Traceability as a Tool: Traceability has become a Virtual Necessity to Reduce Industry, Regulatory and Customer Pressures

摘要

In June 2002, national manufacturer ConAgra Beef Co. voluntarily recalled more than 354,000 pounds of ground beef - 177 tons - that may have been contaminated with the E. coli bacteria. Within 20 days, USDA requested that the company further expand its recall to include 19 million pounds of product. Since ConAgra could not readily trace and identify the stores that bought the meat or the brands under which it was sold, it took days to pull all of the recalled product. Public awareness quickly grew of ConAgra's inability to track its products, commensurately decreasing the company's profits and eventually driving the brand to exit the meat manufacturing business.