How much horse meat is acceptable in your burger? Really? In an article yesterday in the Liverpool Daily Post, burgers sold by major retailers including Tesco and Aldi were discovered to have contained horse meat. Consumers are naturally upset. To be fair to Tesco and Aldi, we don’t see a scenario that would lead us to believe that they intentionally instructed suppliers to dilute beef with horse meat. However, cost pressures and the pressing need to drive profitable growth can’t be overlooked. Nevertheless, leadership is required.

The retailers, branded dining chains, and branded food companies have the most to lose. The information age and social consumer behavior will tarnish a brand faster than you can flip the horse burger. Farmers and growers are reluctant to voluntarily deploy process and technology. Regardless of the rationale, those days are coming to an end. Consumers will no longer tolerate tainted food.

Food Chain Traceability

Fortunately, there are several emerging players in the food chain traceability marketplace. The excuse that affordable and effective solutions don’t exist is no longer valid. Several years ago we created FoodLogiQ, the leading cloud-based software-as-a-service company to specifically address this growing need. The offering creates a community for food retailers and branded food companies to:

• organize their suppliers to manage food safety
• traceability
• sustainability

This value chain approach brings all information together and ensures the integrity of the food chain – and the brands. The good news for consumers is that comprehensive, cloud-based, easy to implement solutions are ready to go. Let’s hope so, it’s almost time to make the Super Bowl chili.