The importance of building trust throughout the red meat value chain

One of South Africa’s many socio-economic problems is the general lack of trust between stakeholders in the country’s agricultural value chain and consumers. Dr Pieter Vervoort, managing director of the National Animal Health Forum, says that a national traceability system is one method through which trust can be rebuilt.

- Lloyd Phillips

“It takes time to build trust. The person or entity must prove themselves to be consistently trustworthy over a period of time. However, trust can be quickly broken by a single lie or other deceitful action. It can then take even longer to rebuild the trust that was lost. Trust cannot be forced; it can only be earned,” says Dr Pieter Vervoort, managing director of the National Animal Health Forum.

He explains that in South Africa, there has been a gradual erosion of citizens’ trust in government and corporations over the decades, and even between citizens. There has also been a breakdown in consumers’ trust of farmers and of the food value chain.

Vervoort says that one of the key reasons for this is the ever-increasing disconnect between various levels of South African society. This disconnect is largely the result of the often fake and/or divisive content spread on social media, which an uncritical society tends to perceive as the truth.

Conversely, according to Vervoort, people generally offer their trust faster to people and entities that they are personally and regularly familiar with, such as those within their immediate social circles or communities.

So Close, Yet So Far

“Most of South Africa’s red meat producers are unlikely to be able to engage directly with their many, often distant, consumers,” Vervoort says.

“However, the use of a comprehensive traceability system to generate consumer confidence in red meat products is a valuable trust-building tool. A definition that I found says that in a supply chain, traceability may be both a regulatory and an ethical or environmental issue.”