Editorial<br>A NEW WORLD

After the BSE crisis of late 2000 industry stakeholders found themselves on the wrong side of public opinion and have since then invested money, hard work, prestige, and – the most costly resource of all – time, in recovering consumer confidence, and with that, market shares.Not only industry leaders had to sharply improve performance, animal and public health services around the globe were sent scurrying for safety procedures and better control, while farmers’ organizations got busy developing quality assurance schemes and even including environmental impact management into the package.Now, after all the hard work, things are in a much better state, but the consumer is still watching, demanding not only safety procedures, but guarantees of ethical treatment of animals and farm hands alike, while at the same time also insisting that the food be tasty and nutritious as well.At the same time, industry is dependent on international trade to make the wheels go round, a fact few if any consumers have any serious problem with. In fact, they like foreign and exotic foods, as long as it does not make them sick.So here is a dilemma. How do you provide the same guarantees on an imported food product as for the locally made hamburger, when you can risk damning exposés in the media from communication savvy consumer rights’ groups? How can you be sure that you do not end up importing a liability problem, or even an overprized product with inadequate quality control management behind it?How can you be sure that the provider you have is the best you can get if you do not have the means to communicate directly, face to face and on common terms.South America is indeed a new world, full of opportunities and business, but unfortunately many industry stakeholders fear venturing into this remote region, perhaps worrying about the cultural barrier, the language barrier, the climatic factors, the geographical factors?We here at AmeriCarne and the Latin American Food Network want to tear down those barriers and provide overseas food industry stakeholders with a fresh view into the regions realities, risks, opportunities, company profiles and a guide to who is who in the markets here.Drawing on our most important resource, a multicultural and multidisciplinary community of professionals, here in Argentina, in Europe, throughout the Latin American region, we fully understand the realities of the different parties involved in international food trade, be it the Official Veterinary Surgeon at the Border Inspection Post in Europe, the small to medium size business in South America, or elsewhere, who is trying to survive in a very complex world, or the big retailer who’s main concern it is to stay competitive while still pleasing the customers.That is why we invite you to share this space with us, so that you may discover the vast potential in this wonderful region and get to know about the hardworking people who strive to ensure that your success is part of his business.Yours truly,Hanne Martine StabursvikVeterinary Surgeon, MRCVS

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