pacted by it. Therefore, preventing such
incidents is a priority not only to safeguard consumers against grievous harm,
but also to protect brands and brand
names for the industry. Exactly at this
junction, where quality defects impact
the safety of food ingredients, the quality standards of the FCC are a critical aid
to the industry and ultimately to the
consumer to ensure the appropriate
quality of food ingredients and to maintain trust that our food supply is safe.
Beyond these types of incidents,
there are other quality issues, which may
not garner such extensive attention, but
that nevertheless can still be serious.
“Quality” takes into account a host of
factors: that the ingredient is what it
claims to be (identity); that it is not a
contaminated, adulterated, diluted or
otherwise inferior product; and that it is
consistent from batch to batch. These
may affect the safety of a product—or
may influence the taste or texture of a
product or other factors that may not
harm a consumer but may result in their
rejecting a product or brand. That is
something no manufacturer wants.
“To address consumer preferences and needs,
the food industry needs to continuously develop
new products, new processes and new supply
chains at a rapid pace.”
tion of the industry persists, ensuring
quality can become very difficult. Independent quality standards can be a key
part of supply chain management. Observance of these standards may be used
in conducting day-to-day business transactions as part of contracts, for instance.
They also may be used for maintaining
regulatory compliance in all of those
countries that recognize the FCC in law.
Focus on Standards—
Finding Common Ground
Ingredients are produced around the
world, and manufacturers source their
ingredients from a host of countries.
Global sourcing is a strategy that most
manufacturers pursue to minimize costs
and to secure a single (or more) source
for their global needs. This further ensures that the manufacturer benefits
from the economy of size to answer to
consumer interest in ever-lower prices.
As a consequence, one product could
contain ingredients produced in 10 or
more countries. This poses a formidable
challenge to food manufacturers. What
sort of assurance does a manufacturer
have that an ingredient is what it claims
to be? How does a manufacturer know it
is getting what it paid for? Economics
are key factors in the food business, but
do we need to ask if there is a reason
why one source of an ingredient is less
expensive than another?
Take extra virgin olive oil. Some esti-
mates conclude that there are not
enough olive trees in the world to ac-
count for all the purported extra virgin
olive oil being sold today. (To improve
the situation regarding adulterated extra
virgin olive oil in the United States, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture recently
issued new standards tightening the re-
quirements for the product.) The same
goes for pomegranate juice. What this
means is that finished product manufac-
turers—and consumers—may not be get-
ting what they paid for. Some seem to be
getting a low-quality product, and the
consequences can range from safety con-
cerns to taste, texture or other implica-
tions. As we’ve discussed in a previous
column,1 a major incident could result in
a recall, and even a comparatively minor
episode (e.g., one that impacts taste but
not safety) could result in a consumer
switching brands or rejecting a product.
With fierce competition in the food
market, it will be very challenging to
bring back those consumers once they
have switched brands.
Focus on Infant Formula
Infant formula offers an ideal case
study on the importance of ensuring
quality, for many reasons. First, the margin of error here is very slim given the
end consumer is part of a highly vulnerable population. Second, formula is designed to be the only source of nutrition
for infants, making it critical that they
are receiving all the ingredients and benefits of the product necessary to sustain
good health and development. Typically,
the infant’s diet is not supplemented
elsewhere during this pivotal period. Furthermore, the ratio of food to body
weight in infants is significantly higher
than in adults. Their undeveloped organs do not possess all the metabolic
clearing pathways of an adult, making
them much more susceptible to potential health risks. Third, infant formula is
an area where consumer trust is absolutely critical; no parent wants to compromise the safety of their children. If a
product were to be subject to a recall or
any public questioning regarding its
quality or even safety, it would be very
difficult for a manufacturer to earn back
that trust. Fourth, infant formula has undergone various innovations and major
improvements over the years, including
enhancing the product with specific ingredients such as nucleotides (which are
present in higher doses in human milk
than in cow-based infant formulas—and
are thus routinely added to infant for-
