Denver, Colorado-based Teton Waters Ranch has implemented end-to-end traceability using Wholechain, a winner of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Food Traceability Challenge.
The implementation entails tracing beef products through the supply chain starting at the birth farm and recording data points along the way on the Algorand zero-carbon blockchain. The chain of custody enables Teton Waters Ranch to see its supply chain activities at a level not yet seen in another U.S. grass-fed beef supply chain.
With traceability comes improved supply chain visibility, enabling companies like Teton Waters Ranch to select its sources with more scrutiny for environmental responsibility.
“Teton Waters Ranch is leading the way for the beef industry in verifying responsible practices from the source using a foundation of traceability. As a technology provider, Wholechain is proud to work with companies at the cutting edge of responsible land management and animal welfare,” said Jayson Berryhill, co-founder of Wholechain.
“Traceability data that starts at the birth farm will help Teton Waters Ranch to ensure they continue to honor their promise to consumers of environmental responsibility and 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef.”
Traceability at the lot-level can also help prevent unanticipated costs of recalls that arise with supply chain disruptions. In 2021, U.S. retailer Topco Associates leveraged Wholechain data to reroute a truck destined for a warehouse facing a COVID-19 outbreak.
The retailer also used its supply chain data to identify mislabeled products posing a food safety risk, preventing them from reaching shelves and triggering a recall. The interventions prevented unnecessary costs, waste and supply shortages for the retailer.
“Consumers need and deserve to have confidence that the brands they trust to feed their families are being transparent about how and where their products are sourced,” said Jeff Tripician, CEO of Teton Waters Ranch.
“In addition to Wholechain traceability on 100 percent grass-fed and finished beef, we have worked closely with renowned animal care expert Dr. Temple Grandin and other professors at Colorado State University on grassland management to ensure the raising protocols for our beef is of the highest caliber.”
Teton Waters Ranch’s move to implement traceability is both a business and environmental imperative, positioning the company as an example for other U.S. grass-fed beef companies.
Its products, sourced from ranches across the U.S. and Australia, are distributed to Kroger, Costco, Whole Foods Market, Safeway, Sprouts and other grocers across the country. The benefits of traceability data provide added food safety and supply assurances for the big grocers and consumers.
For more information on Teton Waters Ranch, visit TetonWatersRanch.com.
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