UK online retailer Farmison & Co launches #TraceBetterMeat QR code traceability plan
Farmison & Co, an online meat retailer, has unveiled a new traceability system that enables customers to use their smartphones to see where their whole cuts come from – right down to videos of the pastures where the cattle graze.
As part of its Farming the Future (FTF) programme, using a QR code on the packaging, with a link to the Farmison & Co website, customers can trace the origins of their meat, including the breed, videography of the farm where it was reared and the food miles.
The launch coincides with the tenth anniversary of a scandal in January 2013, when horsemeat entered the food supply chain and was found in a series of beef products that reached the supermarket shelves – resulting in millions of products being withdrawn.
Although the food industry has since taken steps to make food safer, Farmison & Co founder John Pallagi warns that the supply chain remains vulnerable and that more than ever consumers are demanding – and deserve to see – full traceability of produce.
He says: “The horse meat scandal undoubtedly inspired a great deal of scrutiny from retailers into their supply chains at the time, but I wonder what reforms have been introduced.”
“I fear the answer isn’t enough – and that meat food supply chains remain as opaque and difficult to trace as ever. Reputation management – I would venture – has been more important than addressing the fundamental wrongs of these systems.”
The new QR codes will be offered on whole cuts of meat allowing customers to see:
details about the animal the meat comes from
information about the breed
details of the farm and farmer
video footage of the land where the animal is fed and reared
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Pallagi adds: “The core of our business has been traceability from farms and farmers we know intimately – and as we grow, we’re determined to do all we can to share that detail with our customers from farm to fork.”
“We already encourage people to ‘Eat Better Meat’. From today we also encourage them to ‘Trace Better Meat.”
Farmison & Co sells online directly to customers across the UK, as well as through Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Michelin star restaurants, and last year it opened its first bricks and mortar store - Cut by Farmison – next to its Ripon headquarters.
Its FTF programme will initially apply to full cuts of meat.
Product ranges that are traditionally a means to manage carcass balance and reduce waste – such as sausages or its Sauce Pan Ready meal range – while not initially included, will still be sourced from within Farmison & Co’s network of accredited suppliers and be fully traceable.
“In time, our ambition is that every item we offer will be in our new FTF programme,” says Pallagi.
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