One of the most common reasons we hear from our customers on why they are seeking farm management software is to help them with audits. In the fresh produce industry, an audit is essentially a pass/fail examination of a farm or packinghouse's written plan and the physical evidence that the plan is being consistently implemented to ensure safe and compliant products.

In the ongoing effort to improve food safety and traceability, technologies are constantly evolving to bring more accurate information to retailers and consumers about where their food comes from. The Produce Traceability Initiative, sponsored by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, aims to bring accurate, electronic traceability to every step of the food supply chain. From brand specific universal product codes in grocery stores, to blockchain tracking an individual head of lettuce, it all starts with the case and pallet tags growers provide.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has officially recognized fresh produce safety programme CanadaGAP^® against its most recent Version 7.1 benchmarking requirements.  

Speciality fruit and vegetable growers and packers are facing pressure from all sides. In an increasingly consolidated market with steep labor and input costs, it can be difficult to gain any competitive advantage.

One of the strategies produce marketers have gone to more in the past few years is specialty, mixed variety packaging. A unique or curated mix of produce can be a key differentiator in a crowded market. A producer can brand a special "garden salad mix" or a "heirloom tomato medley" to attract consumers and potentially command a higher price point.

In this Croptracker use case blog we will outline how growers can maintain traceability requirements and productivity while creating mixed variety packed products in the field, greenhouse or from storage.

Navigating the Global Produce Market: The MRL Challenge

In today's interconnected world, agricultural producers face a complex web of regulations, few more critical than Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). These limits define the maximum permissible levels of pesticide residues on food products, set by importing countries to safeguard consumer health. The allowable chemicals, best practices and consumer perceptions are constantly shifting. While MRLs are essential for food safety, their global variations and frequent changes create significant hurdles for growers, packers, and shippers.

In this feature use case blog, we will be highlighting some of the traceability reports in Croptracker. The Mock Recall: Lot Code Report and the Receiving Traceability Report are designed to help users locate the path of inventory through their operations for food safety reporting including real and mock recall scenarios.

The growing season is nearly upon us, Croptracker can help you every step of the way.

One of the biggest issues plaguing the food industry today is food fraud, defined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as the “the misrepresentation or adulteration of a product for economic gain”. Food fraud exists across a huge variety of food markets, from fresh produce to processed food items, condiments, fish, and even spices.

The FSMA 204 Food Traceability Final Rule is FDA's recordkeeping rule for foods on its Food Traceability List — including most fresh-cut produce, melons, leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, and fresh herbs. It requires covered companies to capture records at specific supply-chain events, assign traceability lot codes, and produce complete traceability data to FDA within 24 hours of a request.

If you grow, pack, ship, or receive any of those commodities, the rule applies to your operation. And even though the enforcement date moved to 2028, the clock on your preparation window is already running.

Here's where things stand as of October 2026, what the rule actually requires at each stage of your workflow, and how to close the gap before it matters — because your retail buyers aren't waiting for FDA to ask.

This week the Global Food Safety Initiative’s annual conference met in Atlanta. With more than 800 delegates from 50 countries, this conference brings together food safety experts from around the world. This conference’s theme: Delivering Safe Food in Turbulent Times: The Need for Agility & Resilience centered around how climate change, global political instability, and supply chain disruptions have affected access to safe food.

It’s a new year, and while harvest time has wrapped up here in North America it is still underway in the southern hemisphere. Every year we get feedback from hundreds of growers worldwide about their need for harvest traceability, but who are also desperate to simplify their data collection process during the busiest time of year.

Food safety is a growing concern among consumers and producers alike. In 2016, there were 764 food recalls in the U.S. and Canada—a startling 22% increase from the previous year. Putting it into further perspective, consider that 52% of recalls cost over $10M and 23% cost over $30M.

Growers are among those who can benefit the most from technology and high-speed Internet connectivity - but they're the group that's most likely to be left in a digital blackout.  In today's blog post we discuss the current state and future of rural connectivity in our home country of Canada and around the world. We also take a first peek at what Croptracker's working on to help offline growers bridge the digital divide.

Today marks the beginning of a new federal GAP Assistance program for USA growers.  Starting January 2nd, $3.7 million of assistance will be provided to cover costs of undergoing voluntary U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits.  As recognized in the program announcement, a food safety audit is an important aspect of any farm marketing plan.  As well as enhancing consumer safety, audits expand the number of market options available to the farm.

Harvest is likely the single largest expense on your farm. Labor accounts for roughly 40 to 42 percent of production expenses for specialty crops, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture and USDA ERS data, depending on your crop and region. When that kind of money is riding on every bucket, every bin, and every bushel, you need a clear line of sight into what each picker is doing and what it costs.

The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), sponsored by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, GS1 US, The Produce Marketing Association (PM), and United Fresh, aims to bring accurate, electronic traceability to every step of the food supply chain. Last week they announced new standards for traceability and labelling in the US and Canada in advance of the 2020 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) draft to be released this September.

Recall is a scary word for both farmers and consumers. Fears of getting sick can keep consumers from buying certain products after recall news goes public. Farmers and distributors have to worry about product and profit losses which could greatly impact their businesses. Recent, widespread, and frequent, recall news is pushing issues of food safety and traceability to the forefront.

When E. coli wreaked havoc on romaine lettuce production and consumption last fall, the investigation of the outbreaks by the FDA determined three likely sources in the Salinas Valley growing region in California. During the initial period of mitigating harm when fewer answers were available, we wrote about how the production of lettuce in the Salinas Valley was halted, how Wisconsin was hit with dozens of E. coli related illness linked to pre-cut romaine, and how the FDA was reviewing hundreds of distribution records to ensure specifics were determined. Recently released findings from this investigation include details on probable causation and the result of traceback efforts.

One of the biggest issues plaguing the food industry today is food fraud, defined by the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) as the “the misrepresentation or adulteration of a product for economic gain”.  Far from an honest labelling mistake, those who commit food fraud do so to take advantage of the reputation of quality created by hard-working food producers, and profit off the deception of consumers.

If you process, grow, or sell food in Canada you have likely heard the commotion across the border about the FDA’s newly introduced Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).