| | August 20148CIOReviewopinionin myStrengthening Food Safety through a Data-Driven ApproachBy Keri Dawson, VP-Industry Solutions and Advisory Services, MetricStreamAdvancements in food supply sourcing and distribution have helped food manufacturers lower their costs, and improve the availability and diversity of their products. To meet rising demand, organizations have developed food supply chains that are larger, more distributed, and more complex than ever­and with this, come more risks that need to be understood and managed. Recent incidents of salmonella, listeria, and e-coli infections have impacted consumers' trust in the food industry. FoodNet, reporting on food-borne illnesses in 2013 in the U.S., identified 19,056 cases of bacterial and parasitic infections, 4,200 hospitalizations, and 80 deaths among 48 million residents across 10 states.Food companies are working hard to gain more control over their food supply and production chains, and strengthen their overall food safety measures. Yet, one of the biggest challenges they face is the explosion of data; there are so many suppliers, sub-suppliers, farmers, and distributors to manage and monitor; so many regulations and food safety standards to comply with; and so many social media conversations about the brand happening in real-time. There are product specifications, allergens, test data, audits and inspections, risk assessments, policies, regulations, issues and non-conformance, customer complaints, corrective actions, and more--all of which present an organization with an unprecedented amount of information and data. So, how do organizations simplify and improve the management of this data? More importantly, how do they leverage this data to their advantage to strengthen their overall food quality and safety?Multiple Variables, Multiple ChallengesThe challenge of data management can be better understood in the context of what is happening in the food industry today. First of all, multiple ingredients and food products are being sourced from various parts of the world. According to the FDA, imported food comes into the U.S. from about 150 different countries, and accounts for about 15 percent of the U.S. food supply, including nearly 50 percent of fresh fruits and 20 percent of fresh vegetables. Each of these products passes through multiple intermediaries before it reaches the end consumer. Monitoring food safety at every step of this chain can be a Herculean data management challenge, especially when there are thousands of suppliers and sub-suppliers involved. There are also regulations to consider. In the last few years, the FDA has intensified their efforts to minimize food safety incidents and recalls by implementing more stringent Keri Dawson
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