The goal of this section is to start brainstorming solutions for our three problem statements that were identified earlier. Our team had the beneficial experience of brainstorming within our team and with our peers. Many great ideas were talked about, and in the end, we have shortened our potential solutions list to approximately 50 ideas a problem statement!
I am a young, socially responsible consumer. Trying to buy produce I know is fresh or ethically sourced, but current information available is not accessible by consumers because the technology that scans those for that data is not readily available to everyday consumers. This makes me feel unsure of the produce I am purchasing, and worried that I am both hurting my health and others.
Run an ad campaign
Buy produce from transparent (and certified) farmers
Insert a website like with information on the product
Have info on products available in store / on packaging
Give incentives for stores to carry ethically sourced products
Tax unethically sourced foods at a higher rate
Chemical make-up tests to test produce
Public list of certified producers
Annual ranking of safety of companies (similar to how cars hove safety standards and 3rd party quality checks)
Subsidized ethical practice
Continue to push for stores to carry ethically produced products
Increase transparency in the process of certifying / labeling / auditing ethical behavior
Increase visibility for ethical foods both inside and outside of stores
Additional verification with already existing third party certifiers
Tax/fine corporations that produce food unethically
Traceable protein within the food
Tech-enabled tracking on produce
Designated quality assurance teams within the produce company
Satellite tracking of produce shipments
Make labels scannable by consumers, so they can get more info on their products
Give suppliers/farmers scores based on quality and ethical sourcing
Extensive FDA database that records information for all produce being harvested
Make sourcing information available on social media
FDA set transparency guidelines for industry
Make pricing labels similar to nutrition labels
New packaging that is more informative
Create new marketing campaigns that focus on ethics
More sales ads that push consumers to buy ethically sourced food
Keep a list of unethical producers that will be made public to consumers
Create a ranking system for producers to make it clear how ethical their business practices are
In store scanners that will give you additional information on the products
Grocery store terminal (or app) with information about each item in the store, tracked with inventory quantity and quality description
Photo catalog of all produce and where they came from
Safety ranking of farms/producers
Supply chain standardization for cleaner transportation
Create multiple checkpoints in the supply chain to check for authenticity of the produce
New federal regulations to promote sustainable or ethical practices
Grocery store apps that give additional information on produce
Partnerships between the FDA and specific grocery stores to promote ethically sourced products
Producers provide first hand accounts from the farmers
Make ethical sourcing an industry standard
Work with industry organizations such as the Agribusiness Council (ABC) to change the industry
Set up education and training programs with food producers to help them change their practices
Do a promotion to introduce customers to the produce scanning system
Have in-store easy to use scanners for produce and other items
Publicly share information on where the produce is coming from
Talk to someone who studies ethics and ask if your processes are ethical
Put more money into the company in areas to improve ethical sourcing
Have a blog page that farmers can share how they farm the produce
Create an easy scanning process for customers of all ages
Expand Fair Trade Foods
Make all ingredients in the food easily available to consumers
Follow international standards and regulations
Tours at produce farms
I am an executive at Dole Food Company, a big agricultural corporation, trying to keep track of my product down the supply chain to enforce quality standards and have risk management techniques in place for recalls. However, current inventory tracking technologies are having trouble implementing authentication because they are relatively easy to hack and change which makes me feel stressed about my company’s potential image and overall brand.
Frequent updates on product life cycle
Fine those who do not update their role in the product life cycle
Require product updates every time the produce changes hands
Focus tracking on the most sensitive produce/ most likely to spoil/mold/etc.
Comprehensive tracking system enabled by farmers
Remove the supply chain altogether?
Cut travel time down by better distributing produce production nationally
Utilize indoor aeroponic/hydroponic farms instead of traditional farming for more sterile growth and packaging prior to shipping
Increase information encoded into barcodes / QR codes on products
Fixed time to reach locations
Send pings to drivers when they take too long
Plan routes for trucks
Charter cargo ships routes
Charter airship pathways
Give incentives for updating locations while being transported
Implement corrective actions for employees for not updating tracking
Implement 2 key systems for products security at location and on cargo
Fingerprint locks on the product
Hire a security firm to help improve
Adding a different layer of security (using GPS add RFC example)
Offer rewards to find gaps in security publicly
Hard locked boxes for tracking.
