Author: Fresh Concepts

As a foodservice operator, you may be familiar the term “Field to Table Produce Management.” It’s a term used by many Produce Management companies to bring you the utmost fresh, safe, and reasonably priced produce to your operation.

In more depth, Field to Table Produce Management is a holistic approach to sourcing, focused on pricing, quality, food safety and service throughout the supply chain. Each step in the supply chain is uniquely important and plays a crucial role in protecting quality, price, and food safety.

If there are failures or mismanagement in growing, transportation, cooling, packing, processing, distribution and even handling inside the restaurant, the entire supply chain fails. Like any Team, the final result is only as strong as the weakest link. By qualifying and cultivating relationships with each key stakeholder in the supply chain, an operator can have a deeper and more rewarding experience with each supplier, which will produce higher yields, better products, and lower costs.

Field to Table Produce Management is a form of food traceability, which is, the ability to follow the movement of a food product and its ingredients through all steps in the supply chain, both backward and forward. This documents and links the production, processing and distribution of said products, according to the FDA.

When you are transparent to your customers about where your produce comes from, it shows that you prioritize where and how your food is grown and where it is sourced from – which is locally. You’re giving your guests that reassurance their produce is carefully handled, thoroughly washed, and safely prepared for them to enjoy without hesitation.

Field to Table Produce Management puts your mind at ease because you know you’re getting quality produce that is carefully managed, while paying the correct price. You’re also partnering with a company who demonstrates safety and loyalty to their foodservice operators.

Join Fresh Concepts today to help improve your Field to Table Produce Management and ensure risk management and traceability are always a top priority for your operation.

 

 

Where did the produce on your plate actually come from? Who handled it before it reached your kitchen? How long was it in transit? If there’s a recall tomorrow, would your team know whether your locations were affected?

Those questions have become a much bigger deal in foodservice over the last few years, especially as operators face growing pressure around food safety, sourcing transparency, and consumer trust.

That’s where food traceability becomes incredibly important for foodservice operators.

What Is Food Traceability?

The FDA describes food traceability as the ability to follow food as it moves through the supply chain. In real life, that means operators can look back and figure out where a product came from, where it went, and who touched it before it reached the kitchen.

That may sound simple, but when you’re dealing with produce moving across multiple suppliers, distributors, trucks, and locations, things can get messy pretty quickly.

A good food traceability process helps operators keep track of things like:

• Which farm or supplier the product came from
• Which distributor delivered it
• When shipments arrived
• Which locations received certain products
• Whether any recalled items made it into the building

For operators, this becomes especially important during recalls or food safety situations. Nobody wants to spend hours digging through invoices and delivery records trying to figure out whether affected product was sitting in their cooler the whole time.

How Food Traceability Protects Your Operation

Food traceability plays a major role in protecting both consumers and foodservice operators.

If there’s a food recall or outbreak tied to a produce item, operators need to know immediately whether impacted product made its way into their locations. Delays can create serious risks, both from a food safety standpoint and from a brand reputation standpoint.

Operators should have access to a recall or outbreak communication process that quickly identifies affected products and locations. Waiting too long to respond can increase the chances of unsafe products being served to customers.

Food traceability also helps operators better document supplier activity, product movement, and sourcing information throughout the supply chain. That level of organization becomes extremely valuable during audits, investigations, or food safety reviews.

Why Food Traceability Matters to Consumers

Customers notice this stuff more than operators sometimes realize. People want to know where their food came from, especially when it comes to produce, sourcing, and food safety.

It’s pretty common now for guests to ask questions about ingredients, where products were grown, or whether something was locally sourced. A lot of operators are talking more openly about their suppliers and sourcing practices because customers are paying attention to it.

When operators have better traceability in place, it’s a lot easier to answer those questions without digging through paperwork or trying to track someone down for answers.

Risks of Not Having a Food Traceability Program

Without a strong food traceability program in place, operators may struggle to respond quickly when issues arise.

That can lead to major operational problems, including:

• Foodborne illness concerns
• Product recalls
• Fines or compliance issues
• Product waste from broad inventory disposal
• Disruptions across multiple locations
• Damage to brand reputation

In many cases, operators without clear traceability systems end up throwing away large amounts of inventory simply because they cannot confirm whether specific products were affected.

