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People are concerned about food safety. Rightly so, according to ChainLink Research CEO Ann Grackin. Contaminated food contributed to thousands of deaths and illness throughout the world in the past 12 months.
Historic approaches to safety represent a series of disjointed attempts at regulation, inspection, incident management and expensive technology pilots, she said.
ChainLink Research has launched an in-depth study on food traceability. The report is scheduled for release this summer, with findings presented at the Food Traceability Summit in October.
The abstract for the study follows:
The chain of safety is islands of disjointed business processes, information, people and technologies. Current suggestions from the commercial market place all propose solutions such as lab/testing, auto/id and software; but all these components of the solutions merely deal with their portion of the elephant. And comparable solutions for pharmaceuticals are only partially appropriate for the food chain.
On the policy and government front, the U.S, President Obama has stated, the nation's food safety system is a "hazard to public health" and overdue for an overhaul. In addition, PRC Premier Wen Jiabao stated, " The Chinese government attaches great importance to food safety because it is not only in the interest of the Chinese but also people in the world,"".
President Obama will support leadership and budget for solutions, "Protecting the safety of our food and drugs is one of the most fundamental responsibilities government has", he stated, recommending a complete overhaul of the FDA.
The Chinese government has mandated a complete revision of their food and pharmaceutical safety regulations. The DHS has stepped up inspection at the US/Mexican borders. However, legislating change without a real understanding of the implications to the various players could create real upheavals in the industry—business opportunities for some, while disabling others, cutting them out of the distribution chain and market for their products.
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