Tesco pledges to open up supply chain after horse meat scandal
February 19, 2013
Supply Chain Futures, a recruiter for supply chain jobs and more, has noted that Tesco has pledged to give customers an insight into its global supply chain in order to try and restore customer confidence after the recent horse meat scandal.
Tesco’s chief executive, Philip Clarke, “insisted a more transparent supply chain and creating ‘world class’ traceability in the products it supplied would not lead to increases in the price of food,” according to The Telegraph.
This comes as a result of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) admitting that the exact number of people who have unknowingly eaten horse meat will be completely unknown. Understandably, the scandal has sparked major controversy amongst consumers and a number of large investigations have been launched.
More transparency needed in food supply chains
Chief executive of the government watchdog, Catherine Brown, said that the industry needed to act with “more transparency and engagement.”
A number of arrests have taken place, including the arrest of Farmbox Meats owner, 64-year-old Dafydd Raw-Rees and a 42-year-old man arrested in Wales on Thursday on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act.
“A 63-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of the same offence at Peter Boddy Slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire,” reports The Telegraph.
Offering the “highest possible standards in the supply chain”
Chief executive Philip Clarke said that Tesco is reviewing its supply chain and intends to open up the details of it to the public.
In a blog on the Tesco website, Clarke says: “I have asked my team to review our approach to the supply chain, to ensure we have visibility and transparency, and to come back with a plan to build a world class traceability and DNA testing system.
“We pledge that over the weeks and months ahead, we will open up our supply chain, and give you more information than any retailer has before to enable you to make informed choices about the food you buy for your family.
“We pledge that over the weeks and months ahead, we will open up our supply chain, and give you more information than any retailer has before to enable you to make informed choices about the food you buy for your family.
“And let me be clear that this doesn’t mean more expensive food – it just means doing things the right way, and accepting nothing less than the highest possible standards in the supply chain.”
