Current supply chain woes have made nearly every aspect of processing an ongoing guessing game, from forecasting ingredient availability to ensuring finished foods arrive at their destinations on time. One way to help make sense of the situation is to invest in track-and-trace technology that can monitor every step of a product’s journey.

To help meet consumer demand, U.S. food manufacturers and retailers look outside of the country. As of 2019, the U.S. imported about 15% of its overall food supply. Importing human food ingredients might sound like a no-brainer: that’s what the FDA is for, after all. Yet in reality, it is not that simple.