Improve Food Safety Control Systems by Sharing and Analyzing Data
Despite continuous efforts, the food industry faces ongoing challenges related to safety and quality, often resulting in public health concerns, product recalls, and operational disruptions. To address these issues, there is a need to move beyond traditional methods that rely solely on audits, certifications, and testing.
This is why bioMérieux and Mérieux NutriSciences, in collaboration with some of the world's largest food industry players, have created a pioneering data-driven model where they jointly act as a Trusted Third Party
Through this model, confidential and secure aggregation of data* from all participating partners, combined with publicly available sources (such as commodity pricing, food safety incidents, and weather data), allows the delivery of critical insights that support:
- Informed decision-making
- Strengthened risk management for food safety
- Improved supply chain transparency
- Promotion of higher safety and quality standards across the industry
*bioMérieux and Mérieux NutriSciences alone have access to all data sources.
The Trusted Third Party Model – How Does it work?
The Trusted Third Party model offers a wide range of applications, and we have long-term goals to deliver increasing value over time.
The Trusted Third Party model was born through the need to answer five key business questions:
- Testing plan adaptation ⇒ How does my testing strategy compare to others?
- Overall trends understanding ⇒ How do current global supply trends stack up against historical performance?
- Earlier risk identification ⇒ Can we dive deeper into trends versus historical data to identify risks sooner?
- Improved risk management ⇒ How do my supply chain trends align with others?
- Risk anticipation ⇒ How can external factors be identified that could affect risk profiles?
Starting with a first application (supplier risk), a specific commodity (shelf-stable milk products), and a primary data source (contaminants), we aim to rapidly scale our Trusted Third Party model by incorporating more data (new raw materials, more data sources) and bringing on new partners.
In this era of limited data, the true value lies in contextualizing it. That’s why we offer a recurring service model powered by automated data analytics platforms and applied ability for custom analyses.
Using data responsibly and collaboratively offers an opportunity to protect consumers, reduce food waste, and generate shared value.
Why the Trusted Third Party Model - Platform Example: Test Plan Benchmark Drill-down
Am I testing the “right” things? Am I testing enough/ too much?
Note: The example above uses nonsensical data for demonstration purposes only. It does not reflect real data within the platform.
Platform Example: Product Quality
What’s good and what’s not so good in the current supply? How does the raw material risk profile change?
Note: The example above uses nonsensical data for demonstration purposes only. It does not reflect real data within the platform.
How to Become a Trusted Third Party Partner?
Our partners commit to the followings:
- Embracing Positive Intent
The primary goal is to enhance food safety controls within the food and beverage industry by sharing data. This requires a high level of trust among participants to ensure that everyone shares a common objective.
- Providing Data
The more comprehensive and representative the data provided, the more valuable the insights will be. Additionally, the model's output is based on comparative data, meaning similar data sets must be submitted by all partners.
- Sharing Quality and Safety Requirements
The model is designed to meet the needs of its users (the food industry) and depends on the industry providing input to define these needs. A shared understanding among partners is key.
- Contributing to Managing Confidentiality
Confidentiality is our main keyword. For the model to succeed, it requires complete data sharing, and this demands a high level of trust that the data will be used solely to enhance existing food safety controls. Complete confidentiality is crucial, and we have designed a formal confidentiality charter to align and guarantee our partners' privacy. Contact us for more information.
Confidentiality is key to our approach. For the model to work effectively, it depends on sharing data with full confidence that it will only be used to strengthen food safety measures. To ensure this, we’ve created a formal confidentiality charter that protects our partners' privacy.
- Ensuring Sustainability
For the model to be sustainable, it must consistently deliver value. It needs to continue providing updated data and insights for partners, while also being profitable enough to keep stakeholders engaged.
