Cool runnings The importance of trust has never been greater than it is now.
Keith when we did the AQA (approved quality assurance) program, and that highlighted the importance.”
For members of the horticulture supply chain, and the consumers they covet, transparency is key to growing trust and boosting industry sustainability.
Things have advanced since the first sea shipments, but one thing that has remained steady over that time is Allan’s commitment to improving industry.
That’s why recent efforts to enhance the table grape industry’s cold chain efficiency and international competitiveness on the export scene are being spruiked as an important piece in the traceability puzzle.
“Smart future of Australian agriculture” Seeing the potential of the FRIGGA real-time data loggers, Allan applied for funding through the Federal
Industry pioneer Allan Anderson is part of that puzzle piece, having undertaken a career-long quest to improve postharvest quality through research and innovation.
Government’s Traceability Grants
Allan has worked in a variety of roles in the supply chain over the past 40 years, from grower and exporter through to supplier of data logging platforms for cold chain monitoring.
grape exports, to see the benefit to
Program and was successful. Back in August, Allan’s company AND Fresh Mildura received funding to trial the technology across table Australia’s reputation as a premium supplier of table grape exports, research gaps in the cold chain and implement any changes necessary to
For the past year, Allan has been trialling a new logger, which uses FRIGGA technology to track the performance of export shipments from the moment they’re harvested to the time they reach the importer – all in real time.
improve industry practices.
While monitoring shipments is not new, exporters have been doing so since the first grape exports departed Australia in the 1980s – albeit using primitive monitors – what is unique about this particular trial is the technology’s ability to track temperature, location, light and humidity continuously, with the information “at your fingertips”, using a phone or computer to follow the fruit’s journey.
times”.
“We realised the importance of monitoring, particularly temperature, in containers,” Allan said. “It started back in the days of Keith Leamon. I was running Boyanda and got involved with
said the technology could identify
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Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said the trial had the potential to “boost export supply chain traceability”, which is an “increasingly valuable currency in these challenging “Traceability is about consumer trust and we know trust is an increasingly valuable currency in these challenging times,” Minister Littleproud said. “Building more awareness about just how safe and healthy Aussie produce means more opportunities to export and more dollars for our farmers.” Member for Mallee Anne Webster any breaks in the cool chain, providing a greater guarantee to not just Australian growers and exporters but their customers.
