Playing chicken with horsemeat
14 Feb 2013
The horsemeat scandal has opened the lid on shady supply-chain practices whereby processed meat is passed around Europe from trader to trader – as opposed to the tight-control and local-sourcing concepts marketed by major retailers and vouchsafed by a UK regulatory system touted as the best in the world.
There are many layers to this issue, from DNA testing and data management to labelling requirements and possible criminal activities. The underlying causes, however, are likely to relate to the cost-down pressures exerted by major supermarket chains on food processors and suppliers.
Only a few months ago, milk processing companies were being blockaded by dairy farmers angry that the prices they were being paid no longer met the costs of milk production.
On another level, food processors have long-complained that contract terms dictated by major retailers are a bar to long-term investment in automation and other technologies that could improve process efficiency.
Without a move to healthier and fairer supply-chain relationships, we are likely to see more processed ‘chickens coming home to roost’ in the food industry.
