At the onset of 2014, fast food giant McDonald's announced that by 2016 it will purchase verified sustainable beef only. The powers that be have proclaimed that they want to continue expansion across the globe, but responsibly, which is why they are focused on sustainable beef solutions. McDonald's wants to help improve environmental practices by encouraging sustainable beef production along with animal health and welfare.
This is not a sudden gesture since the company has been engaged in talks since 2009 with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to make a difference and contribute to environmental and animal welfare. But the definitive announcement has taken the food industry by storm, particularly because there is still a lack of awareness and knowledge surrounding beef sustainability.
The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), which was created in 2012, has now released a definition for the same, but the notion of sustainability is still at a nascent stage. Added to that is the challenge of raising beef in different parts of the world, which gives sustainability in beef production a more complex structure.
There will be geographical, demographic, ecological and environmental matters to be taken into consideration that will redefine the meaning in these different zones, but the bottom line is the same. Certain critical issues will need to be addressed in order to ease the path to sustainability.
The idea is to integrate the ideas and functions of all who make up the beef supply chain — from cattle ranchers and cattle-feeding associations, meat-processing associations, restaurants and retail outlets to environmental organizations and nongovernmental agencies like the WWF and the National Wildlife Federation. Only by working together can overall sustainability of beef be improved and maintained.
However, beef sustainability is not the issue — all now agree that is the need of the hour. The announcement by McDonald's to procure "verified sustainable" beef has stirred up a huge debate. And rightly so, because the definition for that is still up in the air.
The GRSB has tried to come up with the answer by outlining sustainable production goals that will cause minimal damage to the various ecosystems and lessen the carbon footprints across the industry. It does not, however, define the verifiable methods that will probably be clear after researchers in different countries measure the environmental and social effects of beef production and recommend ways to improve operations.
A clearer answer comes from up north, via The Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA). The CCA has outlined the important role and integration of research and technology with innovation and communication to be the key to definite sustainable beef production.
The organization has risen fast and in 2013 came into the limelight for its role in the development of the 2013 "Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle." Stress on effective devices for food traceability and advanced information transfer systems all focused on verifiable on-farm food safety programs that are economically viable at the same time.
As per the CCA, verified sustainability is the integration of:
- Continued promotion of high-quality, safe beef
- Continual improvements and upgrades in production practices
- Bridging the knowledge gap between primary production and the end consumers
The need of the hour is for everyone in the beef supply chain to join the sustainability conversation, validate sustainable production and inform the consumers of their efforts as well.
