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IBM > Case Studies > Stopping life-threatening contamination before it starts revolutionizes food safety
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Stopping life-threatening contamination before it starts revolutionizes food safety

Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Big Data Analytics
Applicable Industries
  • Food & Beverage
Applicable Functions
  • Quality Assurance
Use Cases
  • Food Safety Management
  • Predictive Quality Analytics
Services
  • Data Science Services
The Challenge
Each year, more than two million people die due to food-borne illnesses, and the world discards more than USD75 billion worth of food. For food distributors such as US-based Mars, Incorporated, food recalls cost at least USD10 million each. Mars didn’t have a way to test its thousands of food ingredients, so its response to pathogens was mainly reactive.
About The Customer
Established in 1911, Mars, Incorporated sells candy, packaged food and pet food all over the world. Its offering include such well-known names as Snickers, M&M’S, UNCLE BEN’S Brand rice and Pedigree pet food. The business is headquartered in Virginia and employs more than 75,000 people worldwide.
The Solution
By sampling thousands of microbes present in normal food ingredients and using complex algorithms to analyze this massive amount of data, Mars is establishing a baseline for determining what conditions might lead to contamination. Armed with this information, food manufacturers worldwide can anticipate and stop contamination before it reaches the public.
Operational Impact
  • For Mars, this solution represents an opportunity to save more than USD10 million for each product it shields from contamination.
  • It can also have a huge impact on world health by reducing the number of lives lost to foodborne illness and by making it simpler and easier to keep our food supply free from contaminants.
  • Lastly, the solution can reduce the amount of food the distributor and other companies must discard yearly because of the suspected or confirmed presence of pathogens, thereby helping combat hunger and boost the world’s economy.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Potential savings of more than USD10 million for each product shielded from contamination.

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