Black-boxes
Sterilize produce at checkpoints
Train transport employees on keeping cargo clean
Train employees to spot signs of outbreaks while moving
Distributed computing for verification of tracking (blockchain)
Simplify tracking when you can
Updating / Upgrading security protocols
Running security breach simulations to find faults with current systems and processes
Implement a testing station for incoming produce
Scan produce brought home into your smart fridge / smart phone
Smart devices can track if your particular produce has been associated with an outbreak farm or batch
Increase scope of investigation efforts to increase visibility
Engage third-party auditors / investigators to increase trustworthiness
Require stamp of approval from certified benefit corporations
Engage with third party publicity companies to increase transparency awareness
Protect whistleblowers who can expose malpractices, lapses in security and quality, and violations
Do small test runs before implementing a big tracking system
Find the bottlenecks in the system that might make tracking product difficult
Make a list of all products that have a higher chance of recall
Potential milestone rewards for proper tracking
Keep transportation in house
Use new and improved data tracking software
Talk with other companies about the issues you are having and see what they do to fix them
Calculate how many products are lost within the current system
Implement tracking systems throughout the company
Try and make tracking fun for employees to do as motivation
Hire only trustworthy people that won’t mess with the tracking system
Hire outside help to track the product
Make the tracking easy such as being able to use your phone to do it
Use a value stream map to help see where product is coming and going
More vertical integration within produce companies
I am a pharmacy tech at a local convenience store pharmacy. We are trying to manage bulk stocks of medicine, but tracking and authenticating medicine down the supply chain has been difficult because the original packaging is being discarded when it reaches the pharmacy. A lack of a tracking system for medications after the manufacturer’s bulk packaging is removed is worrying to me and my colleagues for the safety of our clients.
Have files to reference clients medications
Use a new primary packaging system that can remain unremoved / untampered until reaching final consumer
Using new and improved technology
Ban bulk packaging
Photographic scanner - scan pills
Give the FDA full access to pharmacies' inventories
color coded capsuling for in house sorting
Give both packaging and the medicine bottles tracking IDs or serial numbers.
removing stressors for pharmacy techs - especially financial stressors that could lead to engagement in fraudulent crimes
Auditing pharmacies to see if their medicines are authentic
training employees on the types of medications they are selling and their potential dangers
understanding how many smaller packages come from a bulk package
Introduce a secondary packaging system like BRUINChain to take over "the last mile" or to be in place from the beginning of the supply chain
using dendrites on smaller packages to track the separation of the bulk medicine
new management system - sectioning by type of medicine, dosages, etc.
training new techs in understanding the importance of tracking the medication
In house packaging
vetting / background checks for pharmacy techs
Build better storage options for in of house
Revamp current distribution style to have better packaging and tracking in one
Create new FDA regulations that prevent packaging from being removed
Create new packaging that is meant for individual pills
Increasing in house storage space
Transportation packaging and pill packaging should be the same
Smaller groupings of packages that have individual labels within the larger bulk packaging
Direct packaging includes the same information that the transportation packaging does
Introducing a new secondary packaging system that encodes information from the bulk packaging and combines it with in house sorting systems
Create new packaging that is meant for individual pills
Add in house house tracking
Tag every individual pill
Engrave the pills with a serial number
All pills must be sold in individual packaging that should not be removed until right before consumption.
Intricate designs
Computerized tracking system
Serial numbers on pills
Nanotechnology
Worrying about the safety of clients may show flaws with any new system by voicing concerns
Government oversight of supply chain
Verification of products
Random sampling along supply chain to verify active pharmaceutical ingredients (quality assurance)
Create smaller batch quantities to more accurately track supplies
Random check-ups on manufacturers to verify security on manufacturing and supply chain
Secure database with tracked pills
Shared database between necessary parties (e.g. manufacturer, distributor, and pharmacy)
Create one central distributor to create streamlined/standardized distribution and tracking systems
Distribute pharmaceuticals of the same class together (e.g. benzodiazepines)
Distribute pharmaceuticals from the same manufacturer together for consistent/easier distribution tracking
Streamline distribution in a manner similar to Almarai distribution of dairy products
Create more secure packaging
Random testing at pharmacies to ensure no counterfeit distribution
FDA assisted distribution channels