Bulletin E3492
Critical Food Safety and Quality Elements in the Dry Bean Supply Chain
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June 26, 2024 - Mark Uebersax, Scott Bales, Muhammad Siddiq and Evan Wright, Michigan State University Extension.
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EmailThe concept of quality is associated with all aspects of our lives. A myriad of consumer goods (cars, cell phones, stereos, and more) are sold based on real or perceived notions of quality and value. However, perhaps the single most urgent and focused concern in today’s public is the quality and safety of our food supply. Any number of food-related issues during the past 10 years have heightened consumer concerns. Quality has many connotations and qualifying definitions.
Today’s Michigan bean growers are both beneficiaries and proponents of a long legacy associated with production and supply of quality beans. This favored position requires diligence and constancy of purpose. It is important to highlight the concept of quality within the context of dry beans. Michigan bean growers fully recognize that quality is associated with good business and that consistent delivery of quality products is required to sustain customers. Thus, full application of the marketing axiom “It is easier to keep a customer than find a customer” is warranted. Quality foods must, by definition, be safe, wholesome, and nutritious. Dry beans possess every attribute to be fully recognized as quality foods. The dry bean is, above all, a most noble food that must be handled as such throughout production, harvest, and shipment to assure sheer delight by the customer. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of food quality and safety for Michigan bean growers in the context of the complex food supply chain.
