Vol 2 ~ iss 2, Meat Packing Journal, Mar~Apr 2015

The international magazine for the meat and poultry industry

P.14

IPPE 2015 atlanta show review

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the man behind modern poultry

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walmart calls for clean chicken

MEAT PACKING J O U R N A L

xray

mpj weighs the arguments on metal detection and xray machines

sausage sells us consumers spend $2.5bn on a billion hot dogs each year ~ world markets take note

GrandiN How Grandin's lairage designs continue to shake up the industry

poultry On the rise

March~april 2015 volume 2 | issue 2 ISSN 2054-4685

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C o Mmen t

The writing is on the wall and change is in the wind

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ome years back I was speaking to a New Zealand hoki fisherman. He kept asking me about North Sea cod fishing until I finally stopped him in mid-sentence and asked him why did he care?

The North Sea and Tasman Sea are about as far from each other as possible and still remain on Earth.

“The world’s markets are all global; what policies and attitudes affect North Sea cod fishing today, will affect my fishing tomorrow.”

He went on to explain that while fishing companies for the most part saw themselves as being very local, environmental and animal welfare groups saw themselves as being anything but. If they were able to shut down the North Sea cod fishery – which numerous groups were trying to do – what would stop them from shutting down the hoki fishery? “If you want to succeed in today’s business world, you need to keep your finger on the global pulse, it’s the only way to survive,” he said.

While I don’t remember the fisherman’s name, I’ll never forget what he told me that day because he was right – and just not with environmental issues, which is why at MPJ we try to give you the big world view. Over the years I’ve watched industries and companies either take that view or bury their heads in the sand – I don’t need to tell you which ones are still thriving.

This takes me to America’s pig farmers and gestation cages. I’ve listened to arguments in favor of the cages and, while I don’t buy into the idea that pigs like tight, confined spaces – about as much as I like squeezing my hog-like he Canadian chicken farmers frame into an economy seat for an 11 hour flight – I do accept the fact that for running around like James Bond, certain periods of time during pig production they make sense. fighting villians, and eating drumsticks However, it doesn’t matter if they are part of proper hog husbandry. It - sounds like a crazy marketing idea? doesn’t matter that never before in the history of the human race are this many Crazy like a million hits on YouTube. people in complete ignorance of their food supply. The undeniable fact is that Chicken Squad page 44-47 the public in the USA, Europe, and Oceania do not want them, and walking hand-in-hand with the public are the world’s humane and animal rights charities.

Watching all of these developments are company shareholders. They don’t read Today on the Farm; they read the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. What have both of these highly influential newspapers been running stories about? Chipotle Grill Inc – the darling of Wall Street – saying no to pork suppliers who use gestation cages. Shareholders noticed this; they want nothing to impede the flow of the public’s dollar into their wallets.

On top of all of this California’s Proposition 2, which was a law passed by the voters to ensure egg laying chickens had a certain amount of space, has gone into effect. Why should you care, you produce eggs in Alabama? Californians eat a lot eggs; more eggs than California can produce. If you want to sell eggs to California, your cages have to comply with Californian law.

Representative Steve King of Iowa, the nation’s lead hog producing state, said: "We just simply cannot let California dictate to the rest of the country how we house hens or hogs or cattle."

You know what, they did. And it’s just a matter of time before the next proposition is passed.

For you hog farmers, I understand your anger. That for just once, you’re wishing that the urban consumers of your product – which is keeping them alive – would spend 10 seconds trying to understand your job and I agree with you 100 percent.

But it’s not going to happen. So you could do like Californian chicken farmers did and fight – losing in the end and spending a pretty penny on lawyers’ fees. Or, you can accept it and plan now for the changes you’ll ultimately have to make.

My heart goes out to you, but remember the advice of the hoki fisherman.

