Consumer concerns about food safety in general and meat safety in particular have led to an increased demand for information and transparency in food chains, and acted as the major driver for the development of traceability systems. This paper focuses on the current and future role of traceability in demand-oriented meat and livestock production. Consumer demand for information is taken as the starting point. Information about and practice relating to traceability are reported and illustrated from historical and current experience in Belgium. It was found that organizational and operational aspects of traceability were clearly dealt with. However, questions remain with respect to the management of information flows and the proactive, rather than defensive use of traceability realizations. Key points for future success in livestock production chains pertain to market orientation, substantiation of claimed benefit and effective management of information flows.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BurtonM. and YoungT., ‘The impact of BSE on the demand for beef and other meats in Great Britain’, Applied Economics, Vol 28, 1996, pp 687–693; WardR. and MoonW., ‘Changing attitudes about fat and cholesterol: Do they impact meat consumption?’Choices, Vol 1996, No Q3, 1996, pp 40–42; CaskieP. and MossJ., ‘The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning for the BSE crisis?’Food Policy, Vol 23, 1998, pp 231–240; LatoucheK.RainelliP. and VermerschD., ‘Food safety issues and the BSE scare: Some lessons from the French case’, Food Policy, Vol 23, 1998, pp 347–356; VerbekeW.Van OeckelM.WarnantsN.ViaeneJ. and BoucquéC., ‘Consumer perception, facts and possibilities to improve acceptability of health and sensory characteristics of pork’, Meat Science, Vol 53, 1999, pp 77–99; VerbekeW. and ViaeneJ., ‘Beliefs, attitude and behaviour towards fresh meat consumption in Belgium: Empirical evidence from a consumer survey’, Food Quality and Preference, Vol 10, 1999, pp 437–445; HensonS. and NorthenJ., ‘Consumer assessment of the safety of beef at the point of purchase: A pan-European study’, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol 51, 2000, pp 90–105; VerbekeW.WardR. and ViaeneJ., ‘Probit analysis of fresh meat consumption in Belgium: Exploring BSE and television communication impact’, Agribusiness, Vol 16, 2000, pp 215–234; GregoryN., ‘Consumer concerns about food,’Outlook on Agriculture, Vol 29, No 4, 2000, pp 251–257.
2.
SundrumA., ‘Organic livestock farming: A critical review’, Livestock Production Science, Vol 67, 2001, pp 207–215.
3.
FearneA., ‘Editorial’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 112–114; LeatP.MarrP. and RitchieC., ‘Quality assurance and traceability — the Scottish agri-food industry's quest for competitive advantage’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 115–117.
4.
Verbeke and Viaene, op cit, Ref 1.
5.
WilsonN. and ClarkeW., ‘Food safety and traceability in the agricultural supply chain: Using the Internet to deliver traceability’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 127–133.
6.
JackD.PardoeT. and RitchieC., ‘Scottish quality cereals and coastal grains: Combinable crop assurance in action’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 134–138.
7.
TimonD. and O'ReillyS., ‘An evaluation of traceability systems along the Irish beef chain’, in ViauC., ed, Long-term Prospects for the Beef Industry, INRA, Ivry-sur-Seine, 1998, pp 219–225.
8.
BainesR. and DaviesW., ‘Quality assurance in international food supply’, in ZiggersG.TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Chain Management in Agribusiness and the Food Industry, Wageningen Pers, Wageningen, 1998, pp 213–223.
9.
DowneyW., ‘The challenge of food and agri products supply chains’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Chain Management in Agri- and Food Business, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, 1996, pp 3–13.
10.
DouzainN., ‘1996, révolution culturelle en viandes bovines et ovines’, Viandes et Produits Carnés, Vol 19, 1998, pp 21–24; ElliotK. and StainerT., ‘The Northern Ireland cattle traceability system’, in ViauC., ed, Long-term Prospects for the Beef Industry, INRA, Ivry-sur-Seine, 1998, pp 211–217.
