection section 15
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Dennett, Carrie. Today's Dietitian; Jun2018, Vol. 20 Issue 6, p14-15, 2p, 1 Colour Photograph
"Research Highlights the Influence Social Media Has on Children's Food Intake."
Targeted News Service (TNS). May 24, 2018