Velo Mitrovich velo@meatpacking.info @Meat_Packing

Editor's choice

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March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 3

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C o n t en t s

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records broke Over 30,000 visitors and 1,200 exhibitors left those who attended Atlanta's IPPE say it was the best show ever

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unstoppable The world's poultry industry goes from strength to strength. Look to India to be the next big thing.

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Geno & Prime For over 70 years Geno Gasbarro has been changing the way the world eats chicken. MPJ talks to this amazing man

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Chicken squad With over a million views on YouTube, BC farmers show that being a bit crazy makes sense

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Everyone wonders if the ROI with hightech gear is worth the investment. MPJ gets the facts from NZ's Silver Fern Farm

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44 In the next issue People in line for hours, a million pounds of brisket sold in just two locations, MPJ editor Velo Mitrovich looks at the phenomenon of Texas BBQ and why you should be firing up the smoke. Also, pork, chilling & crust freezing, cooking & frying, and worker safety.

www.meatpacking.info

x-ray results

LAIRAGE

Decades on and Temple Grandin's teachings continue to shake-up the industry

Hot dog time Loved in the US, laughed at by the rest of the world, the hot dog industry is worth billions. Why you should accept the weiner.

Also in this issue 9 - News 14 - Marketing news 74 - Product releases 76 - VIV Bangkok preview 78 - Back page interview with Wallmart 80 - Directory 81 - Shows & events

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 7

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New US standards to reduce chicken pathogens

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he us department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed new federal standards to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter in ground chicken and turkey products as well as raw chicken breasts, legs, and wings.

Development of these new standards is a major step in FSIS' Salmonella Action Plan, launched in December 2013 to reduce Salmonella illnesses from meat and poultry products.

"We are taking specific aim at making the poultry items that Americans most often purchase safer to eat," said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. "This is a meaningful, targeted step that could prevent tens of thousands of illnesses each year."

"These new standards, as well as improved testing patterns, will have a major impact on public health," said Al Almanza, USDA deputy under-secretary for food safety. "The proposed changes are another way we're working to meet the ever-changing food safety landscape and better protect Americans from foodborne illness."

A pathogen reduction performance standard is the measure that FSIS uses to assess the food safety performance of facilities that prepare meat and poultry products. By making the standards for ground poultry tougher to meet, ground poultry products nationwide will have less contamination and therefore result in fewer foodborne illnesses.

Newspaper slams research center USA: The New York Times, not known for being the friend of the US agriculture industry, pulled no stops in its recent feature on the US Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska.

Since Congress founded it 50 years ago to consolidate the United States Department of Agriculture’s research on farm animals, the center has worked to make lamb chops bigger, pork loins less fatty, and steaks easier to chew. It has fought the spread of disease, fostered food safety, and helped American ranchers compete in a global marketplace.

But an investigation by The New York Times shows that these endeavors have come at a steep cost to the center’s animals, which have been subjected to illness, pain and premature death, over many years. www.meatpacking.info

FSIS implemented performance standards for whole chickens in 1996 but has since learned that Salmonella levels increase as chicken is further processed into parts. Poultry parts like breasts, wings, and others represent 80 percent of the chicken available for Americans to purchase. By creating a standard for chicken parts, and by performing regulatory testing at a point closer to the final product, FSIS can greatly reduce consumer exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.

According to FSIS' science-based risk assessment, it estimates that implementation of these standards would lead to an average of 50,000 prevented illnesses annually. For chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey, FSIS is proposing a pathogen reduction performance standard designed to achieve at least a 30 percent reduction in illnesses from Salmonella.

For chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey, FSIS is proposing a pathogen reduction performance standard designed to reduce illness from Campylobacter by at least 19 and as much as 37 percent.

The agency plans to use routine sampling throughout the year rather than infrequently sampling on consecutive days to assess whether establishments' processes are effectively addressing Salmonella and, where applicable, Campylobacter on poultry carcasses and other products derived from these carcasses.

The research to increase pig litters began in 1986; the twin calves have been dying at high rates since 1984, and the easy-care lambs for 10 years.

