Globally, the Australian red meat industry has a reputation of being producers of clean, safe and natural products which is a result of the advanced food safety, integrity systems and regulations that are currently in place. Maintaining this reputation and position is essential for the industry to maintain its competitive advantage. Despite this, there are key issues and limitations present within the supply chain of meat.
COUNTERFEIT IN THE MEAT INDUSTRY
In 2013, it was found that some key and leading meat producers in the United Kingdom were falsely selling beef products that contained levels of horse meat. After this occurred, the importance of traceability in the supply chain of food was significantly highlighted and continues to be a growing consumer concern today. Throughout all food industries, and explicitly the meat industry, there is an increasing consumer demand to know more about where and how food is being produced. The impact of the horsemeat scandal on the food industry was economically catastrophic for all contributors of the meat supply chain. For example, the scandal not only caused negative consequences for key international meat producers such as Tesco, but also heavily impacted, consumers, supermarkets, food production companies and the meat industry.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF COUNTERFEIT MEAT
Tesco experienced huge financial losses, it was estimated that the organisation lost more than $450 million in market value. However, beyond the financial loss, the meat fraud caused damage to the brand’s reputation and significantly diminished consumers’ confidence both in the brand Tesco, as well as the meat industry. The sales of frozen hamburgers fell by 43% and the sales of frozen ready meals fell by 13%.
CONSUMERS PREFERENCES
The demand for greater visibility within the food industry has increased exponentially over the years. Although consumers have had a certain understanding of how food is grown, consumers more specifically, want to know how it was harvested, transported, and distributed before landing on the store shelves.
91%
62%
of consumes want to know where their food comes from
of consumes feel they are not provided with enough information
FOOD TRACEABILITY
To mitigate the risks of internal and external disruptions occurring in the supply chain of meat, food traceability systems can be used. Traceability systems provide businesses with the ability to follow products as they move along the value chain and access information about the provenance of inputs, supplier sourcing practices, and conversion processes. With this data, businesses can make predictions, run scenarios, and optimize operations.
At eBottli, we’re experts in supply chain security and traceability. Whether you are a meat producer, supplier or transporter, food traceability systems can help ensure you do not encounter food counterfeit at any stage of the supply chain and ensure you provide high-quality and credible produce to consumers.
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REFERENCES:
Farmdeck. 2022. Crop traceability creating transparency within the farming industry. [online] Available at: https://www.farmdeck.com/crop-traceability-creating-transparency-within-the-farming-industry/ [Accessed 11 July 2022].
Food-safety.com. 2022. | Food Safety. [online] Available at: https://www.food-safety.com/articles/4192-benefits-of-food-traceability [Accessed 11 July 2022].
The Guardian. 2022. Horsemeat scandal results in slide in sales of red meat in Britain. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/10/horsemeat-scandal-sales-red-britain [Accessed 11 July 2022]
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