Cognizant Helps Feihe International Enhance Food Safety Capabilities

21 Jul 2011

Cognizant, a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, has announced the successful deployment of an integrated food safety solution at Feihe International, Inc., formerly known as American Dairy, Inc., one of the leading producers and distributors of premium infant formula, milk powder, and soybean, rice and walnut products in China.

This innovative end-to-end solution was developed by Cognizant in collaboration with Heilongjiang LiGao High-Tech Development Co. Ltd., a high-technology services company, and FoodlogiQ, a leading provider of traceability, food safety, and sustainability software. The solution enables Feihe International to trace foods, feeds, ingredients, and food-producing animals through all stages of production, processing, and distribution.

The enhanced traceability across farmers, producers, processors, and retailers provides for significantly superior quality and safety tracking, compliance monitoring, and issue resolution, which are critical focus areas for the food and beverage (F&B) industry in today's globalized manufacturing environment. The solution also provides operational efficiencies by minimizing costs associated with conducting recalls or withdrawals, and improves stock and distribution control while aiding in the removal of unsafe food from the marketplace.

"Inspiring food safety confidence among consumers has become a business imperative for food companies," said Xiao Guanghui, Vice President and General Manager of the Production Division at Feihe International, Inc. "We are committed to doing all it takes to address consumer concerns and meet regulatory requirements around food safety in the most accountable and transparent manner. We are pleased with the successful implementation of a state-of-the-art food safety traceability system developed by Cognizant in collaboration with Ligao and FoodlogiQ. It will help us align our advanced production technology with the highest standards of quality and safety throughout the supply chain, ranging from raw material to production processes and distribution, enabling our consumers to trace any finished product back to its source conveniently and accurately, and buy our products with greater confidence. We look forward to integrating this unique solution with our enterprise-level systems."

"Food safety crisis is a crisis of confidence, which is leading to distrust in the food safety and quality assurance system," said Wang Xinxiang, Chairman of Heilongjiang LiGao High-Tech Development Co. Ltd.

"At present, consumers distrust the food safety assurance system because there is no way for them to know about this system and supervise food safety. Therefore, to solve food safety issue, the food trust system must be re-established. Three years ago, our company began to study the best practices of the operational and food safety system in the dairy industry. Feihe International's food safety project is among the first traceability projects covering the whole industry chain, relying on the advanced technologies and experience of a global company such as Cognizant in the fields of dairy operation management, plant MES, food safety, and traceability system. This project not only helps consumers purchase safe products but also provides an independent food safety platform for regulating the dairy production management. "

"We are delighted to help Feihe International strengthen its capability to provide safe and higher quality products," said Mahesh Venkateswaran, Senior Vice President and Head of Engineering and Manufacturing Solutions Practice, Cognizant. "Ensuring food safety and regulatory compliance in the highly competitive dairy industry is a complex process and increasingly crucial to public health and consumer confidence. Our traceability solution will enable Feihe International to trace ingredients as well as track all process steps from farm-to-fridge, and make sure its products are safe, wholesome, and compliant with microbial and compositional requirements. This solution will help Feihe International improve customer confidence, grow sales, and capitalize on market opportunities, thereby reinforcing its leadership position in the Chinese dairy market."

Source: Feihe International, Inc.