A recent Wall Street Journal survey examined the top 5,500 publicly traded companies purely on ESG metrics. Shockingly, only one food brand (Nestle) scored in the Top 100. This is especially concerning since the food industry accounts for 70% of global fresh-water withdrawal and nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. As an industry, we must do better!
One essential activity for restaurants is to boost transparency around their supply chains so they can determine which suppliers are following proper safety protocols and committed to strong ESG practices.
Historically, this was difficult to do. Many restaurants tried to manually manage their suppliers’ paperwork and certifications, but that was tedious, time-consuming, error-prone, and labor intensive. It’s nearly impossible to manually collect, organize, assess, update, and review piles of certifications from all your vendors, and keep track of important deadlines.
In the past, software solutions were expensive, complicated, and difficult to operate. They came with long sales cycles and required extensive training. Their high price points meant that only huge companies with limitless budgets could afford to use them. While they were technically a step up from manual systems, they were unaffordable and unfeasible for most restaurant brands.
Luckily, things have changed