AUSTRALIA’s strong food safety, traceability and product integrity credentials have been showcased in a series of short videos coincidentally released by different industry stakeholders over the past couple of months.

Although each has a somewhat different target audience, the common theme is Australia’s world-leading traceability systems and capturing much of the passion, dedication and deep commitment that beef producers and others along the supply chain have for their product.

The Queensland Government recently released a beef industry showcase video, initially shot for the benefit of international visitors attending the Beef 2015 event in Rockhampton in April. Almost 1000 international delegates attended the event as part of the Handshakes program, from across Asia and the Pacific, North and South America and Europe.

Dr Chris Chilcott, Director Animal Industries with Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, said the video would also have further application in international markets when showcasing Australian and Queensland beef.

For example it will be used again next month at the second China Beef and Mutton Exhibition, where it will be used as part of a presentation on Queensland beef production systems.

An English language version of the video can be viewed here, but for the benefit of some of Beef Central’s 12,500 regular website visitors from overseas, separate versions have also been made in Bahasa (Indonesian) and Mandarin (Chinese). Click these highlighted links to view.

“The primary purpose of the introductory video was to showcase the industry’s supply chain security, built around traceability, food safety and hygiene systems,” Dr Chilcott said.

“More detailed information is provided to interest groups with a particular focus on one or more of the video’s subject areas. For example one visiting Chinese group wanted to know more about how the National Livestock Identification System used at the cattle production stage is linked with traceability further down the supply chain,” he said.

Other Beef 2015 delegate groups from China were particularly interested in how Australia’s domestic supply chain operates, and how that might differ from export.

“Their inquiry appeared to be linked to the fact that we ‘eat our own product’, and they wanted to know that the same ‘certainty’ over food safety applied to export products, as it does to domestic,” Dr Chilcott said.

“They were overwhelmingly impressed with the food safety systems used for domestic beef, and how that aligns with export programs, meaning they can have the same, or higher levels of assurance as an export customer.”

The “Queensland Beef – World-class quality for global markets” video points out that Queensland, in its own right, is the fourth largest beef exporter in the world.

Testimonials from stakeholders like Oakey Beef Exports’ Pat Gleeson and Central Queensland beef producer Brett Coombe explain innovations along the supply chain that ensure Queensland and Australian beef is high quality, safe and reliable, backed by strong quality assurance principles, the world’s first national mandatory animal ID program and Australia’s world-leading health status that provides the highest level of market access of any beef exporting country in the world.

“Through our systems, we have the ability trace a piece of beef in an international country all the way back to property of origin,” the video says.

 

Building trust in McDonalds Japan’s supply chain

 

In another video released for international audiences by MLA recently, two southern NSW beef-producing families are helping sell Aussie beef in Japan.

The Hicks family of Holbrook, and the Corrigan family from Bowna near Albury, feature in new videos and marketing materials produced by McDonald’s Japan to tell the story of Australia’s clean and green beef production.

McDonald’s Japan, one of Australian beef’s largest global customers, filmed interactive videos at farms and processing plants to answer the concerns of their customers, help build their brand reputation and demonstrate a two-way, transparent conversation.

The on-farm video focuses on the grassfed pastures that the Corrigan’s Angus cattle are raised on, as well as demonstrating the benefits of full traceability from birth to slaughter through the National Livestock Identification System.

Restoring reputation

McDonald’s Japan’s brand image suffered a setback in mid-2014, when media reported food safety issues at a Shanghai chicken supplier, leading to disruptive coverage, which affected the fast food outlet’s reputation and consumer foot traffic in both China and Japan.

“The first and upmost priority for McDonald’s was to regain consumer confidence in our food quality, and beef is of course one of most crucial ingredients for our business,” said Miwa Yamamoto from McDonald’s in Japan.

In response to the coverage, the company implemented a communication program to promote supply chain transparency and the value of its food quality in its 3000 outlets.

With support from MLA, it developed a series of highly-engaging messages to consumers around its food quality, thanks to strong support and commitment from Australian cattle producers and beef processors, Ms Yamamoto said.

McDonald’s beef, and particularly its Australian beef supply chain, formed an integral part of the program in raising awareness of McDonald’s food safety and quality with Japanese consumers.

Pursuing partnerships

MLA partnered with McDonald’s on the program, providing logistic and coordination support in Australia as well as materials in the form of new educational DVDs for employees, video diaries targeted towards consumers from Australian cattle producers and meat processors and media opportunities along the McDonald’s supply chain.

McDonald’s also received support from Teys Australia, a major beef supplier to the company.

Click the link below to view the McDonald’s video highlighting Australian producers.

Click the link below to view the McDonald’s video highlighting Australian processors and pattie manufacturers.