Shelf-Life Prediction & Dynamic Incentives for Fresh Supply Chains

Industry is driving innovation through engaged working groups and steering committees

tl;dr:  The Shelf-life Prediction & Dynamic Incentives (SLDI) working group has successfully launched with 50+ participants across the supply chain working to transform how fresh produce value is created and shared. Major retailers have validated they'll pay premiums for extended shelf life, confirming real market demand for dynamic pricing.

Key Progress:

• Established steering committee with industry leaders (IFPA, Fresh Del Monte, Driscoll's, Danaco Solutions, GeoVisual Analytics, Fresh Formulaics, University of Florida)

• Working groups actively mapping data requirements and developing practical frameworks

• Focus on "start simple" approach: basic quality indicators before complex predictions

• Strong emphasis on practical implementation over theoretical models

Critical Insights:

• Existing data (like packing line imaging) is captured but not utilized effectively

• Need for standardized quality metrics and data sharing protocols

• Commercial agreements lack provisions for dynamic incentives

• Success requires balancing multiple stakeholder needs across the supply chain

June 9th Milestone:  Symposium & Project Launch will showcase roadmap, technical approaches, and pilot strategies.

Get Involved: The initiative needs growers, retailers, food service companies, and logistics providers. Join bi-weekly working sessions or register for the Free June 9th event.

Bottom Line: This isn't just theory—it's industry transformation in action with real commercial validation and practical solutions being developed NOW.

Major Progress and Industry Engagement

The Shelf-Life Prediction and Dynamic Incentives working group has successfully formed with strong industry representation across the supply chain. With 8 steering committee members and over 50 working group participants, the initiative is gaining significant momentum toward creating transformative solutions for the fresh produce industry.

Key retailers including Walmart and Sam's Club have expressed strong interest, with Chuck Tilmon and Artur Grochala confirming during the Las Vegas collaboration that "retailers would likely pay a premium for longer shelf life". This validation demonstrates that dynamic incentives represent real market opportunities, not just theoretical concepts.

Key Strategic Insights from Leadership

On Practical Implementation:

Walter Tordoff from Fresh Del Monte emphasized the importance of starting simple: "We need to be very simple in the beginning and not so much look for trying to come up with an exact model that says this product has 12 days, and this has 11 days... but to group shelf-life predictability into green, normal yellow, distressed red..."

Jim Schallman from Danaco Solutions highlighted the food service perspective: "When I'm cutting or slicing a tomato that's 3/16 of an inch thick, I don't really care about the scars that much. I care about the internal characteristics that end up on a bun that people can see."

On Data Standardization and Challenges:

Steve Alaerts of foodcareplus raised critical concerns about commercial agreements: "I think it's a... challenge... if we look at today's commercial agreements and agreements between all these stakeholders in the supply chain, there is no provision for dynamic incentives."

George Felix from Driscoll's noted the data complexity challenges: "Everyone is in a different spot, in a different position and trying to line things up to one sort of harmonized way."

Working Group Activities and Achievements

The working groups have completed several productive sessions with tangible outputs:

Technical Focus Areas Identified: The group has focused on identifying essential data elements including:

• Environmental conditions and mechanical stresses

• Time, temperature, and location tracking

• Produce quality attributes

• Real-time data collection from harvest to receipt

Stakeholder Motivation Assessment: The working group conducted comprehensive stakeholder assessments identifying key benefits for:

• Growers: Maximized revenue, reduced claims, differentiation opportunities

• Retailers: Enhanced consumer experience, sales optimization, inventory management

• Logistics providers: Transportation and storage condition expertise contributions

Mission and Vision Development: The group is developing a unified mission: "Transform the fresh produce industry through data-driven shelf-life prediction technologies, dynamic pricing models that reflect true product value, reduced waste throughout the supply chain, enhanced consumer confidence and satisfaction, greater return on investment for all supply chain participants."

Industry Perspectives on Implementation

Strategic Insights: Jack Lagier from Driscoll's identified a key retail challenge: "One thing that I've seen when we're trying to make offers to retailers... is that the deflation that the retailer could experience by lowering the retail price... they can't move enough units to make up for the deflation." Jack also emphasized practical approaches: "I think for us, I don't think we're that motivated so much to predict shelf life as we are just to say this is what it is right now... We can't tell you how long this product's going to last. A lot of that will depend on how you handle it."

Systems Thinking: Dr. Ziynet Boz of University of Florida cautioned about unintended consequences: "Looking at systems focused models to assess the different scenarios and their implications before we implement anything. Because a lot of the decisions are made with one goal in mind without thinking unintended consequences."

Current Industry Capabilities: 

Mark Buhl of PurChex described existing data capture capabilities: "A tremendous amount of data that is already currently captured and never utilized are things along the actual packing lines where you have sorters that are taking hundreds of pictures of each single piece of fruit... but that data is effectively disposed of at the end of the day."

Progress on June 9th Symposium Planning

The steering committee is preparing for the June 9th Symposium and Project Launch, which will showcase:

• High-level roadmap for shelf-life prediction and dynamic pricing

• Technical approach frameworks with scientific basis

• Industry challenge assessment and opportunity mapping

• Pilot implementation strategy

  
  

Call to Action and Next Steps

For Potential New Participants: The initiative is actively recruiting participants, particularly:

• Growers and producers for field-level perspectives

• Retailers for consumer-facing insights

• Food service companies for unique quality requirements

• Logistics providers for transportation expertise

  
  

Immediate Opportunities:

1. Join working group sessions (bi-weekly meetings)

2. Participate in the June 9th symposium (both virtual and in-person options available)

3. Contribute expertise in data standards, quality metrics, or dynamic pricing models

4. Help identify those working on predictive modeling and existing data frameworks we can use.

5. Connect with steering committee members for strategic guidance

   
   

Steering Committee Companies Leading the Initiative

Current steering committee members include:

• International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)

• Totem, Ltd

• The Mixing Bowl Hub

• Fresh Del Monte

• Driscoll's

• GS1

• ASTM

• Danaco Solutions

• DFM Data Corp

• FixLog Consulting

• GeoVisual Analytics

• Blockticity

• Fresh Formulaics

• Kwik Lok

• University of Florida

• Other key industry stakeholders

Contact and Engagement

For more information or to join the initiative:

• Register for the June 9th symposium at IFPA Washington Conference

• Join upcoming working group sessions