Data-Driven Insights Key to Resilient Food Safety Future, Says LRQA

Global assurance specialist LRQA is calling on the food industry to prioritize data-driven supply risk management to ensure future food safety resilience.  

Food businesses worldwide are under mounting pressure to ensure supply chain transparency as they navigate changing regulations while also reassessing sourcing strategies and risk exposure in the face of shifting geopolitical and climate change impacts, said LRQA. Though a vast amount of supplier compliance data is available to support decision making, many businesses struggle to use this data effectively, leaving them vulnerable to compliance failures and operational disruptions despite the time and effort extended to manage supplier risk. 

At the GFSI 2025 conference this spring, Kimberly Coffin, LRQA’s supply chain assurance technical director, highlighted how employing advanced data analytics can enable businesses to transform their one-size-fits-all supplier verification programs to a more effective and efficient risk-based approach to food safety across their supply chain. Using real-world examples from recent work with food and beverage clients, Coffin demonstrated how LRQA has assisted global businesses in leveraging data-driven insights to reset the supplier verification process, better understand where true risk exists and ensure resilience in an increasingly unpredictable landscape. 

“Businesses across the food industry are increasingly recognizing the fact that they need to be smarter about how they’re using data,” Coffin said. “The challenge is identifying the best combination of tools, systems and external expertise needed to deliver the foresight to prioritise resources, protect supply integrity and proactively inform decisions. As regulations evolve and supply chains become more complex, businesses that embrace data intelligence will be best positioned to maintain compliance and build long-term resilience.”