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If you’re in Europe right now, you’ve probably already heard a lot about the recent horse scandal that came to light over the last month. Tesco, Morrisions, Ikea and even Sedexo, a foodservice company that runs cafeterias for students in schools, have been found to sell beef products that are not as meaty as the packaging might suggest. Significant traces of horse meat were found in meat products; in some cases, there were more horses than meat. Since the revelations, there has been a clamor for food rules and regulations. The fact that a crisis like this happened in the first place does not surprise me at all. When the lack of regulation and supervision is considered, it is quite easy to include a crisis like this as almost inevitable.

Most people don’t understand how complex supply chains are in our economy. If you were asked how your food got to your plate, I think you would end your answer with ‘from the supermarket’. Ultimately, we have no idea what goes on behind the supermarkets. Where does the meat come from? Who transports the products? What region? What country? I could not confidently answer any of these questions. That worries me. This worries me a lot. We have to start asking the questions that we have ignored for so long. Who exactly oversees the supply and distribution chains? I hope the answer is nobody.

If there is no official body overseeing the supply chain, from farm to supermarket, how on earth can we say that what we eat is totally safe for consumption? Horse burgers have probably been sold as beef burgers and we’ve only realized that this has probably been going on for years. If it is so easy to sell horses as beef, then what does it mean that there are no dangerous substances in the food we are eating right now? Also, do we understand the long-term effects of eating what we eat?

As a result of the exposure of these supermarkets, we have seen a total drop in consumer confidence. We rely heavily on supermarkets using them to buy almost everything we trust. This scandal has destroyed that confidence and now we have started to see a big drop in purchases of cheaper meat products. The challenge for supermarkets is to demonstrate that they are in control and can certify the quality and content of all their products. While trying to send that message to consumers, these same supermarkets are pleading with authorities that they had no idea what was going on. These are the supermarkets that are among the richest corporations in the world; they hire industry-leading analysts and observers. Are they saying they didn’t know anything about the horse? If they couldn’t find a shocking problem like this, how the heck can the consumer regain their confidence?

The short answer to all of these questions is no. The problem with this crisis is the lack of understanding. Nobody seems to have a clear and concise idea of ​​how our food is obtained. Our society is becoming more complex and more advanced, however, I feel that within this complexity, we are losing track of a lot of really important things. A little horse in our burgers certainly won’t be the worst problem to come to light. I predict that similar labeling issues will become apparent in the coming months / years and we will begin to better understand the seriousness of the situation.

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