Digitalisation the future of food industry compliance

10-Apr-2019 - Last updated on 11-Apr-2019 at 15:52 GMT

Regulatory compliance will depend on good back office systems after Brexit

Food firms need efficient back office systems to ensure regulatory compliance in the wake of Brexit, according to Craig Naylor-Smith, managing director of multi-channel services firm Parseq.

Staff’s food law knowledge was not enough, he said. Even if the UK’s departure from the EU was smooth, digitising records such as food safety and hygiene certification was crucial to ensure practices kept up with regulatory changes.

“When it comes to compliance, the back office is the most critical business function,” said Naylor-Smith. “Technology, including next-generation document scanning and automated document processing solutions, can make it more accurate, efficient and cost-effective, and give companies better access to the information they need.

“The applications of automation on the production line are well understood. To build on this, the sector needs to apply the same ambition to the back office, where technology can also have game-changing benefits.”

Parseq’s solution for digitising paperwork could achieve up to a 35% reduction in back office costs, he claimed.