A well-managed food safety and traceability program helps reduce uncertainty while improving response times and operational confidence.

How Can Fresh Concepts Help Manage Food Traceability?

Food recalls move fast. And when they happen, operators usually don’t have hours to sit around figuring out whether impacted product made it into one location or twenty.

That’s one of the biggest reasons many operators look for stronger traceability support in the first place.

At Fresh Concepts, food safety and traceability are built directly into our managed produce program. If there’s a recall or outbreak, our team can quickly identify whether affected product reached any of your locations across the country.

Instead of sorting through stacks of invoices or trying to piece together delivery records manually, operators have a clearer picture of what products went where and when they arrived.

Our team also works closely with operators on things like:

• Recall communication and response support
• Distributor oversight
• Food safety processes
• Produce quality management
• Supply chain visibility
• Product tracking across locations

Technology is also changing the way food traceability works across the industry. More companies are exploring tools like blockchain tracking and sensor technology to create stronger visibility throughout the supply chain and improve record keeping along the way.

At the end of the day, operators want confidence. They want to know the products entering their kitchens are being monitored carefully and that they have support when issues happen.

That’s exactly what Fresh Concepts helps provide.

Ready to improve food traceability and strengthen your produce program?

Click Here to Connect with the Fresh Concepts Team and learn how our managed produce program can help support your operation with food safety, recall management, and produce expertise.

 

Managing produce purchasing is one of the most challenging parts of running a foodservice operation. Prices fluctuate, product quality can vary from shipment to shipment, and supply chain disruptions can quickly impact your menu and margins. That’s why many operators are turning to a trusted Produce Program to gain more control, consistency, and support across their operations.

Managed produce programs offer a wide variety of benefits to foodservice operators. From cost control to quality control, a Managed Produce Program gives operators access to produce specialists providing immediate support to resolve issues that arise and help you every step of the way.

What is a Produce Program?

A Produce Program is basically a more organized way to manage produce purchasing across your operation.

Instead of spending time chasing down pricing issues, dealing with inconsistent product quality, or trying to sort through distributor problems location by location, operators work with a team that helps oversee the process.

That can include things like pricing support, contract management, food safety oversight, reporting, and help with distributor communication when issues come up.

For operators managing multiple locations, it also helps create more consistency. Everyone is working from the same standards, the same purchasing process, and the same visibility into what’s being ordered and what’s being spent.

Why You Should Join a Managed Produce Program

So why should you join a managed produce program? Let’s look at some of the benefits a Managed Produce Program can offer operators and expert solutions available to help make better business decisions.

Controlled Pricing

Does the cost of your produce orders seem to increase during certain times of the year? From a pricing and cost control perspective, a Managed Produce Program can provide protection against market volatility and consistency in your produce purchasing. Having an expert procurement team negotiating on your behalf with distributors on freight ensures that freight prices listed in the contracts you have in place are what they should be.

Produce markets can shift quickly due to weather events, labor shortages, transportation issues, and seasonal availability. Without a strong Produce Program in place, operators are often left reacting to price increases instead of proactively managing them.

By taking advantage of features such as contract and freight management, a Managed Produce Program can provide an operator with complete transparency into what they’re paying on every contract item at any moment. Operators can know the contract details of every program driving pricing, including shippers, FOB pricing, escalation policies, and contract start and end dates.

This level of visibility helps operators make smarter purchasing decisions while protecting margins across multiple locations.

Technology and Real-Time Visibility

Does the cost of your produce orders seem to increase during certain times of the year? From a pricing and cost control perspective, a Managed Produce Program can provide protection against market volatility and consistency in your produce purchasing. Having an expert procurement team negotiating on your behalf with distributors on freight ensures that freight prices listed in the contracts you have in place are what they should be.

Produce markets can shift quickly due to weather events, labor shortages, transportation issues, and seasonal availability. Without a strong Produce Program in place, operators are often left reacting to price increases instead of proactively managing them.

