Technology capabilities in foodservice were improved in myriad ways during the pandemic.
“Technology developments in foodservice are really starting to pay off,” says David Kraus, senior vice president of custom distribution at Produce Alliance, LLC BB #:159218 in Chicago, IL.
He cites data-driven decision-making, which helps move volume more quickly and efficiently.
For Dan Robertson, president of Robertson Produce BB #:101876 in Monroe, LA, it’s labor-saving tech.
“We’ve made a big push to online ordering,” he reports, noting online ordering accounted for about 50 percent of total orders pre-Covid, but is 65 to 70 percent now, a level where it is likely to stay.
Robertson Produce created an app to make it easy to place orders from any location without needing to return to the office.
“Rather than a customer speaking to a live person who is standing by, we’ve made a targeted push to online ordering.”
Produce Alliance is embracing high-tech growing methods. “We’re tapping into more indoor-grown and hydroponic produce,” Kraus says.
Other technologies on the horizon range from more packaging options to enhance shelf life and autonomous vehicles to sustainability initiatives like regenerative farming and better forecasting to reduce food waste.
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the July/August 2022 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
