As supply chain traceability and compliance pressures intensify across the global food and beverage sector, artificial intelligence is emerging as a solution to one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: compliance management for supply chain documents.

New tools like AI-based document scanners are now being implemented to help manage the growing administrative burden of meeting growing compliance demands. These tools automatically extract compliance data from documents, eliminating the need for manual entry and reviews.

This comes at a critical time for producers and traders who are navigating rising demands from buyers, retailers and certifying bodies.

“Manual processes just can’t scale fast enough — automation is becoming not a luxury, but a necessity.”

Tackling one of the industry’s biggest compliance pain points

Many food and beverage companies report handling hundreds of supplier certificates ranging from GLOBALG.A.P., to SIZA and Rainforest Alliance certificates. This remains one of the most time-consuming aspects of compliance management and ongoing quality assurance. These documents expire every 6-12 months and must be tracked, reviewed and submitted to buyers on time. Estimates suggest that companies dedicate 1 full-time employee to checking certificates, entering expiry dates, and uploading updated versions of documents to digital systems or spreadsheets. The time and cost implications are significant- especially during seasonal peaks.

This can lead to:

• Unnecessary costs due to incomplete or missing documentation
• De-motivated teams due to repetitive tasks
• Increased risk of non-compliance or product returns

AI- based data extraction tools reduce this burden by scanning documents and certificates in bulk and extracting essential data within seconds. For quality, sustainability and procurement managers, this reduces repetitive work and speeds up the reviewing process of supplier documents.

A shift in how businesses approach compliance

Several digital compliance platforms - particularly those serving European food suppliers and buyers- are now rolling out this kind of AI functionality to meet demand from clients.

Agriplace’s AI Document Extractor aids quality and compliance teams who are overwhelmed with document checks, and suppliers who are tired of redundant data entry. The tool addresses this by using artificial intelligence to read documents and extract critical data such as:

• Document type
• Expiry date
• Supplier name

This allows users to upload documents in bulk, without the need to open each file and manually input details — a major time-saver for companies managing complex supply chains with hundreds or even thousands of suppliers.

Reviewing documents in record time

Traditionally, reviewing documents for compliance has been a slow, and lengthy process- particularly as supplier documentation grows in volume. Many quality assurance professionals report a significant increase in the number of documents they’re required to manage, driven by stricter demands from retailers and buyers. The Agriplace AI Document Scanner helps to alleviate this burden by accelerating the review process and enables users to handle large quantities of documents with far greater efficiency.

Simplifying for suppliers creating insight for buyers

‘’Agriplace was built on a simple insight: simplifying compliance for suppliers creates valuable insight for buyers. Our AI Document Extractor addresses one of the most painful parts of the process, such as endless, repetitive tasks like checking and filling in expiry dates. With this tool, we enable seamless sharing by suppliers and accurate reviewing by buyers, helping both sides of the supply chain meet rising global standards.’’

• Nico Broersen, Agriplace CEO.

AI-Based compliance tools are already reporting significant benefits:

• Reduced friction in document submission
• Simplicity for suppliers increasing data retrieval rates
• Reduced review time by up to 90%

No more opening files one by one. No more missed dates. No more manual errors.

Supporting the shift to smarter compliance

As the food industry becomes more globalised, the need for smarter compliance tools continues to grow. Agriplace’s AI Document Scanner represents a step forward in meeting that demand, giving companies the tools to scale their operations while staying compliant — without the paperwork bottlenecks.

For those interested in learning more, Agriplace will be hosting a live webinar on April 30th to demonstrate how the new feature works in practice, along with tips from their Customer Success Team on automating document handling, and a sneak peek into their future product roadmap.

Visit https://www.agriplace.com/aidocumentscannerforsmartercompliance to register.