Last month the CEO of ASDA spoke of the dawning of a new shopping experience. ‘There will be no ‘behind the scenes’ he said. Carrot cams and cow-cams will reveal all about the way in which our food is produced and we will have the power to decide if we buy (or not) according to an informed judgment. In principle, its a good idea. Dole has been doing something similar with their bananas for a while. But let’s be a little realistic. The majority of consumer concerns tend to focus on products that have come from countries where labour or environmental issues and abuses are greatest. That’s not to say there won’t be abuses on a carrot farm in Kent, but I wonder if Asda would be quite so keen to install cameras in a Colombian fruit farm. Then there are other questions. Apart from the possible privacy issues this raises for farmers or workers concerned, if the consumer has made it thus far and is watching enthralled as his carrots get pulled from the ground, at what point might the law of unintended consequences kick in? Farms are dirty, smelly, messy places. I should know, I grew up on one. My brother is an organic dairy farmer in Wales, and while he is open to the idea of Daisy and Cuddles becoming overnight stars, the milking process is not about cute long eyelashes, swishing tails and fountains of pure fresh milk gushing forth. What will the consumer do when faced with a cow‘s dirty bottom, or a grumpy, tired and overworked farmer thwacking a recalcitrant member of the herd to get her moving in the right direction? Be horrified, switch brands, and report the farmer to the RSPCA?
Most consumers can only cope with so much truth and complexity when it comes to how their goods are produced. Any process of ‘democratisation’ in the supply chain has to ensure that farmers too, have the right, and means, to decide how and when to engage with their consumers, without the rather less democratic interference of retailers.