Recent global events in the meat industry have again highlighted the critical need for traceability and quality control systems in the food supply chain.
The ever widening recall of meat products due to the possibility of e-coli contamination, the inestimable damage to the reputations of major brands and the near instant demise of a long established company show how quickly the market, let alone the regulators, will punish any real or perceived slip of standards.
In today’s market with such a focus on food safety and provenance food processors need not only to have quality and safety systems in place but need to be publicly seen to have them in place.
When a possible contamination occurs consumers make their judgments as much on the speed and efficacy of the reaction to such an occurrence as they do on it happening in the first place.
How well and how quickly an organisation reacts to a problem to contain the damage may well determine the survival of the brand and the entire company. There have been many examples both overseas and within Australia that show that not having systems in place can be fatal.
Having traceability systems in place like the Meat traceability systems provided by Cedar Creek Company should be considered a vital part of every food company’s operating plan. Many companies consider such systems an imposed cost from outside sources and therefore put the bare minimum of focus on their compliance efforts.
The smart companies use such systems to their own advantage. A good, well documented food safety and traceability system becomes part of a company’s brand advantage, positioning the brand as safe and reliable with customers and consumers alike.