Some of the details may need fine tuning, and deadlines may need to be extended, but produce suppliers and buyers are on board with the Produce Traceability Initiative.
That was the consensus of four panelists in a July 21 web seminar hosted by The Packer, “Advancing Traceability: The Buyer’s Perspective.”
The fourth in a series on traceability, the event was moderated by The Packer editor Greg Johnson, and sponsored by N2N Global Inc., Longwood, Fla.
Panelists included Teri Miller, category manager for produce for Food Lion, Salisbury, N.C.; Steve Oates, director of produce and floral for Sunflower Farmers Market, Boulder, Colo.; Angela Paymard, chairman of N2N; and Tom Stenzel, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh Produce Association.
Participants in the Web seminar shared a viewpoint discussed by panelists throughout the session: while PTI is not perfect in its current form, some version of it will likely be adopted by the industry.
In an online poll conducted during the seminar, about 46% of participants said PTI would be implemented, but not on the current timeline. Another 45% said PTI would be adopted, but with “one offs” — or adjustments tailored to particular retailers’ needs.
Just 5% thought PTI would be adopted in its current form and meeting present deadlines, and only 4% thought the industry would not implement any version of PTI.
Stenzel emphasized that the deadlines are not as important as many have made them out to be.
“I get less hung up on the dates,” he said. “Let’s be frank: not everyone is going to get there. We’re moving the battleship.”
Retailers Miller and Oates both said that while there may be some hiccups along the way, they were confident they and their suppliers would eventually adopt PTI.