By taking advantage of features such as contract and freight management, a Managed Produce Program can provide an operator with complete transparency into what they’re paying on every contract item at any moment. Operators can know the contract details of every program driving pricing, including shippers, FOB pricing, escalation policies, and contract start and end dates.

This level of visibility helps operators make smarter purchasing decisions while protecting margins across multiple locations.

Expert Support

By taking advantage of a Managed Produce Program, you get access to a team of produce experts who can help every step of the way. These Produce Support Specialists can assist with conducting regular business reviews with each Produce Distributor in every market servicing your locations, visiting warehouses, reviewing product quality, and evaluating service performance to help ensure your locations receive the products they need.

Having access to experts who visit individual locations also helps ensure best practices are being applied with produce storage and handling. Small operational issues can significantly impact shelf life, freshness, and waste levels, especially across multiple locations.

With a Produce Program, operators gain an additional layer of support focused specifically on produce quality, consistency, and operational efficiency.

 

The Produce Program Your Operation Needs

Joining an expertly managed Produce Program can help your operation improve quality, safety, and traceability throughout the supply chain while helping lock in pricing and reduce unnecessary costs.

At Fresh Concepts, our Managed Produce Program is a best-in-class, fully comprehensive Produce Program designed to support foodservice operators with the tools, expertise, and visibility they need to operate more efficiently.

Our program includes several key benefits that foodservice operators value, including our Food Safety Program, which offers complete protection to clients in the event of an outbreak or recall. We also maintain thorough documentation of distributor and shipper audits, including second-party audits, all accessible to clients directly through our proprietary Back Office platform.

Fresh Concepts offers all these benefits without any out-of-pocket expenses. Operators gain access to more than 40 produce experts dedicated to helping reduce costs, improve quality, integrate technology tools, and provide hands-on support across every stage of produce procurement.

If your operation is looking for a smarter way to manage produce purchasing, quality, and visibility, a professionally managed Produce Program may be exactly what your team needs.

Food prices continue to rise as supply and demand challenges persist throughout the supply chain.

These days, food costs are one of a restaurants’ biggest concerns. Operators are scrambling to pivot to profits and are challenged with offsetting high food costs without effecting the quality of their menu.

Let’s look at how having access to up-to-date commodity insights can improve your purchasing and your bottom line.

Menu Promotions Can Be Impacted

Foodservice operators often schedule promotions months in advance to prepare for the marketing and training component as part of a produce promotion or new menu rollout. Those plans are often made before the vegetables or fruit that are needed for the promotion are even planted.

Weather conditions also play a huge role in the planning of a new promotion. For example, the fruit on a tree may suffer a devastating freeze between the time of the initial planning and the new menu rollout.

The last thing a restaurant wants to do is put up a sign saying, “Out of Stock.” Up-to-date commodity insights can help operators prepare for and potentially even modify a promotion due to changing market and weather conditions that could unintentionally have a financial hit.

Fresh Concepts Can Help

In the world of produce, knowledge is power. Having up-to-date commodity insights can be highly beneficial to cost savings and can help avoid possible shortages.

When Food Service Operators have up-to-date, relevant updates for the commodities they’re buying, they have the ability to pivot their buying to account for changes in the Market.

Let’s take tomato purchases for example. Often, there are times when the Tomato Market might experience a shortage on Rounds, but not on Romas. If a foodservice operator has been purchasing Round Tomatoes but receives a commodity update about Round Markets being escalated, they may be able to update their buying from a Round to a Roma. Having the ability to make quick changes like this can potentially save an operator money. Not only can they save on the actual case cost of the product, but this information can help prevent things such as product shortages, second deliveries, and quality issues – all of which could very well affect the bottom line.

This same method applies to other shortages as well. For example, it can be used for specific sizes for purchases of products such as Citrus or Avocados. The Food Service Operator can switch over to a smaller or medium size SKU if larger sizes are running tight. This then saves them money and increases efficiencies.

If your operation is interested in learning more about transparency into commodity information and price trends, look no further. From Controlled Pricing to Real-Time Visibility, Fresh Concepts has the solution to all your needs.

Schedule a free consultation today with our Produce Experts!