Meat + Poultry - January 2004 - 58

SUPPLY-CHAIN MANAGEMENT

place for controlling pathogens, but if producers can reduce the incidence on live
cattle, those systems become more effective. "We have a zero-tolerance standard
for E. coli at the packing plant," Herlihy

FoodOrigins crosses industry
boundaries to link supply chains
Someday, we'll be able to track the entire production history
behind a package of ground beef before we throw the patties
on the backyard grill. While we're at it,
we also could trace the background of
the sesame-seed buns and ketchup waiting on the table.
That day actually is not far off, and systems for making it
possible are under development now at FoodOrigins, a division
of Deere & Co. Bill Jorgenson, FoodOrigins' executive vice president for global sales and marketing, says shoppers might not
want to know all the details behind the meat, bread or any other
food in their carts. They do, however, want assurances that their
food is safe, wholesome and the result of best management
practices at every production stage.
FoodOrigins is helping develop systems for traceability for a
number of agricultural commodities, both here and abroad. In
Brazil, for example, FoodOrigins helped design and implement a
"Passport" system for beef. Within the data network, participants, such as government, processors, exporters and producers,
have access only to the information required at that stage.
In the United States, FoodOrigins has created a "Grain Corridor System" for tracking loads of wheat from the farm through
the grain elevator and the mill to end products such as a truckload of hamburger buns. A key component of this system is a
"Traceability Map" showing the locations of farms supplying a
participating elevator. Each farm and information about its field
locations are stored in the system. Agronomic information and
local weather data allow accurate predictions of yields and grain
quality from individual producers. The milling company and the
bakery can develop a database on the characteristics of grain and
flour from each producer, helping assure consistency of inputs.
Jorgenson describes the system as "virtual integration,"
with independent participants agreeing to share information
within the "corridor." By managing procurement based on grain
attributes, bakery performance can improve by 1.4 to 2 percent.
The miller gains better control of inventories, and all participants
improve their ability to document the value of their products.
Tomato processors using a similar system, he says, have improved
their annual yield by 0.25 percent by more efficiently allocating
ingredients to products based on known quality attributes.
The bottom line, Jorgenson says, is that traceability in the
food system is possible and in many cases, inevitable.

6 FSI

FOOD SYSTEMS

ınsıder

JANUARY 2004

says, "so if a supplier can meet that standard with cattle they ship, how much is that
worth to us?"
As manager of Texas County Feedyard
in Guymon, Okla., Scott Anderson is one of
those suppliers. "Traceability is just part of
the issue," he says. "We need system-wide
quality assurance and consumer acceptance." That is where VeriPrime will play a
key role, he says. He has supported and participated in the VeriPrime program since it
began. "I'm encouraged by its potential to
coordinate food safety efforts within the
industry and apply proven practices across
segments."
The process will begin with retailers
and foodservice companies identifying specific food safety standards or value-added
attributes they want in the products they
sell. The organization will then work with
all participants in the supply chain to identify processes, practices and technologies to
achieve those goals. In the case of E. coli
reduction in beef, these might include vaccinations at the cow-calf level, probiotics in
the feedyard, carcass washes in the packing
plant and sanitation practices in stores or
restaurants. Other standards could cover
animal handling, quality assurance and
drug-use protocols.
Doughty says this system will help
Burger King respond to changing consumer
concerns or desires. For example, subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock is gaining
more attention, he says. The VeriPrime program will allow broad-scale discussion within
the industry, with the goal of determining
standards that balance production goals,
animal health and food safety. Constant
monitoring and evaluation will determine
the effectiveness of specified practices and
also help measure the direct or indirect costs
to one or more industry segments.
Once participants reach consensus for
protocols and standards at each stage of
production, they agree to a system of verification and certification, with nationally
certified veterinarians assuring compliance.
VeriPrime has developed a traceability
system for cattle that will comply with the
standards of the U.S. National Animal
Identification Plan and country-of-originlabeling requirements. With standards and

Meat + Poultry - January 2004

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