The US beef cattle industry has been talking about the need for traceability for years - all the way back since the Cow That Stole Christmas in 2003 and even beyond. Dr. Brad Morgan with the Performance Food Group told Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays in a recent interview, that having a reliable traceability system in place is something the customers he works with truly want.
“We finally just decided we were going to go ahead and do it ourselves. We call it “Path Proven,” that’s our marketing term for it,” Morgan said. “But, we take a DNA sample from each one of the cattle that go into our program. We can take a hamburger patty for instance and tell you exactly which carcass it came from.”
Morgan says this system does three things for PFG and its customers. First of all, if there is ever a problem with any products sold to a customer, a sample of meat (cooked or raw) from the product can be taken and its DNA tested to see if the product did in fact come from PFG’s Braveheart beef program. That helps to resolve most any issues that may arise. Secondly, Morgan says it keeps the packers honest. With the check-points in place, PFG can ensure that the meat being packaged under their brand is in fact from the cattle that have entered their program. Finally, it is a way to provide one of the most important selling points to customers - consistency of quality. Morgan says when high-quality beef is recognized, they trace it back to the ranch from which it originated so they know where to return for more high-quality beef. But to the industry’s credit, Morgan says he has never seen such a quality herd than the one we have now.
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