FoodTrace, developed by the global FXA Group, has developed a software tracking system that allows manufacturers to trace the entire food production process, from the farm to the dinner table.
After three years of product development, the FXA Group - a food industry software firm - has launched its Web-based, data-tracing FoodTrace package. The solution enables agricultural product exporters to collect and trace electronically all data related to the processing of their products, from farmers' use of raw materials to the production stage.
With this history, the system allows buyers or importers to reveal how safe the products are and how they satisfy the market's requirements.
"Our solution will collect information throughout the supply chain," said Chatta Udomwongsa, FXA Group's head of marketing.
Tracing will help exporters comply with the food import regulations of strict markets like the European Union and Japan.
Consumers today have also grown more conscious of food safety, following several outbreaks of food-borne diseases, including mad-cow disease, bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease, Chatta said.
By using the software, exporters can demonstrate that they support transparency in their operations in order to build trust with buyers and boost consumer satisfaction, he added.
"They can give consumers and retailers all the information related to the product-making process. For example, do their products contain antibiotics or genetically modified organisms? They can also show from which pond contaminated shrimp were picked," he said.
The company has about 10 customers worldwide, including in Thailand.
"We've also customised the solutions to fit well with our customers' particular business needs," Chatta said.
Chief executive James Thomson said his company had made a foray into the agribusiness industry because the penetration of information technology is low and the global value of food is as high as US$5.5 trillion (€5.7m).
The company's solution is also in line with the global shift from favouring producers' interests to meeting consumer demand for more detailed food information, said Thomson.
The FXA Group - formed by IT experts - decided to locate its headquarters in Thailand because of its status as one of the world's major food baskets. It has set up centres for product design in Seattle, software production in India, and research and development in Singapore.