For years, food and beverage companies have funneled capital into software, traceability systems, and artificial intelligence without a neutral standard to measure their progress. While vendors frequently issue promotional case studies, manufacturers have lacked an independent yardstick to evaluate actual performance or technical barriers. FSTR intends to fill this void by conducting longitudinal research that separates marketing promises from tangible business outcomes.

Co-founder David Hatch, who serves as Chief Research Officer, noted that digital transformation has shifted from a competitive advantage to a baseline requirement. The group’s inaugural project, the Food Safety Digital Maturity Benchmark, invites industry professionals to share operational data anonymously. In exchange for participation, companies receive a personalized maturity scorecard and a comprehensive report on industry-wide trends. Rick Biros, founder of Innovative Publishing and FSTR co-founder, described the initiative as a logical expansion of his organization’s fifteen-year history of covering regulatory shifts and emerging technical best practices.