January 2026: TWGs in Full Swing, New Sponsor Welcome, and the Road to March

katiegrimble
1 day ago
3 min read

Building the rules of the road for the future fresh supply chain—together.

January marked a turning point for SCOTF.

With our operating MOU signed and business rhythm established, both Technical Working Groups are now meeting bi-weekly with strong industry participation. The energy is real, and the work is getting done.

What Happened in January

Participants from around the globe at our recent TWG meetings. Not just attendance—engagement. People are rolling up their sleeves, volunteering for work streams, and bringing real expertise to the table.

HSSD TWG (Harmonized Standards & Smart Data) held two working sessions focused on traceability standards and pilot documentation.

The team advanced five ASTM work items, launched the SOPPADA framework for connecting pilot learnings back to standards development, and continued adoption of Chatham House Rules that encouraged candid, productive dialogue.

We're coordinating with GS1, IFPA, and ASTM on terminology alignment—building shared language rather than competing standards.

SLDI TWG (Shelf-Life & Dynamic Incentives) kicked off Q1 with clarity on approach: two parallel paths for shelf life work.

One focused on developing prediction models over time. The other focused on extracting value from existing data right now—time-temperature monitoring, cooling times, transport conditions—without waiting for perfect models.

We've got three active pilots advancing with retailers and food service operators, being facilitated by Driscoll's, Danaco, DeltaTrak and Kwik Lok.

Welcome, Ellips!

We're excited to welcome Ellips as a new SCOTF sponsor.

Founded over three decades ago in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Ellips developed what's become the fastest and most accurate optical grading technology in the world. Through their family of companies—Elisam (serving growers of big and medium-sized fruit and vegetables globally) and Elifab (specializing in small soft fruits across 25+ countries)—they're bringing advanced vision systems to packhouses of every size and shape.

Why does this matter for SCOTF? Connecting quality and grade data through the supply chain is foundational to driving freshness, reducing waste, and improving margins.

Ellips brings deep expertise in the grading and quality measurement space—exactly where our shelf life and dynamic incentives work needs strong partners.

Welcome to the community.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

None of this work happens without industry commitment. Thank you to the sponsors making SCOTF possible:

AgroFresh · ASTM · Avery Dennison · BloomIQ · Blockticity · Clarifresh · Danaco Solutions · DeltaTrak · Driscoll's · Ellips · Fresh Del Monte · Fresh Formulaics · GS1 US · Kwik Lok · Tive

If your organization wants to help shape the standards and practices that will define the future fresh supply chain, reach out. There's room at the table.

Coming Up: March Global Collabathon

Registration is opening now for our March Global Collabathon—a virtual, interactive working session bringing together retailers, growers, shippers, and solution providers from around the world.

This isn't a webinar. It's collaborative problem-solving on the challenges retailers told us matter most: shrink, shelf life, data sharing, and incentive alignment.

Two sessions to accommodate global time zones:

Session 1: EMEA / Asia-Pacific friendly
Session 2: Americas / EMEA friendly

The Collabathon connects directly to our April Retail Conference programming—retailers who participate will help shape the agenda. More details coming soon.

The Road Ahead

February brings Fruit Logistica in Berlin and the GS1 Global Forum in Amsterdam. We'll be meeting with carriers, retailers, and global partners—and driving registration for the March Collabathon at every conversation.

March is the Collabathon itself, plus continued TWG progress on standards and pilot execution.

April takes us to the IFPA Retail Conference in Arizona, where we'll bring the Full Circle Integration story to life.

This is a multi-year journey. But the foundation is being built now, meeting by meeting, standard by standard, pilot by pilot.

Get Involved

Join a TWG: Both working groups welcome new participants. Subject matter expertise matters more than standards-writing experience. Contact us or sign-up here to get connected.

Introduce us to retailers: Retail engagement is our top priority. If you have contacts—especially European retailers or buyers—we'd love an introduction.

Share pilot concepts: Have an idea for how real-time data could improve freshness outcomes? We're actively recruiting pilot partners.

Spread the word: Share this post with colleagues who should know about SCOTF.

Questions? Comments? Pushback? Reach out - We want to hear it.

Co-Executive Leaders: Drew Zabrocki & Martha King