11.
MeulenbergM., ‘Evolution of agricultural marketing institutions: A channel approach’, in WierengaB.van TilburgA.GrunertK.SteenkampJ.-B. and WedelM., eds, Agricultural Marketing and Consumer Behavior in a Changing World, Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, 1997, pp 95–108.
12.
PalmerC., ‘Practical problems in building effective supply chain alliances’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Chain Management in Agri-and Food Business, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, 1996, pp 223–235; Downey, op cit, Ref 9.
13.
WilsonN., ‘The supply chains of perishable products in Northern Europe’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Chain Management in Agri-and Food Business, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, 1996, pp 265–275; MigchelsN., ‘Interdependence in the food chain’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Chain Management in Agri- and Food Business, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, 1996, pp 239–251; KennettJ.FultonM.MolderP. and BrooksH., ‘Supply chain management: The case of a UK baker preserving the identity of Canadian milling wheat’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 157–166.
14.
CoaseR., ‘The nature of the firm’, Economica, Vol 4, 1937, pp 386–405.
15.
WilliamsonO., ‘Transaction–cost economics: The governance of contractual relations’, Journal of Law and Economics, Vol 22, 1979, pp 233–261.
16.
Timon and O'Reilly, op cit, Ref 7.
17.
Leat, op cit, Ref 3.
18.
Timon and O'Reilly, op cit, Ref 7.
19.
Wilson and Clarke, op cit, Ref 5.
20.
Timon and O'Reilly, op cit, Ref 7.
21.
PorinF. and MainsantP., ‘Quelles stratégies pour les concurrents de la filière bovine dans le contexte de l'après ESB?’ in ViauC., ed, Long-term Prospects for the Beef Industry, INRA, Ivry-sur-Seine, 1998, pp 125–135.
22.
Fearne, op cit, Ref 3.
23.
Jack, op cit, Ref 6.
24.
Leat, op cit, Ref 3; Wilson and Clarke, op cit, Ref 5.
25.
SimpsonB.MuggochA. and LeatP., ‘Quality assurance in Scotland's beef and lamb sector’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 118–122.
26.
Elliot and Stainer, op cit, Ref 10.
27.
EntwistleG.TrenholmJ.RitchieC.BrookesG. and Lewis-BowenJ., ‘Impact of quality food schemes’, final report to SOAEFD, Scottish Agricultural College, Aberdeen, 1997.
28.
CalderR. and MarrP., ‘A beef producer initiative in traceability: Scottish Borders TAG’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 123–126.
29.
DenOuden M., ‘Economic modelling of pork production-marketing chains’, PhD thesis, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, 1996.
30.
ViaeneJ. and VerbekeW., ‘Traceability as a key instrument towards supply chain and quality management in the Belgian poultry meat chain’, Supply Chain Management, Vol 3, 1998, pp 139–142; VerbekeW., ‘Factors influencing the consumer decision-making process toward meat’, PhD thesis, Ghent University, Gent, 1999.
31.
Van der GaagM.MulM. and HuirneR., ‘Food safety and control programs in the Dutch pork production chain’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Chain Management in Agribusiness and the Food Industry, Wageningen Pers, Wageningen, 2000, pp 139–145.
32.
WortmannJ., ‘Information systems for supply chain management’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Chain Management in Agribusiness and the Food Industry, Wageningen Pers, Wageningen, 2000, pp 3–9.
33.
LuttighuisOude P., ‘ICT service infrastructure for chain management’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Chain Management in Agribusiness and the Food Industry, Wageningen Pers, Wageningen, 2000, pp 275–282.
34.
StorerC., ‘Inter-organizational information systems (IOS) in supply chains: Exploring a theoretical framework’, in TrienekensJ. and ZuurbierP., eds, Chain Management in Agribusiness and the Food Industry, Wageningen Pers, Wageningen, 2000, pp 283–289.
