The Key To Quieting Mother Nature’s Supply-Chain Fury: Reinventing Food Processing.

If you think that the disfunction in the supply-chain the last several months is what has been raining on your ability to receive on-line orders on time or operating your business efficiently, you have not been paying close attention to Mother Nature. She is certainly getting older and much more violent. We definitely are not picking up on her winds of change nor her harsh ques to save the planet – let alone be able to grow our food.

There is not a news agency or media platform you can go to today that does not have a lead story on the dysfunctional and totally broken global supply-chain. There are more than 11.8 million results if you type “supply-chain dysfunction” into google search. Everything related to each of the broken links in this crucial lifeline that supplies our every material need has been reported on. Yes, we know that anything we want to purchase that is not physically in-stock, at the time of our order, will not be available for months and months and months. “Enough already – just fix it,” has become a rally cry from farm fields to boardrooms, to the back-of-the-house in restaurants and in consumer kitchens.

The root cause of the problems however, which by the way have been reoccurring for years within the food industry, are somehow not being publicized and efforts to stabilize the disruptions are not showcased. These days the focus and attention appear to be all about the middle and the end of the supply-chain, within the manufacturing and logistics activities that result in fulfillment of orders. Makes sense given these are the areas that require the most significant investment, generate sales and deliver profits. Depending on the goods, it could be argued that these areas do not demand the prolonged timeframes that components at the very start of the supply-chain require.

Much of the rhythm and sequences of the supply-chain are totally dependent on the inputs at the very beginning; the ingredients and component elements that make up the finished good. Here is where all the problems start, and ironically, they are not directly caused by actors that grease the inner-workings of the supply-chain. Oh, no, no! The challenges in the harvesting of ingredients, minerals and other natural resources that kick-start the supply-chain as inputs are affected by none other than Mother Nature herself.

Climate Change and the impact of human negligence regarding our planet’s natural resources, is a direct link to the supply-chain challenges we are currently experiencing, as is the natural resource depletion happening around the world. From silicon found in quartz rock that is the essential ingredient for the semi-conductor industry, to the harvesting of rainwater for irrigation, everything required to produce a finished good is impacted by the seismic shifts in climate. Even the dependable and sequentially occurring “El- Nino” / “La-Nina” climate patterns that we learned about in high school and have been driving the agri-business, particularly farmer’s livelihoods for years have been significantly disrupted due to the rise of the Earth’s temperature.

The reality of supply-chain disruption and ties to climate change are becoming more evident and the food industry is taking notice despite consumers lack of awareness in the effort. Recently, Morgan Stanley

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presented research that provided insights and solutions to feeding a world with a growing population and the accelerated challenges of climate change. The principles of regenerative agriculture were presented and innovative solutions across a multitude of areas were highlighted, including crop rotation practices and seed development.

The sharing of best practices and the collective effort of food manufacturers around the world will accelerate correcting the current imbalance of depleting natural resources while attempting to meet sky-rocketing demand for nutritious and healthy food.

Investing in sustainable farming solutions to temper climate change, that then enable efficient production are areas of focus and investment that Nestlé has taken a global leadership role in. The Nestlé net zero farming initiative has captured the global food industry’s attention and is one example of how reinventing food production could lead to a more sustainable world – One with more predictable weather, clean blue skies and more abundant green fields. Here’s to a happier Mother Nature and all our on-line orders getting delivered on time, one day!