Transparency as the Currency of Trust

Merck Animal Health, an IGA Red Oval Partner, is committed to advancing animal health for a safe and sustainable food supply though pioneering science, technology, and insights-driven solutions.

Throughout April's Earth Month, IGA is sharing resources from Merck Animal Health to help inform retailers, wholesalers, and store teams on the role of livestock health management and how traceability is creating a more responsible, transparent, and sustainable food system for the future.

Transparency Builds Trust With Consumers

Listen to the podcast here and/or read the highlights below.

Transparency is personal to consumers, as they are concerned about their health and the health of animals and the planet. In this podcast episode, Merck Animal Health Value Chain and Consumer Affairs Associate Director Jane Dukes speaks with The Center for Food Integrity CEO Charlie Arnot. The Center for Food Integrity is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to building consumer trust and confidence in today’s food system.

Arnot is recognized as an industry leader on food and agriculture issues and is a thought-provoking writer and speaker. He discusses increased skepticism stakeholders are facing from customers, consumers and investors across the food value chain. He shares how we can work together to provide critical transparency on topics like food safety, ingredients, animal welfare, labor and business practices and environmental impact.

“Consumers are not monolithic, and there are 350 million different opinions about what we should be doing when it comes to food and agriculture. And so it's really important and challenging for us to be able to engage. But really the questions, if you distill it all down, come down to, is the food system operating in a way consistent with my values?” - Charlie Arnot

“What we found in organizations is the champion for being more transparent can come from a wide variety of sectors within the company. Could be corporate affairs, could be food safety and regulatory, could be sustainability or ESG, supply chain, research and development, innovation, marketing, C suite leaders. We've worked with companies where the champion for transparency has come from any of those individual sectors. And so we encourage those who have an interest in transparency to come and learn more.” - Charlie Arnot