Why Transparency Is Important to Food Safety & Consumer Trust

Food safety and consumer trust were among important issues discussed by CEOs of some of the largest food and beverage companies last week at a  panel discussion at the Global Food Safety Conference, according to Food Business News.

Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO of Mondelez International, said that companies shouldn’t use food safety as a competitive advantage, but rather should work to ensure all products travel safely through the supply chain.

Cargill Chairman and CEO David MacLennan said that one of the biggest problems he sees is that the world right now doesn’t have a lot of trust, and food and beverage companies need to create trust and transparency.

Food safety continues to be on the mind of manufacturers and consumers, especially in the wake of recent major recalls involving chicken, ice cream, soy butter and shredded cheese.

Despite stricter federal safety requirements, many companies have taken things into their own hands, going even further than what’s required.

The Food Safety Modernization Act has a strict set of requirements for food manufacturers but things are still slipping through the cracks. That’s why in-house checklists and safety additions are making the rounds at companies such as Nestle and Tyson Foods.

As many of the leaders at the conference made clear, safety is vital to keeping consumer trust and losing it could be devastating. Consumers expect transparency from food companies in all ways. They want to know where their products are coming from and what’s in them. But they also want to know everything about how safe items are to consume. Being transparent about food safety — and even recalls — is vital. Consumers tend to be forgiving if they know about problems upfront, analysts say.