FoodLogiQ 2021 Year-in-Review | Supply Chain Disruptions Heightened the Demand for Digital Traceability

As we say goodbye to 2021, we are pleased to share some accomplishments and notable metrics from the year that reflect both enhancements and growth.

"At the penning of last year's FoodLogiQ Year in Review, we were hopeful that many things would have changed in our world by the end of 2021. We have benefited from groundbreaking immunizations, but in many ways, we are still in the same place", says FoodLogiQ CEO Sean O'Leary. "Coupled with the pandemic, the food industry endured unprecedented supply chain challenges. The supply chain obstacles in 2021 revealed that digitally tracking and tracing our food supply is more important than ever."

The Pandemic Continues

Agreeably, immunizations and distancing precautions decreased the rates of positive coronavirus cases; the pandemic continued. Last year the pandemic uncovered systemic weakness and forced rapid adaptation for many industries. While the challenges of the COVID-19 public health crisis did not disappear in 2021, the work across the food industry to protect and feed consumers has been a tireless accomplishment that FoodLogiQ is proud to have supported in 2020 and 2021.

Growing the World's Food Chain

This year, FoodLogiQ achieved many milestones in critical tracking events, quality incidents uncovered, documentation compliance, and a significant increase in the addition of new locations and suppliers worldwide.

New Era of Smarter Food Safety 2.0

In 2020, the FDA released the strategic blueprint entitled "New Era of Smarter Food Safety." That initiative continued in 2021, and FoodLogiQ has continued to lead and collaborate with industry partners in the areas of food safety, supply chain digitization, transparency, and interoperability.

Below are some additional accomplishments FoodLogiQ achieved while driving the future of food forward during 2021: 

• Supporting Interoperability to Support Cross-Platform Traceability:
  In September, FoodLogiQ experts and customers participated in a GS1 US webinar entitled "Unlocking the Key to Interoperability and Traceability." The event showcased how blockchain and cloud-based traceability solutions can interoperate to exchange supply chain data using GS1 Standards.
• Countdown to FSMA 204 Compliance:
  November 2021 marked one year from the FDA's deadline for final FSMA 204 rule submission. With less than 365 days until rule finalization, the time to start preparing for pending FSMA 204 rule compliance is now. 
• FoodTech 2021: Trends Report:
  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted businesses of nearly every size and shape in the food industry for many companies. This year's food tech trends showcase a greater resilience for the future.
• 100 Million CTEs:
  In 2021 FoodLogiQ Connect captured over 100 million Critical Tracking Events (CTEs). By supporting the traceability programs of some of the world's leading food brands, we anticipate many future milestones like this one.
• reCONNECT 2021:
  reCONNECT 2021 was our second virtual conference and fourth annual user-group conference. The agenda featured keynote presentations by technology strategist and futurist Crystal Washington and Sean O'Leary, topical panel sessions, live roundtables, a new training day, and customer-led presentations. 
• Fourth Annual completion of a Type 2 Service Organization Control (SOC 2) Examination:
  After a rigorous examination, auditors issued an unqualified opinion, confirming that FoodLogiQ once again met the SOC 2 standards for Security and Availability Trust Services Principles. 

FoodLogiQ Connect Releases in 2021

At FoodLogiQ, we continuously improve the features of our products and enhance our platform regularly, often directly from customer feedback. In 2021 FoodLogiQ issued four significant releases with the following highlighted features for each release.

"Throughout 2021, we have continued to experience extraordinary challenges for the global supply chain as well as our goal for universal food safety," says O'Leary. "With the continued partnership alongside our customers, we know that our impact on the food industry will be revolutionary."

• FoodLogiQ by the Numbers in 2021