New tools using Artificial Intelligence signal a shift in how the food industry handles “certification overload”, according to Dutch AI solutions provider Agriplace
The demands placed on food producers and traders from buyers, retailers and certification bodies are ever-increasing when it comes to supply chain traceability and compliance, and Agriplace sees AI as the best way to ease the growing pressure.
“Artificial intelligence is emerging as a solution to one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: compliance management for supply chain documents,” the company said. “New tools like AI-based document scanners are now being implemented to help manage the growing administrative burden of meeting growing compliance demands. These tools automatically extract compliance data from documents, eliminating the need for manual entry and reviews. Manual processes just can’t scale fast enough — automation is becoming not a luxury, but a necessity.”
According to Agriplace’s estimates, companies dedicate one full-time employee to checking certificates, entering expiry dates and uploading updated versions of documents to digital systems or spreadsheets for the likes of GlobalGAP, Siza and Rainforest Alliance.
“The time and cost implications are significant, especially during seasonal peaks,” Agriplace stated. “This remains one of the most time-consuming aspects of compliance management and ongoing quality assurance. These documents expire every 6-12 months and must be tracked, reviewed and submitted to buyers on time.”
The company said this can lead to unnecessary costs due to incomplete or missing documentation, de-motivated teams due to repetitive tasks and increased risk of non-compliance or product returns.
“AI-based data extraction tools reduce this burden by scanning documents and certificates in bulk and extracting essential data within seconds,” Agriplace said. “For quality, sustainability and procurement managers, this reduces repetitive work and speeds up the reviewing process of supplier documents.”
Agriplace said digital compliance platforms, especially those serving European food suppliers and buyers, were now adopting this kind of AI to meet growing customer demand.
“Agriplace was built on a simple insight: simplifying compliance for suppliers creates valuable insight for buyers,” said CEO Nico Broersen. “Our AI Document Extractor addresses one of the most painful parts of the process, such as endless, repetitive tasks like checking and filling in expiry dates. With this tool, we enable seamless sharing by suppliers and accurate reviewing by buyers, helping both sides of the supply chain meet rising global standards.”
Agriplace will be hosting a live webinar on 30 April to demonstrate how the new feature works in practice and to provide a glimpse of the company’s future product roadmap. Register here.
