When CNN’s Lou Dobbs rails against an issue, he gets a lot
of attention. But awareness alone isn’t enough to solve our problems.
We need
action. So when I heard newsman Dobbs criticize the food industry
because of its
so-called mishandling of the recent contamination episode with jalapeño
peppers, I had to speak up. Especially when he and other analysts
condemned
food processors for fighting against country-of-origin labeling, which,
in the
analysts’ opinions, will help make our food supply
safer.
First, country-of-origin labeling is not the
same as
track-and-trace. Not by a long shot. COOL simply identifies the origin
of a
product. Track-and-trace provides a record of a product (and its
components) as
it moves through the supply chain.
Second, COOL
would only provide a small advantage in
speeding up a recall by narrowing the initial search. But it wouldn’t
help a
bit in pinpointing the source of a contamination unless you buy from
only one
company in that country.
Third, COOL gives consumers
almost useless information from
a food safety point of view. If contaminated product originated from
one farm
in Country X, you know consumers would stop buying any product from any
company
from Country X well beyond the timeframe of any potential
risk.
That all being said…We still need more action
than me just
spouting off. Face it: The food industry needs better track-and-trace
capability than is currently required by the Bioterrorism Act or COOL
regulation. Yes, it’s going to cost and, yes, it’s going to be hard to
pass
those costs on. But, it is going to save lives and, ultimately, will
help you
sell more product by improving consumers’ trust in their food
supply.
Plenty of electronic or automated solutions
exist, such as bar
coding, taggants (primary used for anti-counterfeiting) and even radio
frequency identification (RFID), which may see renewed
interest.
There’s been some talk, though, that the
government might
mandate the type of technology to use. OMG! Hurry, band together and
make it
clear that, while it’s OK for the government to dictate
what needs to
be done,
industry should control the
how to do it. It’s the only way you can
manage the
cost of implementation.
F&BP
By: David Rosenthal
Posted: September 12, 2008 1:38 PM
My name is David Rosenthal, I recently read your editors note about the
need for tracking systems to ensure that our food supply comes from responsible
sources. I could not agree with you more!
Your point about the limitations of Country of Origin Labeling could not
have been more on the mark. While traveling on business to various countries
overseas I toured processing facilities that ranged from the clean and modern to
the abysmal and filthy - within the same country and even within the same
region! When problems with Chinese products were highlighted in the news we had
clients who issued blanket "No Chinese Origin" instructions. The fact is that
there are excellent facilities in China, and there are decidedly substandard
facilities. The key is identifying the good facilities and tracking the
products - i.e. responsible sourcing.
I sometimes feel like the mythical "Cassandra" when I talk to our industry
leaders about the need for self regulation - as opposed to waiting for the
government to mandate a system imposed from above. Resistance is fierce. The
traditional importer in many agricultural commodities actually is a commodity
"trader".Sourcing responsibly limits the amount of potential suppliers
and makes trading more challenging. Many companies turn a blind eye to
poor conditions in overseas manufacturing facilities to maximize profits or
minimize losses depending on the market. If inspection and tracking adds a few
cents to the cost of the product, they are not interested because buyers will
not pay the up charge.
I have been active in the imported nut and agricultural business for 17
years. I grew up in the industry and since my first excursions to overseas
facilities 11 years ago have lectured on the importance of responsible sourcing
from suppliers who maintain high standards for food manufacturing and fair labor
practices. Last year I created a company called Cashew Concern Certification
(CCC) in order to bring awareness to the issue and meet the challenge. For
years buyers have gravitated to sourcing from sub standard shippers overseas in
order to satisfy retailers desire get the lowest price possible. As a result
many of the good quality suppliers have had to shut down their facilities while
the amount of sub standard shippers continues to increase.
This year I created another company called Commodity Concern
Certification in order to broaden the scope of responsibly sourced products. I
have created a very effective tracking system that monitors the distribution
process from production line to final destination. The CCC program is endorsed
by the senior legal counsel to the Association of Food Industries.
Many members, however, are resistant to change thus making it very difficult to
move forward on concepts of industry self regulation and responsible sourcing. I
recently was invited to meet with congressman Bart Stupak's legislative staff to
discuss how a program of industry self regulation could help our legislators
create a system that could work for both government and industry. They were
very excited about the prospect. Unfortunately, industry resistance makes
these types of project difficult to get off the ground.
Perhaps your publication would be interested in highlighting some of my
concepts in an up coming edition of Food and Beverage packaging. I am confident
that we could create a very timely, interesting and informative article for your
readers.
Please check out my web-sitewww.cashewconcern.com We are currently
developing the Commodity Concern Website.
Thank you
Best regards
David Rosenthal