“They pay tons of attention to increasing animal production, and just a pebble-sized concern to animal welfare,” said James Keen, a scientist and veterinarian who worked at the center for 24 years. “And it probably looks fine to them because they’re not thinking about it, and they’re not being held accountable. But most Americans and even livestock producers would be hard pressed to support some of the things that the center has done.”

Jarvis opens in the Philippines philippines: Jarvis Products Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of meat and

poultry processing equipment, is opening its 18th subsidiary in the Philippines.

Edwin Noble has been named Philippine Sales and Service Manager of the new subsidiary. Before joining Jarvis New Zealand, Noble was chief engineer at PDS Meat Industries in Brunei. The Philippienes are seen as one of Asia's 'new-growth' countries, with increased investor interest.

Other responsibilities for Noble include establishing customer relationships with local slaughterhouses and meat processors, hiring of support and technical personnel for the new office, and establishing a Philippine distributor network for Jarvis.

Jarvis Products specializes in kill floor and boning room equipment, including cutting and boning devices, bandsaws, slaughtering equipment, carcass opening and splitting saws, hock cutters, and skinning machines.

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FTA key to Canadian pork

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ean-Guy Vincent, outgoing Chair of the Canadian Pork Council's Board of Directors, said that free trade agreements and biosecurity measures are key elements to the continued growth of the industry.

“It has been my honor and pleasure to work on behalf of producers from coast to coast and to work with you to further strengthen and grow the pork industry,” said Vincent, who is stepping down after his three-year term came to a close.

He said that trade agreements remain a key priority for Canada’s pork industry. The implementation of the Canada-Korea free trade agreement as well as the finalization of the Canada-European Union economic and trade agreement will keep the industry moving forward.

However, US Country of Origin Labeling continues to cost the industry time and money as the US prolongs the WTO dispute by its most recent appeal.

“While our industry relies on exports for over 70 percent of our production, a number of the more significant markets are unstable. Russia is an important customer, but the repeated interruptions in this market

Keep bacteria from sticking to surfaces USA: In what could be a boon to chicken processors, a new type of nanoscale surface that bacteria can’t stick to holds promise for applications in food processing.

The technology, developed collaboratively by researchers from Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, uses an electrochemical process called anodization to create nanoscale pores that change the electrical charge and surface energy of a metal surface, which in turn exerts a repulsive force on bacterial cells and prevents attachment and biofilm formation.

These pores can be as small as 15 nanometers; a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

When the anodization process was applied to aluminum, it created a nanoporous surface called alumina, which proved effective in preventing surrogates of two well-known pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, from

makes us vulnerable,” said Vincent. “Our industry will have to overcome future market disruptions and challenges but in the near term we must focus efforts to increase market share in stable markets such as Japan, Korea and other emerging markets in Asia.”

Maintaining the industry's health status is vital and key to market access. An excellent health status begins at the farm level by implementing and following a strong biosecurity plan,” he said.

“As we have seen with the rapid spread of PEDv in the United States, the financial consequences can be devastating. National and provincial organizations have their own responsibility in disease management and a co-ordination through the CPC will serve our membership well by increased efficiency and elimination of unnecessary duplication.”

The Canadian Pork Council serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations, the organization's purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.

attaching, according to a study recently published in the journal Biofouling. The study also investigates how the size of the nanopores changes the repulsive forces on bacteria.

“It’s probably one of the lowestcost possibilities to manufacture a nanostructure on a metallic surface,” said Carmen Moraru, associate professor of food science and the paper’s senior author. Guoping Feng, a research associate in Moraru’s lab, is the paper’s first author.

Finding low-cost solutions to limiting bacterial attachments is key, especially in biomedical and food processing applications. “The food industry makes products with low profit margins,” said Moraru. “Unless a technology is affordable it doesn’t stand the chance of being practically applied.”

