Pret a Manger, lunchtime destination for many an office worker looking for freshly made, non-supermarket sandwiches, has recently revealed that it sources its chicken from Brazil.

The meat is sourced from Brasil Foods, the mega company formed from the merger of Perdigao and Sadia. Upon arrival in the UK it is defrosted and cooked -  and sold as ‘fresh’ by the sandwich chain. Read the article for more.

This most recent traceability issue involving products sourced from Brazil raises some points for consideration:

1. Understand the dynamic- Brazil exports 3.6 million tonnes of poultry a year to 153 countries, providing four million jobs directly or indirectly along the way. The scale of this industry is enormous and fits into a world where more consumers are demanding meat as part of their diet.

2. Pret, alongside other UK retailers are not currently required to state where they source their chicken from. Marks and Spencer’s and Waitrose use only British chicken which although more expensive gives them, they feel, a competitive advantage over other retailers in a consumer market switched on to provenance and ‘local’.

3. Working hard to win people over – the Brazilian poultry industry, though highly regulated, has come under numerous attacks from NGOs for its lack of transparency around sustainability issues. To face up to their critics and maintain contracts with developed world retailers, the industry needs to work hard to implement even tighter regulations around welfare, working conditions etc.

This shift to dialogue, openness and transparency will become commonplace for Brazilian companies wishing to supply world markets. As footprinting of all products increases with consumers becoming more aware and demanding of retailers,  they will demand more from their suppliers.

See this recent post: 3 short films: NGO, Media and the CEO for a look at sourcing meat and leather from the Amazon

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STEP 1: Results of traceability investigation by Greenpeace

STEP 2: Picked up by mainstream media

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlxDg39J1yU]

Step 3: Response from Jeff Shwarz, CEO of Timberland

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIPJ88cmqps&feature=player_embedded]

visit Greenpeace page for details of full report

Still searching for the other CEO videos on youtube…

See previous post for details of 80% deforestation commitments by Lula administration.

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The financial crisis has underscored just how ill-equipped companies can be to deal with two important changes in the reputation environment. First, the influence of indirect stakeholders—such as NGOs, community activists, and online networks—has grown enormously.

Second, the proliferation of media technologies and outlets, along with the emergence of new Web-based platforms, has given individuals and organizations new tools they use to subject companies to greater and faster scrutiny. This communications revolution also means that certain issues (such as poor labor conditions) that might be acceptable in one region can be picked up by “citizen journalists” or bloggers and generate outrage in another.

Environmental and human rights groups accuse WWF of alienating local communities from aquaculture debate

Current attempts by WWF and other intended certifiers are not supported by local communities and indigenous peoples, the global network of NGOs, academics and citizens who are still demanding a moratorium on further expansion of these socially disruptive and ecologically destructive industries.

BTW fish you can eat here…