Generally speaking, there has never been more of a disconnect between consumers and how food is produced and sourced. This is evident where the supply chain is formatted into several different stages of logistics, which effectively distances the end user from the producer and which over an often convoluted journey, the message of provenance is completely lost.

A working knowledge of how, why and where a product is caught or grown and then transported to ensure maximum quality is preserved, with handling and storage standards being maintained, is effectively an attribute that anyone in hospitality, food service, food education and food media should aspire to. The knowledge of a product’s provenance, notably gives credibility when engaging with consumers, but also delivers an authenticity which is able to cut through the ever-present and continually evolving, layers of misinformation that often confront and confuse the buyer.

Accuracy and authenticity of products’ back story can mean empowerment when buying, confidence and authority when selling and a premium ultimately attachable to that product, because the information provided affords the consumer the tools with which to make a better and more informed choice when purchasing either for hospitality or retail.

Knowledge, (and accurate knowledge therefore), direct from the ‘coal face’ of production means ultimately, achieving an edge over competitors. Consumers have a right to know how their food is produced and its origin. Sadly, all too often, this element of the process is all too often overlooked or sidelined, but it can make all the difference in customer experience, in terms of how perceptions can be challenged and changed, via intrigue and desire to learn more about the journey that food has made.