Cargill is going for a dual traceability system in Canada
After three months since the launch of the Canadian beef sustainability pilot project, Cargill reported encouraging results that prove the model works. Representatives of the company consider that the project has a significant potential to scale the program to deliver a greater volume of certified sustainable beef to Canadian consumers. The pilot is currently encouraging additional ranchers to participate in the pilot for the remainder of 2018.
Cargill's Canadian beef sustainability pilot project was launched to test and validate the audit and traceability systems necessary to meet the requirements of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework established by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). This framework, the first of its kind in the world, is a voluntary program that enables cattle producers and beef processors to demonstrate the sustainability of their operations while at the same time supporting the retail and foodservice industry in their sustainable beef sourcing efforts, informs the company in a press release.
For contributions made during the first quarter of the pilot, participating cattle ranchers were rewarded $10-per-head for qualifying cattle that could be tracked through audited sustainable operations from farm to fork.
“We are encouraged by the pilot’s first quarter results. It proved that a significant volume of beef can be successfully traced through a certified supply chain for the participating customers,” said Gurneesh Bhandal, Cargill’s beef sustainability manager in Toronto. “By adding more producers to the pilot, we can supply more customers with Canadian beef from sustainable sources”.
In the first three months, the pilot tested and developed a methodology for tracking eligible cattle through audited live animal supply chains. It also tested the methodology for tracking supply chain sustainability certifications from the beef carcass to finished products. By coupling live cattle and beef product traceability, Cargill’s Canadian customers can demonstrate the sustainability of their entire supply chain.
Cattle are tracked as they move through audited operations by the Beef Info-Exchange System’s (BIXS) RFID tagging system, from the time producers tagged them through processing at Cargill’s High River beef plant. Until March 15, the pilot was able to successfully certify more than 550,000 pounds of beef according to the CRSB Framework standards and supply chain guidelines. 70 Canadian cattle producers have signed up for this program.
Two auditors, Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) and Where Food Comes From (WFCF), are supervising the pilot project initiated by Cargill.
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