A sweet citrus traceability collaboration
A collaborative Citrus Traceability Pilot Project was rolled out in 2020 in partnership with Citrus Australia, Agriculture Victoria, Mildura Fruit Company, Nu Leaf IP and Trust Provenance.
The Australian citrus industry eclipsed the $540 million mark in exports in 2018–19, with a record 304,000 tonnes of high-quality citrus being exported. The purpose of the pilot project was to further grow and safeguard this valuable Australian export.
For the pilot, Laava Smart FingerprintsⓇ were applied to 205,450 x 1kg pre-pack mesh bags and 22,815 x 9kg cartons of citrus.
In the words of our partners:
“Our reputation is everything; as important as the sweet, juicy fruit that has enabled our growers to expand their export markets.— Nathan Hancock, CEO, Citrus Australia
Citrus Australia's decision to engage with Agriculture Victoria in this traceability pilot program for horticulture supply chains was borne out of necessity. The scope and audacity of IP theft costs individual citrus businesses and the wider citrus industry millions of dollars every year.”
“Our traceability practices are crucial to building confidence in our horticulture sector, creating a shared understanding about how our food is produced.— The Hon. Jaclyn Symes, Minister Agriculture Victoria
Our citrus industry continues to shine, with exports growing steadily year on year - I commend the Victorian citrus industry for taking this proactive step that will provide benefits for them and our trading partners.”
The pilot was funded by The Victorian government, as part of the $8 million Growing Food and Fibre Markets (GFFM) program.
The program is aimed at helping producers, industry and the whole supply chain to:
“By using the digital fingerprint labelling on our packaging and blockchain, it will help us to protect our brands, and also will allow the customer to directly access proof of origin. For consumers, it also helps give confidence that they are buying a premium variety with the features that they desire.”— Matthew Cottrell, General Manager, Nu Leaf IP