In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Ward Van Durme, Co-Founder at Tracena.
Ward has worked in promising Ghent-based tech startups since college, building digital processes that support real businesses and can adapt quickly when needed. His connection to the food sector, however, started much earlier. For more than 35 years, his parents ran a cookie and chocolate company, where he helped with deliveries, order picking, stocking shelves, cleaning machines, and working on the production line. Having experienced these manual processes first-hand, Ward and his brother founded Tracena to help food producers address the operational challenges they know well.
From your experience, which food safety and traceability processes are still most dependent on manual work, spreadsheets, or paper-based systems?
In my experience, lot traceability is still the biggest one. Batch records and raw-material lots are often logged on paper and then retyped into spreadsheets. It is slow and error-prone, and with growing compliance demands, most producers want this solved first.
Second, labels often need to be updated manually. Every change to product information has to somehow make it onto the label. Third, technical datasheets are often huge and complex Excel files covering hundreds of products.
How can digital tools improve traceability, compliance, and day-to-day decision-making for food producers?
The biggest benefit is that everything lives in one place and the whole team works from the same information. Data flows from one person to the next instantly.
QA knows and controls which recipes are produced and what ends up on the label. The plant manager can run the factory from wherever they are. Management can make decisions based on real numbers instead of guesswork. Everyone is on the same page, fewer mistakes are made, and traceability is exact, which supports stronger compliance in the factory.
What are the main barriers small and medium-sized food producers face when introducing digital systems into their operations?
It is a mix of factors, but it often starts with fear: fear that the system will be too complex, too costly, or that it will disrupt a process that already works.
The production floor has often done things the same way for years, so winning trust takes time. Mostly, rising compliance pressure pushes companies to take the step. But luckily, we have yet to meet someone who preferred their old process over the digital one.
How can reliable digital records and audit trails help food businesses respond more effectively to audits, incidents, or product recalls?
Reliable digital records allow companies to act with precision. When something goes wrong, they know exactly which batch is affected and where it went, so the recall can stay targeted instead of pulling back a whole production day.
It is also about saving time. An unexpected audit no longer means three people searching for the right papers and cross-referencing files with production data just to piece together an uncertain trace.
Looking ahead, which digital developments do you believe will have the greatest impact on food safety and production transparency?
For me, it is GS1 Sunrise 2027. By the end of 2027, QR codes at checkout will carry lot and product information, readable in any store, anywhere.
Because it is one shared global standard, a producer could block a recalled batch at every counter at once, before it is ever sold. The same QR code can also give shoppers full product information. I am looking forward to seeing this adopted worldwide.
