Beef labelling: the emergence of transparency

Abstract

Prior to the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) crisis, detailed information on beef products seemed no real necessity. However, following the outbreak of BSE, the Government felt obliged to protect consumer interest with legislation. Obligatory product information became required for beef traceability. This paper describes how the emergence of beef product information became relevant against the background of BSE. The paper describes the beef sector over time, through two case studies. From both studies, the emergence of product information exchange can be clearly noted. The first study describes the type of information exchanged, before the BSE outbreak. The second study describes the type of information exchanged after the BSE outbreak, prior to compulsory labelling.