The Food Scout

“Wheat gluten” may someday be the infamous food ingredient the industry uses to refer to the tipping point that led to a large-scale reexamination and overhaul of the way in which we source, process and label our food products.

But while the governments of the U.S. and China search for the manufacturing plant hiding the smoking gun on the melamine-tainted wheat gluten issue, the industry is not waiting for a top-down change. Already (and prior to the pet food recall), we are seeing a swelling trend ON THE MAINSTREAM LEVEL of companies making moves to add accountability and assurance to the food supply chain.

Some companies are promoting their efforts in the news. Burger King, despite its bad-boy/cool image it cultivates with its indulgent and oversized menu items, got a nod of approval from PETA recently by “pledging” to start sourcing a set percentage of product from producers that do not confine hogs in crates or chickens in cages. Likewise, PepsiCo announced its pledge not to conduct or fund any animal testing. KFC, meanwhile, is advertising its trans-fat-free frying oil. And McDonald’s is paying a penny per pound more for tomatoes to help provide better wages for farm workers who harvest the tomatoes.

These efforts aren’t going unnoticed. Ethisphere Magazine recently named several food companies among the “world’s most ethical,” including Danone, Kellogg, PepsiCo, Stonyfield Farm, Barilla, McDonald’s, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Starbucks.

Other chains are simply trying to minimize news exposure. Cracker Barrel recently had to act fast to withdraw hamburger patties when a loyal patron suffered injuries from chewing on a sandwich with metal shards in it. As of May 10, it was unclear whether the issue was isolated to that South Carolina restaurant or a more widespread manufacturing problem.

Taco Bell, of course, has suffered publicity damage from issues at some of its New York operations, as well as E .coli problems that are most likely traceable to the lettuce supply. Food safety aside, Quizno’s franchisees in several states have a bone to pick with their franchisor over possible fraud issue relating to purchasing and pricing policies.

The point is that even today, despite numerous lawsuits and scandals over the years, there are still examples at all levels of the farm-to-table chain where we have reason NOT to continue taking safety and integrity for granted, from manufacturers, to inspectors, to operators and retailers and consumers. And so, a point of difference for proactively minded companies right now is to promote an absence of bad practices or ingredients in order to maintain or restore a sense of integrity and trust with consumers.

Increasingly, companies will rely on an “Intel Inside” sub-branding philosophy about certain ingredients in order to provide assurance about ingredients consumers are learning they need to care about and pay for, instead of seeking the lowest (read: cheapest) common denominator that has driven the industry to this point.