Study: Food, beverage industry increasingly adopts IIoT to enable end-to-end traceability in the supply chain

A rapidly growing urban population and increased consumer awareness regarding sustainability are prompting food and beverage companies and manufacturers to employ digital solutions to ensure product quality, according to a study produced by Frost & Sullivan, Santa Clara, Calif. In fact, they have continuously invested in technological innovations with a focus on food processing, safety and packaging to distinguish themselves in a competitive marketplace. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies such as Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to play a huge role in accelerating and streamlining the manufacturing process through advanced automation and analytics.

"Although a late adopter of IIoT, the food and beverage industry is showing great eagerness to digitize its assets due to the rising need for traceability," says Nandini Natarajan, senior research analyst, industrial team. "IIoT will allow food and beverage manufacturers to collaborate and connect across different stakeholders involved in various stages of the food value chain. It enables seamless exchange of information and goods in different directions, unlike with traditional methods where only linear, unidirectional flow was possible."