Ability to Trace Solution to StarLink Problem

April 18, 2001

An Internet online grain auditing company, CropVerifeye.com, LLC believes "traceability" is a solution to the threat of decreasing exports and product recalls such as those that have occurred with StarLink corn. USDA now expects corn exports will decline by at least 50 million bushels this year, and that creates "a grim scenario for many American producers as well as for U.S. grain processors," the company said.

Speaking at the National Food Processors' Food Safety Summit in Washington, Jim Mock, CropVerifeye co-founder and vice president, marketing and sales, said, "Biotechnology isn't a 'GMO or non-GMO' issue. It's actually a consumer-driven issue but without global consensus about what makes food safe. We need to show the world that the U.S. agricultural industry is capable of helping food companies offer grain and vegetable choices to meet consumer demand-wherever those consumers might be and whatever their preferences are."

According to CropVerifeye, the best way to deliver grain that meets grain processors' expectations is through a traceability system that begins in the field. "The idea of grain traceability is really not that different from the 'seed to cellophane' approach of the meat industry," Mock says. "Because of the push for better meat quality, the industry is becoming more vertically integrated. It's now possible to trace a case of pork or beef from the packer/processor all the way back to the rancher who raised the animal. You can find out the animal's genetics, medications received, feeding program and whether the injections were administered properly. Adopting a similar system for grain would make StarLink a non-issue."

CropVerifeye's crop auditing system for contract and non-contract production provides Internet information on the condition of contracted acreage "anywhere in the world," says Mock. The menu of CropVerifeye auditing services includes inspecting seed purchase documentation, verifying variety, validating equipment and bin sanitation, and examining field row isolation. Data from these inspections, along with that from other critical points in the crop production process, are stored on the Internet.

Mock adds. "Through CropVerifeye, a contract buyer from a food ingredient company in Tokyo can have verification of crop conditions at a moment's notice."

Because crop traceability systems are fairly new to the marketplace, industry adoption is in its infancy. Most food processors, however, see the value in this service. Meanwhile, Mock says, major grain importers like Japan, the largest customer for U.S. corn, are questioning the credibility of America's random grain testing. With a traceability program, grain testing would be more systematic, dictated by grain buyers' standards.

"We've got to stop looking at traceability as something that's 'nice to have,'" Mock says. "With shrinking export markets and new biotech varieties for wheat and rice on the horizon, traceable crops are an absolute necessity. And the cost is nominal, especially when you think about the $100 million to $1 billion that any food company could accumulate in potential liabilities. And these figures don't include losses in brand equity. Food processors today can't afford to live in a commodity age."

Mock believes consumers will continue to drive the demand for grain tracking. "Today's consumers are more sophisticated than ever before, but we just don't know how interested they'll be in the minute production details of the food they buy," Mock says. "Will they have the time or the desire to read about the origination of the wheat that's in their favorite bread? It's possible. Or maybe brand assurance is all they need. What is clear, however, is that food safety will be a top consumer concern. Producers, processors and others in the food chain will need a data trail to back up that brand promise, whether consumers ever see it or not."

CropVerifeye.com, LLC (www.cropverifeye.com), is a privately held company offering ISO9000-equivalent services to crop production and food processing companies. With offices in Wichita, KS, Ft. Wayne, IN, and Mahomet, IL, the company provides verification, validation and traceability of the integrity of crops and food products.