A New Zealand communications expert who has been at the forefront of assisting food producers manage issues in China will share knowledge of managing crisis’s in Asia at Food Integrity 2017, the conference exploring how to keep New Zealand’s food exports safe and maximise brand profits.
The conference on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 28 June in Auckland brings together international and national experts to help New Zealand companies navigate the complex international food export market place, assisting decision makers to understand the risks and mitigate against them.
As an Independent Consultant and owner of J.C. Small Global Limited, Jordan Small is sharing his learnings on managing issues for food businesses in China and Asia.
Jordan Small was part of the 20-strong team consulting to an American meat processing company after covert video of practices in its Shanghai plant were viewed by millions across China. He says it took the meat producer two years to recover and was a reminder of the dangers when lack of readiness, the Chinese political system, and customer pressures converge.
Mr Small also managed the US Dairy Export Council’s crisis readiness programme in China and Asia for four years building their capability to respond should the worst happen. He continues to advise them on a range of projects including on the development of an industry protocol designed to encourage supply chain cooperation in advance crisis planning.
Mr Small says ‘our New Zealand exporters are fortunate that they can rely heavily on the New Zealand Government and Embassy network to step in during a crisis. However, one downside is that our exporters don’t necessarily invest in their own readiness and potentially give away a high level of control at a time when their interests need to be protected. Responsible exporters prepare for the worst and view crisis readiness as just a part of working internationally.’
Organiser Dr Helen Darling says the conference is an opportunity for New Zealand food exporters to gain an understanding of the measures other countries are taking to protect their food chains and make sure that their systems operate in a complementary manner.
Food Integrity 2017 Is being followed by a one day Professional Intentional Food Adulteration Course. The course, run by Food Protection & Defense Institute, a United States of America Homeland Security Centre of Excellence, will help producers develop strategies to guard against acts intended to ruin brand reputation.
The 2017 Food Integrity Conference is presented in association with AJ Park, one of Australasia’s leading intellectual property law firms.