Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 23 November 2017
Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner: traceable turkeys

By ROXANA HEGEMAN
Associated Press
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Tur-
key farmer Darrell Glaser
buys his Thanksgiving bird
at the local grocery store,
just like most folks.
But this Thanksgiving sea-
son, the Texas producer will
be able to find out where
the Honeysuckle White tur-
key he puts into his shop-
ping cart was raised — and
even know if it is one of the
birds from his own Milam
County farm.
Turkey buyers in select Tex-
as markets will be able to
either text or enter on the
Honeysuckle White website
the code found on the tag
on the packaged bird to
find out where it was raised
and get information about
the farm’s location, view
farm photos and read the
farmer’s message.
“What traceability does
is just allow us to connect
with the consumer,” Glaser
said. “And I think over time
there has been a discon- In this Oct. 16, 2017 photo, turkeys stand in a poultry barn at Smotherman Farms near Waco, Texas. Associated Press
nect. People have kind of
lost where their food comes make money off it,” said local producers, Fund said. turkeys or poultry at a real of the industry? Only in re-
from and this is a way to re- Mary Fund, executive di- Now Cargill is in a sense local level and feed every- spect to branded items,
establish that line of com- rector of the Kansas Rural “turning back to that mod- body.” there is no point in doing it
munication.” Glaser is an Center, an advocacy or- el” by trying to tap into the The conglomerate’s Hon- for generics,” Shane said.
independent farmer who ganization that promotes desire that consumers have eysuckle White brand is the “But the industry is moving
raises about 600,000 birds ecologically and socially for an identifiable product. nation’s third largest turkey over to brands.”
a year for Cargill’s Honey- responsible food systems. “It is a tough thing because producer, and is among The pilot project will inform
suckle White brand, and is Big agribusiness companies the local and regional food the top five companies the company as to the val-
among four Texas farmers like Cargill and Tyson were production and marketing that collectively raise 65 ue of supply chain transpar-
participating in the market instrumental in concen- system is not really able to percent of U.S. turkey pro- ency to consumers and its
test. The traceable turkeys trating poultry production satisfy the demand that is duction, said Simon Shane, impact on sales, said Deb-
in the pilot project won’t on farms and processing out there,” Fund said. “So an industry consultant and orah Socha, Honeysuckle
cost more than untagged entities — eliminating the we are not naive in think- adjunct professor at North Brand manager. Based on
birds, and after the test the infrastructure that used to ing that you are going to Carolina State University. those findings, Cargill will
Minneapolis-based Cargill be there to support smaller be able to grow enough “Will it influence the rest develop its digital supply
Inc. and its Honeysuckle chain in the United States
White brand says it will as- and globally.
sess its effectiveness and Honeysuckle White touts an
value to determine further internal 2014 study of turkey
implementation of the digi- consumers which found 44
tal technology and any percent thought it was im-
price adjustments. portant for companies to
The pilot project marks the be transparent, and a 2016
agribusiness giant’s entry study from Nielsen Global
into a burgeoning farm-to- Ingredients that found 73
table movement driven by percent of consumers feel
people who want to know positively about compa-
where their food comes nies that are transparent
from and how it was pro- about how its food prod-
duced. It is also a sign of ucts are made.
the success driven by sus- “Honeysuckle White has
tainable food advocates been listening to what the
who have been promoting consumers have said and
such connections as a way found that when it came
for farmers to market local- to feeding their family, they
ly grown and raised foods. really want to feel confi-
“When the big companies In this Oct. 16, 2017 photo, baby turkeys stand in a poultry barn at Smotherman Farms near Waco, dent in knowing where and
see that success, they are Texas. how the food is raised,” So-
going to jump in and try to Associated Press cha said.q