Food is far more than calories or nutrition. It defines a people and is often associated with identity, culture, and the fabric of life that bonds families, regions and even nations together. Food celebrates holidays and holy days in virtually every culture on earth so there is very little in this world more destructive to a brand or to trust in a process or supply chain than to deliberately poison food, especially if the tainted product is largely destined for children. In a stunning example of irresponsible and unethical behavior, milk processors in China have done just this by adding melamine, an industrial chemical, to watered down milk to artifically keep protein test levels high. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27099329?emc=el&m=1602943&l=4&v=37c7618954) If you have watched this crisis unfold, the damage, first to infants who consumed the toxic products, all the way to trashing China's most revered and celebrated confection, the White Rabbit creamy candy, which is widely known and associated with fond childhood memories by a large number of Chinese, have been intense. Purportedly, White Rabbit candy was given to President Nixon during or after his famous visit to China as a hallmark brand of China and the Chinese experience.
As the crisis with children (who are more likely to suffer ill effects from the doses found in milk and baby formula than adults eating candy and milk products) unfolded, the reactions of Chinese mothers was swift. One was quoted as saying "I will never trust Chinese Brands again". Brands are about trust and when that trust is violated, it is often very difficult to recover, especially when the damage is sick and hurting children vs a product that falls apart sooner than predicted.
Food safety is a critical part of the future prosperity of agricultural exports from the United States. Having and keeping a reputation for safe and nutritious pork, beef, poultry and other food items is key in maintaining future prosperity and growing global demand for U.S. products. As the percentage of net exports to domestic demand for U.S. pork and other meats grows, the economic consequences of anything which would destroy that growth is more than substantial. The economic opportunity to step into markets where others have failed to provide safe products is the other side of the same coin.
