Is Food Safety a competitive subject ?

Short answer : Yes, and it's a good thing. Let me explain.

Since at least 20 years, the food industry has worked on convergence, standardisation, mutual recognition of food safety standards. However, let's say it loud and clear, some companies are better at food safety then others. More transparent. More proactive. Cooperating every day with their supply chains to disseminate best practices. In some cases, paying their suppliers above the average price, in return for better, more sustainable products. Those companies want this investment to be recognized by shoppers and stakeholders. They know shoppers are able to separate the best companies from the rest. Chipotle problems did not impact Mc Donald's revenue. The recent Benelux egg crisis did not harm French egg suppliers -au contraire.

Industry initiatives are always based upon the same well-intended promise : Standardisation and cooperation will lower costs. However, behind the promise, there is also an unspoken objective of lowest performers and laggards to "level the playfield", making sure no one can claim the ultimate prize: Superior consumer trust & loyalty. As a result, the overall performance of the market tends to become equal to the performance of the weakest, not the strongest players.

Let's use an analogy. Imagine that, 70 years ago, some major airlines, using then propeller engines, gathered to define what would be the standard for flight speed, apparently in the name of safety, and harmonisation. And making sure airlines using jet engines would not be able to offer shorter flights. If this scenario happened in reality, it would still take 15 hours to cross the Atlantic.

That's what partially, and unfortunately happened, in the food industry.

There is another way : Healthy, transparent competition. Let consumers see who are the safest, most transparent companies. Let the best win market share and enjoy better customer loyalty. Let the rest up their game -quickly- if they want to survive. Let the games begin and natural selection operate.

Healthy competition actually promotes higher market standards.. The best companies are celebrated, the worst ones clearly identified, there is no more room for ambiguity and complacency.

Encouraging businesses to do like the best, and not like everyone else, is a good thing for businesses and consumers. Food safety is a competitive subject after all, it never ceased to be, and I am eager to see more competitive developments in the near future.

#foodsafety #salesstrategy #bigideas #sustainability