One of the most valuable products available to BCI clients is a report we call BCI Monitor. But exactly what is BCI Monitor and how can it help your business?
One of the most valuable products available to BCI clients is a report we call BCI Monitor. But exactly what is BCI Monitor and how can it help your business?
The BCI Monitor is a newsletter that is customized for each client and tailored to your priority export markets, products, and topics of interest. It is put together by BCI’s expert analysts to ensure you stay informed about regulatory changes and international trade developments that affect your export sales.
Every week, these newsletters help multinational restaurant chains avoid disruption in their supply of ingredients to global franchisees, help food manufacturers plan and design compliant labeling and packaging to avoid costly redesign, and help farmers avoid border delays that can cause the loss of valuable perishable food shipments.
Under the direction of Julie Cerenzia, who heads up BCI’s Research and Information business unit, we monitor hundreds of government websites, industry-relevant news sources and multilateral trade agencies. We closely monitor Official Gazettes, government websites, U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies, Codex Alimentarius, the World Trade Organization, and USDA reporting. We even scan reporting from competing country industry groups and agri-food trade press.
To provide an idea of the scope of this effort, over the past 11 months BCI staff have been monitoring 437 websites across 92 markets and have shared over 2,000 stories with information important to our clients. The BCI Monitor is a service that allows you to receive updates on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.
Typical information contained in the BCI Monitor includes important changes to import requirements in your key markets, updates on market access issues including tariffs and other trade barriers, information on changing food standards, and in-depth analyses of industry or government reports. If you’re tracking a specific issue, BCI Monitor, will provide ongoing updates and news, specifically addressing the implications for your products.
A great example of how BCI Monitor works to track ongoing issues was the adoption of front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling regulations in Mexico. First proposed in April 2014, the new regulation could require a costly label redesign, disruption of shipments to Mexico during implementation of the changes, and perhaps even drive product reformulation by food exporters. For 18 months, the BCI Monitor kept clients informed as requirements, exemptions, and enforcement timelines emerged, and alerted them to opportunities to submit comments directly to the Mexican government or through U.S. government responses.
The BCI Monitor provided additional critical information to exporters in October of 2020 when, on the eve of implementation, exemptions were removed causing significant confusion and disruption at the border. Whether identifying potential regulations on the horizon, ensuring visibility into requirements that are quietly evolving, or providing critical information on fast-moving issues, the BCI Monitor delivers constant value to its readers in the food exporting community.
If you’re not already a subscriber of this valuable BCI Monitor tool, please reach out to us for more information on how it might specifically benefit your industry.