Anodized metals could be used to prevent buildups of biofilms – slick communities of bacteria that adhere to surfaces and are tricky to remove – in biomedical clean rooms and in equipment parts that are hard to reach or clean, Moraru said.

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There are other strategies for limiting bacterial attachment to surfaces, including chemicals and bactericides, but these have limited applications, especially when it comes to food processing, Moraru said. With food processing, surfaces must meet food safety guidelines and be inert to food that they may contact.

The collaborating group from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is led

by Diana Borca-Tasciuc, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace and nuclear engineering. Funding came from the US Department of Agriculture.

Russian giant increased pork in 2014 russia: Miratorg Agribusiness Holding, Russia’s largest meat producing company, said that it increased pork production by eight percent to 273,000 metric tons last year.

It attributes the growth to new production capacities at some of its plants as well as improving efficiency www.meatpacking.info

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indicators of all pork production divisions at Miratory.

Not mentioned in the report is that its pork, chicken and beef production figures and sales were helped by a ban on EU pork due to disease and tit-for-tat sanctions with the EU, USA, Canada, and other nations over Russia’s take-over of the Crimean and on-going problems in the Ukraine.

Miratorg is the largest producer of pork in Russia with the total share of the Russian market of 13.7% in 2013. It is looking at the possibility of establishing a new verticallyintegrated pig breeding division in Kursk region with the capacity of up to 4 million heads per year. The Holding will also continue to focus on increased efficiency, control of the production costs, as well as improvement of the production indicators.

Japanese demand cow tongue Japan: Although a US shopper would be hard-pressed to find it in the States due to a lack of demand, Japanese consumers are eating US cow tongue as never before, signaling a rebound for the nation’s beef industry, reports The Columbian.

Only 12 years ago, Japan banned all American beef after the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy – mad-cow disease – in one cow in Washington State.

But after Japan in 2013 loosened restrictions on the age of cattle it would accept, US beef-tongue exports soared by 150 percent in 2013 over the previous year, according to the US Meat Export Federation. They’re on pace to go even higher in 2014.

Now you can find cow tongue at tasting events at upscale retail stores.

One shop invented cow tongue ice cream. Cow tongue potato chips are set to hit the market next year.

But the hottest locale is Sendai, a city of 1 million people with more than 100 restaurants that serve gyutan, or beef tongue.

Among them: mashed tongue, tongue sausage, tongue gravy, tongue salad, tongue stew, fried tongue, salted tongue, tofu slathered www.meatpacking.info

with tongue sauce, roasted tongue, smoked tongue, barbecued tongue, tongue mixed with fried egg and the traditional shabu shabu — thinly sliced tongue boiled in water.

“The American consumer doesn’t want it, so let’s export it to somebody that does,” said Pete Bonds, the president of the 17,000-member Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association in Fort Worth.

Selling to China’s animal protein market china: China’s demand for foreign animal protein products shows great growth potential. However, the path to success for western animal protein companies in China will remain complex and challenging.

In its latest report, Bulls in a China Shop, Rabobank sees that the path to success can be navigated with a relentless focus on adding value to the supply chain, teaming up with better positioned local partners, investing in improving relationships with local governments, and employing diversification strategies to better manage risks.

“Western companies have struggled to make sustainable profit and to compete in China’s animal protein industry due to infrastructural and cultural challenges,” explained Chenjun Pan, Rabobank analyst.

She adds, however, that more opportunities are opening and this is likely to continue.

China’s animal protein industry is still fragmented and underdeveloped despite recent consolidation and modernization. The supply chain can often be inefficient and difficult to access. As a consequence, some western players choose to establish vertically integrated (VI) operations in order to isolate their business from those structures.

However the VI model can only provide a temporary solution in China and it requires much higher capital investment, according to Chenjun Pan. Foreign companies need to clearly differentiate themselves by bringing great value additions, such as new products, western culture or better services.

Profits from waste stream usa: A protein derived from food waste and intended for animal feed, could one day find use in human food and drink manufacture.

