Peterson launches trace-back initiative
Peterson launches trace-back initiative
Former Wal-Mart executive Bruce Peterson is launching a trace-back initiative with fellow consultant Michael McCartney as one of the initial projects in his post-Wal-Mart career.
Mr. Peterson said that within 30 days he expects to have a further announcement that will shed more light on both the funding and scope of the project. "Right now, [the funding] is not that important. I'm lucky that I can work on something I really enjoy," he said.
A press release announcing the initiative said that the collaborative venture's "first mission will be establishing a global traceability approach for the fresh and perishable industries."
Mr. Peterson recently launched his consulting company, Peterson Insights, to work on a host of strategic solutions for the fresh produce industry.
Mr. McCartney is the principal at QLM Consulting, which has specialized in providing and applying technologies to automate supply chains in a number of industries, including perishables and retail.
Mr. Peterson told The Produce News that while he understands the effort to improve good agricultural practices through the establishment of a leafy greens marketing agreement and eventually a marketing order, those efforts do not address the core issue. He said that improving the practices involved in producing fruits and vegetables is obviously a good idea, but he worries that too much emphasis has been placed on that part of the equation and not enough on the traceability issue.
Mr. Peterson said that no matter what is done with regard to good agricultural practices, there is no guarantee that there will not be another food-safety outbreak.
In fact, he is convinced that there will be another food recall issue at some point involving fresh produce -- just as recalls throughout the food industry occur at regular intervals.
"When I was at Wal-Mart, recalls happened all the time for one reason or another -- maybe not on a daily basis, but almost. Sometime it was for packaging or labeling, but there were also many times when it involved E. coli, listeria or salmonella."
And most of the time, Mr. Peterson said, the recall involved a well-known branded item.
He said that recalls typically do not cause consumers to reject brands or even specific products because these sophisticated companies and industries are able to quickly identify the source or the problem, isolate it and communicate that to the public with the help of the government. Those pieces of the puzzle tend to be missing in produce industry recalls.
The former Wal-Mart executive, who was well known for supporting industry- wide initiatives such as returnable plastic containers and radio frequency identification, believes an industry-wide effort with regard to traceability is the answer.
He said that the produce industry should follow the lead of the airline industry and work together to collaboratively solve its food-safety issues without making food safety a marketing issue.
"An unintended consequence [of the California Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement] is that it is becoming a marketing issue," he said. Mr. Peterson noted that Canada already has announced that it will not accept any California leafy greens that are not part of the marketing agreement, and some U.S. retailers have announced the same thing.
"But what about leafy greens grown in other states?" he asked rhetorically. "It doesn't make any sense; it has become a marketing issue. You never want food safety to become a marketing issue."
Messrs. Peterson and McCartney are currently in the process of putting together a leadership group made up of key retailers, growers and third- party logistics providers to weld together a global solution to the trace-back problem. The duo believes that technologically, the solution is available, and the industry just has to "connect the dots" to get it done.
Mr. Peterson said that if the resources that were expended on the marketing agreement instead were spent on developing a foolproof traceability program, "we would be there now."
As the leadership group works through this issue, Mr. Peterson expects many different tactics to be analyzed, but he said it is imperative that the industry find its own solution in a relatively short period of time -- or U.S. lawmakers will act.
Mr. Peterson said that within 30 days he expects to have a further announcement that will shed more light on both the funding and scope of the project. "Right now, [the funding] is not that important. I'm lucky that I can work on something I really enjoy," he said.
A press release announcing the initiative said that the collaborative venture's "first mission will be establishing a global traceability approach for the fresh and perishable industries."
Mr. Peterson recently launched his consulting company, Peterson Insights, to work on a host of strategic solutions for the fresh produce industry.
Mr. McCartney is the principal at QLM Consulting, which has specialized in providing and applying technologies to automate supply chains in a number of industries, including perishables and retail.
Mr. Peterson told The Produce News that while he understands the effort to improve good agricultural practices through the establishment of a leafy greens marketing agreement and eventually a marketing order, those efforts do not address the core issue. He said that improving the practices involved in producing fruits and vegetables is obviously a good idea, but he worries that too much emphasis has been placed on that part of the equation and not enough on the traceability issue.
Mr. Peterson said that no matter what is done with regard to good agricultural practices, there is no guarantee that there will not be another food-safety outbreak.
In fact, he is convinced that there will be another food recall issue at some point involving fresh produce -- just as recalls throughout the food industry occur at regular intervals.
"When I was at Wal-Mart, recalls happened all the time for one reason or another -- maybe not on a daily basis, but almost. Sometime it was for packaging or labeling, but there were also many times when it involved E. coli, listeria or salmonella."
And most of the time, Mr. Peterson said, the recall involved a well-known branded item.
He said that recalls typically do not cause consumers to reject brands or even specific products because these sophisticated companies and industries are able to quickly identify the source or the problem, isolate it and communicate that to the public with the help of the government. Those pieces of the puzzle tend to be missing in produce industry recalls.
The former Wal-Mart executive, who was well known for supporting industry- wide initiatives such as returnable plastic containers and radio frequency identification, believes an industry-wide effort with regard to traceability is the answer.
He said that the produce industry should follow the lead of the airline industry and work together to collaboratively solve its food-safety issues without making food safety a marketing issue.
"An unintended consequence [of the California Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement] is that it is becoming a marketing issue," he said. Mr. Peterson noted that Canada already has announced that it will not accept any California leafy greens that are not part of the marketing agreement, and some U.S. retailers have announced the same thing.
"But what about leafy greens grown in other states?" he asked rhetorically. "It doesn't make any sense; it has become a marketing issue. You never want food safety to become a marketing issue."
Messrs. Peterson and McCartney are currently in the process of putting together a leadership group made up of key retailers, growers and third- party logistics providers to weld together a global solution to the trace-back problem. The duo believes that technologically, the solution is available, and the industry just has to "connect the dots" to get it done.
Mr. Peterson said that if the resources that were expended on the marketing agreement instead were spent on developing a foolproof traceability program, "we would be there now."
As the leadership group works through this issue, Mr. Peterson expects many different tactics to be analyzed, but he said it is imperative that the industry find its own solution in a relatively short period of time -- or U.S. lawmakers will act.
