With consumers worldwide increasingly having opinions on their food supply chains, the food and beverage industry is embarking on a major shift—a shift that is centered around sustainability, convenience and health. This is having multi-prolonged effects on the food supply chain— from how food is produced to how it's processed, distributed, consumed and disposed. Technology is acting as the torchbearer for this transformation underway.

In the production, for instance, drones and sensors technologies are helping grow less polluted grains, while big data is facilitating the selection of more fruitful crops. On the other hand, data collected from these vast touch points are helping global manufacturers to quickly track products on a granular level. With information on a specific ingredient’s point of origin, to other ingredients it may have come in contact with, this data is assisting manufacturers in maintaining compliance and food safety standards.

All this is one part of the equation. As the products move further down the supply chain, innovative technologies—like applications that can scan the product barcode and determine whether the ingredients are allergic to your body—are taking the centre stage. Technologies are also ensuring the smooth distribution of products—perishable and non-perishable—from farm to the dining table in the shortest possible time. As the world embraces this food-tech connect, it’s critical for companies that operate in food and beverage sector to select technologies that best suit their needs.

In an effort to help them decipher this complex equation, CIO Review is presenting a special edition on food and beverage technologies. This edition provides insights on how technology can assist companies in efficiently manufacturing the highest-quality products while maximizing the profitability.