Horsemeat scandal points to data failures

London – The discovery of horse and pork meat in beefburgers sold by supermarkets Tesco and Iceland is likely to put the UK food sector’s supply chain under a harsh spotlight.

Of a total of 27 beef products, which were analysed by the FSAI – the Irish food safety authority – 10 contained horse DNA and a further 23 contained traces of pig DNA.

At least one of the suppliers involved, ABP Food Group has suspended operations – at its Silvercrest Foods plant, in Co Monaghan, Ireland as a result of the problem.

The other plants involved were Liffey Meats, also in Ireland, and the Dalepak Hambleton processing plant in Yorkshire, UK.

“Following receipt of Irish Department of Agriculture results, we believe that we have established the source of the contaminated material to one of these suppliers,” said an ABP statement.

“However, because trace DNA has been found in finished products tested this week, we have decided that the responsible course of action is to suspend all production at the Silvercrest plant in County Monaghan with immediate effect,” it added.

Meanwhile, Tesco issued a statement saying: “The safety and quality of our food is of the highest importance to Tesco. We will not tolerate any compromise in the quality of the food we sell. The presence of illegal meat in our products is extremely serious.”

The incidents, however, point to weak links in the information systems operated by both major supermarkets, who are responsible for their supply chain and for verifying the quality and integrity of delivered goods.

A properly integrated and automated supply chain process in place with integrated data control mechanisms could have prevented such incidents from occurring, industry experts believe.

Certification of the origin of the ingredients/raw materials should have been a mandatory part of the supply chain process, believes Mikko Soirola VP of Liaison Technologies – an IT integration company.

According to Soirola, failure of the certification fulfilling the agreed criteria – for example, beef with less that 10% fat – should have resulted in an automatic rejection of the order/delivery.

“The transparency of supply chain processes provides additional means to take corrective measures while the process is still active. It also enables retrospective audits with all the information available, e.g. in cases where batches of goods need to be traced and withdrawn from the market for safety, health or other reasons, allowing damage to be limited,” the VP commented.

Alternatively, having a false certification would provide commercial/contractual means for the buying companies to sanction the suppliers, not to mention that falsifying such records is likely a criminal offence.

That, said Soirola. would put “major pressure on ensuring the right information is provided for each delivery, reducing the risk of such mishaps occurring to almost nil.”