Implementing Food Traceability: Insights from Australian Red Meat and Honey Sectors

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Supply Chain Management
• Digital Transformation

Background:

• Traceability systems are crucial for food safety, quality, biosecurity, and sustainability in agrifood supply chains.
• Digital technology adoption in these systems is uneven, with many producers still using paper-based methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the motivations and constraints influencing Australian red meat and honey producers' participation in traceability systems.
• To analyze how value perceptions, technology, data management, capability, and governance impact traceability engagement using the Digital Maturity Framework (DMF).

Main Methods:

• Conducted seven focus groups and five individual interviews with 73 producers and supply chain stakeholders.
• Utilized the Digital Maturity Framework (DMF) to diagnose adoption barriers and enablers.

Main Results:

• Regulatory pressure and market opportunities drive adoption, but high costs, limited digital skills, and data sharing concerns persist.
• The red meat sector shows higher digital maturity due to compliance mandates, while the honey sector faces fragmentation challenges.
• Sectoral context, regulatory frameworks, and supply chain coordination significantly influence traceability technology adoption.

Conclusions:

• Tailored policy and industry support, including regulatory harmonization, improved data interoperability, digital infrastructure, and capacity building, are essential.
• Addressing sector-specific constraints is crucial for consistent and widespread traceability implementation in agrifood systems.