Maintaining physical safety and operational efficiency top the To Do lists of plant and operations leaders in meat processing. But as plants embrace more digitization, there’s another risk factor that increasingly needs attention: data security.
Meat processing plants generate data to support smarter decision-making, improve supplier accountability and drive long-term advantage. Without strong data protection practices, increased connectivity can quickly become a liability. It opens the door to events like cyberattacks, data loss and data corruption. The consequences include traceability gaps, operational disruptions and a breakdown in trust across the supply chain.
Cyberattacks in the food processing and agriculture industry are more common than you might think. For example, the sector experienced 212 ransomware incidents in 2024, with a spike later in the year. In this type of attack, hackers lock a company out of their own systems or data and demand large sums of money to give access back. Ransomware attacks in the sector aren’t a new phenomenon.
In 2021 a large meatpacker was the victim of a ransomware attack. The company paid a ransom equivalent to $11 million to the hackers, but not before plant operations were halted leading to supply shortages and soaring consumer prices.
Data can only drive value if it’s reliable, accessible and secure
Protecting data security in food manufacturing is more than an IT function—it’s a core part of operational resilience. Safeguarded systems allow leaders to trust the information they rely on every day to run efficiently, respond quickly and stay competitive.
This data safeguarding extends to the partners you do business with. It’s key that your chosen technology vendors have assurances in place, like SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) compliance. We’ll dive more into SOC 2 in a moment, but first, let’s explore the immense value of your data.
Your data is more valuable than you think
Quality assurance is increasingly digitized in today’s meat processing plants. Some plants still rely on a mix of visual inspection, handwritten logs, spreadsheets and siloed systems. Others have adopted more advanced platforms to support inspections, testing and quality reporting.
Consider, for example a plant that has adopted hyperspectral imaging to detect low-density foreign materials in its product stream. The system automatically captures incidents involving foreign materials and quality issues, storing the findings in detailed, timestamped records.
This data doesn’t just provide a record of what happened—it’s the foundation for high-quality decision making:
- Food supply chain traceability. Associating foreign material finds with specific product lots, shifts or suppliers drives rapid root cause analysis and containment. This level of detail strengthens recall readiness while also supporting regulatory compliance. In short, it lets teams jump in to trace, verify and address issues without delay.
- Supplier accountability. With detailed digital records comes clear evidence of recurring issues. This allows operations teams to have data-backed conversations with suppliers to enforce quality expectations and drive continuous improvement.
- Process improvements. Collecting consistent data on foreign material findings allows operations teams to spot trends across lines, shifts or equipment. Revealing inefficiencies or weak points in the process over time supports smarter adjustments to workflows, staffing and machinery. The end goal is to reduce defects and improve product quality at the source.
- Quality insights. Beyond detecting contaminants, hyperspectral imaging captures valuable product data, identifying issues like woody breast, analyzing fat-to-lean ratios and measuring product size, shape and thickness.
These insights help to monitor quality in real time and can surface undesirable trends.
Data gives your teams a decision-making tool to improve your food traceability process and prevent food safety hazards, product contamination and recalls. It’s a high-value asset that deserves the same level of protection as your equipment or infrastructure.
What’s at risk when data isn’t protected?
Protecting data security in food manufacturing is a high priority. Data breaches, tampered records and system outages can all result in negative consequences that extend far beyond ransom demands.
- Data breaches are expensive. The global average cost of a data breach in 2024 was $4.9M. That’s a 10% increase over last year and the highest total ever.
- If a cyberattack takes your inspection equipment offline, production can slow to a crawl or, worse, halt entirely. Teams may scramble to switch to manual workarounds, increasing errors and delaying throughput.
- When data is lost, corrupted or tampered with, your entire food traceability process can break down. It becomes difficult, or even impossible, to demonstrate compliance during an audit. Missing or inconsistent data can raise red flags with inspectors and regulators, potentially damaging your company’s reputation or even halting operations until issues are resolved.
- Speed and precision are everything when food safety problems arise. Data issues may obscure the source of contamination, making it difficult to track products. This can lead to broader recalls than necessary or even a delay in getting the recall out. The result is increased legal risk, eroded consumer trust and even significant fines or sanctions against your organization.
If the equipment in your plant is collecting valuable production data that supports process improvement, traceability and compliance, it’s important to know where that data goes. And it’s critical to know whether the data is secure. This is where SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) compliance comes in.
SOC 2 standards in food processing
Just as verified systems and processes are essential in meat and poultry processing, SOC 2 serves as the data world’s equivalent of a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) or SQF (Safe Quality Food) certification. SOC 2 standards are based on the Trust Services Criteria, a set of principles and controls developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
SOC 2 provides a set of controls that outlines how organizations should manage customer data and related systems to safeguard confidentiality, integrity and availability. The standard is intended for organizations that store or process data in the cloud, including software vendors that support quality control, traceability or production systems in food manufacturing.
SOC 2 is an attestation, not a certification. That means a third-party auditor evaluates whether a company’s controls meet the Trust Services Criteria and issues a detailed report.
SOC 2 secures your data as a strategic asset:
- It’s more than a piece of paper you pass to IT. SOC 2 compliance shows that a technology vendor takes your data seriously. With independently verified safeguards in place, you gain a partner who understands your regulatory environment and meets enterprise-grade security standards.
- It’s an ongoing commitment to high security standards. SOC 2 gives you confidence that your data—and your operations—are protected by a secure, resilient platform that aligns with your plant’s uptime and compliance requirements.
- It’s designed to deliver peace of mind. SOC 2 helps ensure your records aren’t just complete, but verifiably secure, intact and audit-ready. It builds confidence in your food traceability process. It provides assurance that you’ll have the data to hold suppliers accountable. It creates trust that your data can reliably inform faster, smarter decisions.
- It’s different from AI. You can use AI to support plant operations by spotting risks and analyzing data. However, AI doesn’t replace the need for structured compliance like SOC 2. AI doesn’t create audit trails, enforce internal policies or vet third-party vendors for risk.
Keeping operational data secure is a team sport
The world is dependent on a well-functioning, safe food supply chain. As more plants shift to automated systems, cloud-based reporting and real-time insights, both the value and vulnerability of operational data increases. The more connected your systems are, the more critical it becomes to protect the data that flows through them.
When evaluating potential technology partners, it makes good business sense to insist on SOC 2 compliance. It’s an added layer of assurance that your operational data is being handled responsibly, and that your vendor is committed to earning your trust.
For example, to become SOC 2 compliant, PPO underwent a formal audit, conducted by a reputable auditing firm, to review internal processes, infrastructure, policies and controls. Customers who use the PPO Smart Imaging System to take control of food safety and quality inspection can feel confident that their sensitive operational data is secure, accurate, available and always handled in full compliance with industry standards. The benefits are clear:
- Enhance food supply chain traceability with secure, compliant records of foreign material events and product quality.
- Support audits and investigations with trustworthy, easy-to-access data—just as you’d expect from any robust food safety system.
- Improve collaboration with IT and leadership, knowing your tech aligns with internal risk standards.
Want to learn more about how PPO’s SOC 2-compliant tech protects your data and secures operational advantage? Reach out to speak with one of our experts.