Innovation with a Purpose: Improving Traceability in Food Value Chains through Technology Innovations
Technology innovations, and their supporting enabling environment, have the potential to support positive food system transformation. This report, developed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, focuses on the potential of emerging technologies to improve traceability in food value chains. The report explores the powerful opportunity for traceability to improve information about the provenance, safety, efficiency and sustainability of food and food supplies. It also emphasises that simply applying new technologies for traceability within food systems will not necessarily provide the desired outcome. Risks, such as the potential exclusion of small-scale value chain actors must be carefully safeguarded against. Collaboration focused on an inclusive economic model, enabling technology infrastructure, harmonised standards, and proper training and support across the value chain will broadly accelerate and amplify potential impact.
Technology innovations, and their supporting enabling environment, have the potential to support positive food system transformation. This report, developed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, focuses on the potential of emerging technologies to improve traceability in food value chains. The report explores the powerful opportunity for traceability to improve information about the provenance, safety, efficiency and sustainability of food and food supplies. It also emphasises that simply applying new technologies for traceability within food systems will not necessarily provide the desired outcome. Risks, such as the potential exclusion of small-scale value chain actors must be carefully safeguarded against. Collaboration focused on an inclusive economic model, enabling technology infrastructure, harmonised standards, and proper training and support across the value chain will broadly accelerate and amplify potential impact.
This report supports the Innovation with a Purpose Platform, which is curated by the World Economic Forum’s System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Food.