Chicago / IL. (mdlz) Mondelez International announced a new food transparency program with the Triscuit brand. Now, consumers can discover the journey of the white-winter wheat baked into some of their Triscuit crackers from a coop of farmers’ fields in the thumb of Michigan to where the product is made. This data-driven, consumer-centric supply chain transparency pilot is the first of its kind for Mondelēz International in North America. The initiative reinforces the company’s commitments to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), including expanded insight into the provenance of essential ingredients.
«We are committed to understanding and meeting the growing needs and preferences of our consumers, and those needs are evolving to a more holistic sense of well-being and value-oriented purchase decisions. Consumers are demanding more transparency about their food, and are keen to have access to information about where their food comes from and how it is grown,» said Jay Cooper, President, North America Biscuits, Mondelēz International. «This project is an important step forward in our journey to continue providing our stakeholders – and importantly our consumers – an accessible window into that process. We’re excited to test these capabilities with the Triscuit brand here in the U.S. and look forward to expanding our transparency efforts.»
Mondelēz International recently piloted a similar project in France, using blockchain technology to allow LU biscuit consumers to trace the journey of Harmony wheat from the field to shelf. Both programs were created in partnership with Connecting Food, a supply chain transparency platform powered by blockchain, to provide third-party traceability advisement and technology services.
How it works: Smartphone meets snack box
Consumers can use their smartphone to discover the journey of the wheat from the Triscuit brand’s Unity Gold Farmer Program from farms to the factory. The interactive web app experience can be accessed by scanning the QR code found on the front of Triscuit Original 8.5 ounce and Original Family Size boxes:
- After entering the product’s «best by» date found on the packaging top flap, consumers can view the location of more than 127 farmers who participate in the Unity Gold Farmer Program, and learn more about the wheat’s journey from the farms to the Co-op Elevator, mill and bakery.
- Via the web app, consumers can also access additional information specific to their particular batch of product, including the wheat harvest year and the baked-on date.
Specially-marked Triscuit boxes with the QR code are rolling out over the next several weeks to retail stores across the U.S. and will be available until the fall.
