Grain sector needs to don thinking hats to address traceability challenges

The Agbiz symposium focused on traceability and regulatory aspects of grain storage, says Magda du Toit.

- Magda du Toit

During the past century, the entire agricultural value chain has undergone considerable changes. Over the past two decades, many of the latest changes were necessitated by increasing consumer demand for a reliable and consistently safe supply of food products. The market’s demand for high-quality, safe and sustainably produced food products also resulted in an increased focus on food traceability.

Grain is no longer just grain. The processing and consumer markets have different requirements, ranging from GMO-free products, a preference for certain quality traits and grain-free of certain chemicals used in the production cycle, and there is also the food safety aspect, involving elements such as mycotoxins. The need for systems and processes to trace the source and ensure the quality of grain is on the rise.

The third session of the Agbiz Grain and Oilseed Symposium focused on the application of traceability and regulatory compliance in grain storage in South Africa. The panel comprised Jannie de Villiers, former CEO of Grain SA; Paul Adams, research and development senior manager at PepsiCo; David Meder, director of Coop EMC2 in France; Dr Charles Hurburgh from the Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University; Casper Schmidt, executive committee member of Agbiz Grain; and Dr Francois Koekemoer, cereals lead for research and development in Sub-Saharan Africa at Syngenta. They discussed the various aspects impacting on traceability in the grain sector.