Tesco to Use DNA System to Trace the Origin of Beef

LONDON - Tesco here will use IdentiGen‘s DNA TraceBack tracking system as a means of guaranteeing the source, quality and safety of its beef products, IdentiGEN, Dublin, Ireland, announced yesterday. Under terms of the agreement, Tesco will use the DNA TraceBack brand on all beef sold in its supermarkets and specialty stores in Ireland. "DNA-based traceability provides an added level to the quality assurance our customers have come to expect from Tesco, guaranteeing the origin of all of the beef they buy in our Irish stores, while underpinning the claims of the premium products we sell," said Liam Forsyth, Tesco Ireland's meat buyer, in a statement. "With IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack system we can identify and trace the origin of beef from all of our suppliers to our customers using a system that is based on innovative science, so it is accurate, reliable and cost effective for us to use." At the retailer, verification samples are systematically taken from meat cuts, including ground beef, and compared with the DNA from source animals to verify product origin and ultimately production history.