Countering Risk at the Source

Consumers want consistent quality assurance – Beef Concepts supplies it

In the last years, the beef industry has seen consumer confidence erode. Issue after issue has red-flagged the safety of beef and beef products as food for humans. Cholesterol, saturated fat, antibiotics, growth enhancers and now BSE – each additional crisis has sensitized consumers and the media and increased suspicions. Bovine spongiform encepalopathy (BSE) has been much in the news lately. In Britain, Japan, Canada and now the United States, just one case of BSE has caused havoc for domestic and international sales.

The 2001 foot and mouth epidemic in the United Kingdom, Europe and South America underlined the need for a fail-proof method of source verification in the beef industry. The more recent BSE scares in Canada and the United States leave no doubt that operators must be able to trace each animal from start to finish or face the very real possibility of losing their entire herd.

Consumers want ironclad proof that beef is safe to eat. That proof can only be provided if food quality and safety are the motivating factors behind management practices and marketing systems. Beef retailers at all levels, from fast food chains to butcher and grocery shops to high end restaurants, need to be able to reassure customers that what they are eating is safe. Bovitrak can provide that level of assurance and can also be used to address questions of animal welfare and environment.

The era of value-based marketing is here; Bovitrak is the tool you need to differentiate your products. Increasingly, consumers want hard proof that the beef they consume has been raised on the best feed and processed in a humane manner, while supplying the highest standard of taste, tenderness and nutrition. By using Bovitrak to respond to these demands, producers and retailers are ahead of the game in garnering and maintaining the confidence of all market segments, at home and abroad. Plus, a premium product brings premium prices – a win-win situation for the entire industry.

In offering a wealth of data for both trace-back and correlation analysis, Bovitrak also allows you to implement premium brand programs that elevate herd management and genetic selection to a consistent, repeatable level.