CHICAGO — Climate change impacts such as extreme weather events, water scarcity and temperature changes are challenging the food supply chain, from agriculture through logistics.

This has a direct impact on the availability of raw materials, as well as their transportation around the world.

Jaime Reeves, executive vice president, product development and commercialization, Mattson; Kamesh Ellajosyula, chief innovation and quality officer at OFI; Kimberly Morgan, extension economist and associate professor in the department of food and resource economics at the University of Florida; and Kenzie Bear, senior sustainability specialist at Conagra, Chicago, discussed how to future proof the supply chain against climate chain during a panel discussion at IFT FIRST 2024 in Chicago, July 15-17. 

Data and digitalization was a major theme throughout the discussion. Data can help food companies assess how their current ingredients are impacting their finished products, as well as their sustainability goals, Ellajosyula pointed out.

“What is your strategy for your supply chain?” he asked. “Ask yourself, are your ingredients good for nutrition and taste but also the lives of human farmers and the planet? If the answer is yes, you’re in a good position, but if the answer is no, then you should investigate.”

Bear acknowledged how data management can help a food company understand and visualize its supply chain. Noting and tracking points like supplier location, country of origin and sourcing practices allows companies to have a bird’s-eye view of their supply chain.

“When a disaster happens, that data will help trace how that will impact your supply chain,” she said.

Dual sourcing is also the norm now, post-pandemic, as a way to shore up a supply chain in case of any kind of disaster or climate event.

“A lot of our clients don’t just want one source anymore,” Reeves explained. “You have to dual source, so we go through the development process and at the end, you have to help identify another source, especially for the key ingredients that will put your product at risk if they’re unavailable.”

At the beginning of the supply chain, however, is the grower, whom Morgan said is the key to futureproofing the supply chain.

“How does a grower pivot in the face of reduced water?” she asked. “What are the risk management strategies that are available to them? That’s where we spend a lot of time working with growers. If you’ve ever met a farmer, you know they’re pretty good at pivoting. They understand weather better than most of us.”

Partnerships will be key going forward to ensure that the supply chain is strengthened in light of climate change. All of the panelists had a story to share as an example of how their organization partnered with others to improve water availability, agriculture practices and reduce waste throughout the world.

“We need to learn from the people that are doing it, and then we have to do it better and faster,” Reeves said. “It goes back to partnership. You have to know what’s going on at your level and all the way up your supply chain.”