In the meantime, the protein could be used as a fishmeal replacement in feeding fish and shrimp in the billion dollar aquaculture industry.

This industry is currently plagued by spiraling costs of fishmeal and is looking for cheaper sources of protein for feed.

The protein, called ProFloc, is made from bacteria grown and harvested in food manufacturing waste streams. It has been developed by the US protein manufacturer Nutrinsic.

Although it will initially be tested as an animal feed in the US, Nutrinsic boss Leo Gingras believes it could eventually play an important role in feeding the 8 billion people predicted to inhabit the earth by 2025.

“We alter the biological conditions of the manufacturer’s waste stream by changing the temperature, adding nitrogen and then adding a solution to reduce the pH levels,” says Gingras.

ProFloc is cheap and easy to make, Gingras claims. “No physical modifications need to be made to a firm’s waste stream; just conditional changes.” The only by-product is clean water, he says.

Extra costs are incurred, however, to clean, dry, powder and pack the product, he explained.

“We have built a new processing plant in Ohio, which was a multimillion [dollar] investment,” Gingras says, adding that the facility currently has a capacity of 5,000 tons a year.

ProFloc has a protein content of 60%, moisture content of 8% and is tasteless. “It’s also manufactured to food-grade specifications and I’ve tried it – it doesn’t taste of much,” said Gingras. “While we will sell it as animal feed, we will seek approval for use in human food from the [US] Food and Drug Administration.”

If approval is gained, the product could be used as a meat alternative, or as a way to cheaply boost the protein content of other foods.

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Store lightening affects shelf life

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tore lighting plays a role in how long meat retains the bright red color that shoppers favor, according to new research by the University of Missouri, which is finding ways to extend the shelf life of ground beef. After price, consumers consider color when buying meat.

Bryon Wiegand, MU meat scientist, said discolored meat accounts for an estimated $1 million in lost revenue annually due to markdowns and those markdowns have become increasingly costly. Increased demand and reduced supply have pushed retail ground chuck prices to an average of $5.76 per pound.

The price gap between premium-priced meats and lower-quality ground product continues to narrow as consumers increasingly prefer ground beef for convenience, said Wiegand.

Ground beef’s shelf life is about three days.

Extending that by even a single day can make a big difference. That’s partly because shoppers typically fall into two main categories: planners, who shop for the week’s meals Sunday night, and demand shoppers, who shop Thursday to Saturday. That leaves a day in the middle of the week when ground beef can lose its red

New director to build new center great britain: The UK’s Institute of Food Research has announced the appointment of Professor Ian Charles as its director starting in May. A major part of his job will be to lead the program in developing the new Centre for Food & Health which will be based at the Norwich Research Park where the Institute is currently located.

According to the Institute, the new center will provide a step change for food and health research, along with the translation of science by industry to benefit society and the UK economy. Already the Institute is well known to those in the meat processing industry for its work in pathogens such as Campylobacter.

“There is a unique set of resources and expertise at the Norwich Research Park enabling the new Centre for Food & Health to be a worldleading innovation hub for food and health research. It has the potential to accelerate the development of innovative techniques to address

appeal and retailers can lose sales.

Changes in meat color and odor result from a variety of causes, including fat content, packaging and exposure to oxygen. Heat from store lighting in display cases also causes color fade.

Wiegand and others at MU Extension and MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources are studying how retailers can keep beef on the shelf a day longer before it’s discounted for quick sale.

Wiegand and colleague Carol Lorenzen studied meat color changes under fluorescent and LED lights. Colors were compared against a control group with no light exposure. Meat not subjected to light kept its red color better than either, but meat under LED lights fared better than fluorescent-lit ground beef. Fluorescent lights produced higher temperatures than LED lights and meat turned brown quicker.

Wiegand’s information may help retailers reduce losses as low supply and high demand intersect. “If beef is the new gold, let’s do our best to preserve it for the consumer that stays loyal to its purchase,” he said.

