While export markets demand food traceability, information about origin and producer is manipulated like never before. The problems of fraud also threaten Danish food industry. Is there hope ahead for the industry?
On 11 September 2008, a Danish cheese was found in a Wal-Mart store in Arkansas in the USA. I know it, because I saw it with my own eyes: The label said ”Danish Cheese” and there was a Danish flag on the plastic wrapping.
This discovery was made during a company visit to Wal-Mart. I had just been in a meeting with professor Bill Hardgrave, Arkansas State University, who is head of the world-famous RFID lab (RFID tags are small radio frequency identification tags often referred to as “bar codes on steroids”). He has been involved in the development of Wal-Mart’s logistics which have in few years turned this supermarket chain into the largest grocery retailer worldwide.
Consequently, it was natural to see for ourselves: Bar codes, logistics, RFID tags and other efficiency measures of the American “super supermarket”.
The meeting with Bill Hardgrave was the culmination of a 2-week study tour to the USA with the aim of studying food safety, food traceability, logistics, RFID technology, etc. The USA has experienced a couple of real scandals which have forced a vast number of Americans to spend some time in the toilet and a smaller number of – but still many – food producers to close their business. Consequently, food safety and traceability are very much on the agenda in the USA, like in Denmark and the rest of the EU. Lately, China has also experienced a major national food scandal.
The message from the USA is obvious: It should be possible to trace the tomato, salad or beef back to the source of origin through each link in the chain. In practice, they want to go so far a to be able to determine that the reason why Mr. Smith (and a number of other people) suffer(s) from upset stomach or diarrhoea is because salad picker Mr. Jones unfortunately forgot to wash his hands after going to the toilet.
The key is traceability and quality control: Can consumers be sure that they can trust the labelling of food products and that they meet certain quality standards?
And can we as producers be sure that the information about source of origin – country, factory or farm - appears correctly on our products?
Consumers and producers have one common interest: It is in the interest of both parties that food products are what they appear to be. Consumers because they can avoid bad food and producers because this will protect their brand.
Back to the cheese in Wal-Mart: I am no cheese expert, but I like cheese and have a good knowledge of Danish cheese, and I have never seen a Danish cheese like this one. I bet that this cheese has never been to Denmark.
Manipulation of information about source of origin and producer already poses a huge problem for the global food market like for other industries. The Danish food brand is threatened by deceivers.
At the same time, we face a number of export markets with increasing demands for safe food products that can be traced back to the source.
Consequently, we should start identifying systems that will ensure our ability to compete in the global food market – also in the future.
Who will take the initiative in supplying all Danish farms, outdoor plant nurseries, greenhouses, fish farms, food producers, etc. with a global localisation number (GLN) so that they can become part of the worldwide logistics and transport system?
