What it is
A research-grade report on the second pilot in the 2026 SCOTF series. It explains why quality problems in food service surface late, teaches the concepts behind a shared condition record (digital inspections, ripeness stage, the traceability label as a join key, and EPCIS 2.0 observation events), and describes what the supplier has done so far (Phase 0), what Phase 1 will test by December 2026, and how a distributor joins in Phase 2. The pilot is under way, so the report states results as they stand and will be updated.
Who it is for
- Supplier QA
- Read Phase 0, Phase 1 and the capture points table to see what an outbound inspection records and how the label ties it to a later check. The checklist shows how to start with one lane.
- Food service distributors
- Read the Phase 2 section to see where a distributor's inbound and outbound checks fit, and what they would help locate.
- Restaurant operations
- Read the section on designing the restaurant check. It sets out the 90-second target, the one question and the one photograph, and why restaurant staff are not asked to act as inspectors.
- Technology teams
- Read the concepts and the integration notes. They cover the EPCIS 2.0 observation pattern and how it can run on any inspection platform.
What is inside
- Why quality visibility matters in food service
- Concepts in plain language
- What has been done (Phase 0)
- Phase 1, supplier outbound to restaurant arrival, with a worked complaint trace
- An illustrative EPCIS 2.0 observation event
- Phase 2, adding the distributor
- Designing the restaurant check
- Success measures
- A checklist for starting, with a decision rule for disagreeing checks
- Open questions
- Three figures and four tables
Key takeaways
- The traceability label already on the case is the key that joins quality records across companies: one outbound inspection and one arrival check meet on the same label identifiers.
- Keep the restaurant step simple: a target of about 90 seconds, done by restaurant staff, with one question and one photograph.
- The target is to cut complaint investigations from days to minutes; Phase 1 measures it.
- Phase 0, the supplier's digital outbound inspections at one facility, is described here as the supplier's own account, and the results will separate that earlier improvement from the effect of sharing data.
- Start with Phase 1: one supplier, a few restaurants, one shared record.
Questions
- What does Digital Quality Assurance mean here?
- A supplier records a structured, photographed inspection at shipment, a restaurant records a short arrival check, and the two records are joined by the identifiers on the case's traceability label.
- Who does the arrival check?
- Restaurant staff at selected locations, as part of receiving. The design target is about 90 seconds. The staff record whether the product is acceptable for use and take one photograph.
- Does a restaurant need new hardware or a new label?
- No. The pilot uses the label already on the case and the existing inspection platform.
- What has been measured so far?
- The supplier's digital outbound inspections are live at one facility, and the report describes what the pilot team observed. Phase 1 results are not yet available. The report will state them as measured.
- Which companies take part?
- Del Monte and Clarifresh, with a food service customer who is not named. A food service distributor joins in Phase 2.
Your next step
Start with Phase 1: one supplier, a few restaurants, one shared record.