The National Cattlemen’s Association and Mizzou Advantage are funding the study.

global food and health issues, and I am excited to be joining at this pivotal time,” says Professor Charles.

The multidisciplinary Centre aims to bring together the Institute of Food Research, aspects of the University of East Anglia’s Faculty of Science, and the Norwich Medical School with the regional gastrointestinal endoscopy facility at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.

With a unique integration of diet, health, nutrition and medicine under one roof, linking closely to world class plant and crop research at the John Innes Centre and bioinformatics at the Genome Analysis Centre (both also located on the Norwich Research Park), it will have the potential to deliver clinically validated strategies to improve human health and wellbeing.

Korean pork now fully traceable Korea: Full traceability has finally come to the Korean pork industry throughout the country’s entire process from breeding to butchering,

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packaging, and sales, announced Minister Lee Dong-phil of the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).

There had been problems with the pilot program since 2012, with several set-backs.

The traceability program is designed to identify causes of any potential issues regarding pork and to provide prompt measures to collect and discharge the problematic meat if/when necessary by recording information of trade stages from breeding to sales.

A MAFRA official said, “The new pork traceability system will be a turning point for Korea’s pork industry to step forward.”

According to the Ministry, there will be a buffer period for the industry to get accustomed to the newlyintroduced system at the distribution stage.

It’s hoped that the traceability system, which can distinguish Korean pork from imported pork, which will lead to enhanced competitiveness of the Korean pork industry.

Regulations and monetary penalty process will take effect on 28 June. www.meatpacking.info

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AMI story of ‘amazing’ meat

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new video produced by the American Meat Institute (AMI) is the latest step in the USA’s meat and poultry industry’s transparency efforts.

The video features 30 top level executives from meat and poultry companies adding their voices and faces to the clip called Amazing Meat. In it the 30 executives shared the numerous benefits of the US meat supply including affordability, nutrition, food safety, animal welfare and more.

“This video is the latest step in our ongoing efforts to show the consumers who we are, what we do and how we do it. Our bountiful, safe and affordable meat supply is something we are fortunately able to rely upon without thinking much about the people or the hard work that made it possible. We are happy in this video to show consumers the people behind the products,” said Janet Riley, AMI senior vice president of public affairs and member services.

In addition to business executives, leading animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal science at Colorado State University, made an appearance in the video to explain the progress that she has observed in animal handling in meat and poultry plants.

AMI said the video also included a companion brochure, The Amazing Meat and Poultry Supply, available both online and in print.

The video and brochure are part of an ongoing effort by AMI to increase transparency and share the facts that are often overlooked or misunderstood.

BBQ lure for Japanese Japan: Japan has been tempted to try more American agriculture products through a series of short videos and website recipes called Enjoy! American BBQ. Produced by the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Trade Office Tokyo, the Enjoy! American BBQ project was designed to reach as many Japanese consumers are possible in order to encourage them to buy more American ingredients for their ever popular barbecue parties and to draw the attention of bloggers and consumers to the ATO-supported website myfood.jp.

Various ingredients promoted included US beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, barbecue sauce, whiskey and beer.

In recent years AMI has developed a series of “Glass Walls” videos featuring leading Dr. Grandin who guides and narrates tours in beef, pork and turkey processing plants to show how the animals are handled throughout processing.

Glass Walls videos also show sanitation in meat plants as well as how hamburgers and hot dogs are made.

AMI also debuted a grass roots effort, Communicators Advocating Meat and Poultry (CAMP), to enlist those involved in meat and poultry production to communicate their stories in the community and through social media.

“Ninety-five percent of Americans eat meat and poultry and our products inspire love and devotion amongst consumers – just look at bacon,” said Riley.

“We want people to know that they can feel confident that our products are safe, wholesome, nutritious and delicious. We are committed to sharing the facts with anyone who is interested. We also want them to understand that the people behind the products are real people, with families who consume the same meat and poultry products they do.”

