One of the leading topics of discussion that has emerged in almost every circle during the COVID-19 pandemic is the supply chain and the need to rethink this industry in general. The disruption of operations in this industry has also reiterated the need to deploy digitization and use virtual inventories. Using the approaches will encourage organizations to rethink their approach to supply chain and enhance their efficiency even during the time of difficulty as it is the case currently.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down. As a result, the economy and everything else is feeling its impacts. One of the areas that have been hit significantly is the supply chain. With the social distancing and lockdown measures implemented in different countries in different regions, the movement of goods has encountered bottlenecks that have never been experienced before. With the rates of infection now increasing by the day, governments and different agencies are rushing to develop a viable vaccine that will protect millions of people around the world from death occasioned by the virus.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration is coming up with a New Era Smarter Food Safety. This is a strategic blueprint that is aimed at protecting the nation’s food supply by building on over a decade of old-fashioned Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This marks a new beginning in the safety of food with regard to the adoption of technology and other tools to make the supply chain not only traceable but transparent as well. It aims at reducing the illnesses that are caused by food by enhancing traceability, improving response to outbreaks, enhancing predictive analytics. It also seeks to address the changing business models and establish strong food safety cultures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly exposed the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in global supply chains. It has demonstrated the dangers of relying on a single supply chain route and manufacturing facilities situated in one country for almost everything. As the virus continues pounding the world’s economies, the modern supply chain has been shown as having been built on shaky grounds. This has resulted in businesses and industries struggling to get the necessary materials needed during the crisis. The escalation of the pandemic has put what was seen decades ago as a supply chain process with few hitches under a test and has emerged as seriously flawed.