This year AMI plans to continue with additional videos and other projects to share the variety of benefits of meat and poultry products. Meat lovers can also join in the effort on the Celebrate Meat Facebook page,www.facebook.com/CelebrateMeat.

All of AMI’s videos can be found on the Meat News Network YouTube channel,www.youtube.com/ MeatNewsNetwork.

The recipes and videos were uploaded on the Foodies Recipe website and myfood.jpg In total, almost 135,200 people visited the websites featuring Enjoy!

American BBQ and over 1,986,000 households had the opportunity to see the Enjoy! American BBQ TV program.

Getting teens to work in meat scotland: A leading Scottish butcher joined Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) to highlight the wide range of career options available in the Scottish red meat industry among young people.

QMS exhibited at three Skills Scotland events in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow – the

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biggest skills and careers events series for 14-19 year olds in Scotland.

Edinburgh-based John Saunderson from High Class Family Butchers showcased the combination of traditional skills, innovation, and enthusiasm of the modern-day quality butcher.

Throughout the day Saunderson held Scotch beef PGI burger-making demonstrations and outlined the many career options available throughout the red meat supply chain.

“I’ve really enjoyed talking to so many kids about careers and also get them involved in a simple, hands-on activity like making fresh Scotch beef burgers,” said Saunderson.

“Although some of the kids who visit the stand have other career aspirations, by listening to one of today’s demonstrations they will go www.meatpacking.info

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home with an increased knowledge about what a butcher does on a dayto-day basis and the importance of quality locally-sourced meat.”

“These events offer a fantastic opportunity to educate youngsters about the quality and traceability which underpin the Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork brands as well as inspiring them to think about a future career in the red meat industry,” said Jim McLaren, Chairman of QMS.

The Dinner Project Australia: A new television series has been funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) to educate consumers on cooking healthy meals using beef and lamb recipes.

Premiering on Sunday night, 'The Dinner Project' is a six-episode series starring popular former MasterChef contestant Hayden Quinn who embarks on a mission to help Australians cook healthy meals at home.

After identifying an avenue for branded content to provide inspiration and knowledge to consumers around cooking healthy meals at home – a message that is hard to impart through traditional advertising – The Dinner Project was developed by MLA to increase consumer engagement.

Michael Edmonds, MLA general manager central marketing and insights, said developing the television series was a fresh way to connect with consumers that had previously not been explored.

“This new show allows MLA the opportunity to connect with audiences with engaging content that delivers inspiration and skills around cooking healthy beef and lamb meals,” he said.

“Having a likeable media personality like Hayden to lead the series is a valuable asset to us, not only because he is a passionate home cook and a great ambassador for our product, but he has an alreadyestablished media presence through which we can leverage beneficial messages around the nutritional attributes, along with the simplicity www.meatpacking.info

and versatility of beef and lamb in home cooking.”

The story follows Hayden as he travels around Australia meeting people at different life stages and delves into their lives to find out the challenges they face when it comes to cooking healthy meals.

Episode three of the program features Armidale cattle and sheep producers, and owners of the Milly Hill Lamb brand, Sally and Peter Strelitz and their four children.

Hayden travels to their property to gain an understanding and appreciation of livestock production in exchange for helping dinner inspiration-challenged Sally with new family-friendly recipes.

In exchange for learning more about their lives, Hayden moves in and helps families overcome hurdles around time, preparation, budget, skills, knowledge and cooking challenges to provide inspiration for simple, quick and healthy recipes along with top tips for preparing beef and lamb.

The Dinner Project was produced

by Ensemble Australia and premiered on Foxtel’s LifeStyle FOOD Channel.

Beef consumers get info from the web USa: In an era when consumers have a wealth of information at their fingertips, where do South Dakotans turn for recommendations on meatpurchasing?

That's the question assistant professor Kuo-Liang ‘Matt’ Chang and a team of South Dakota State University researchers sought to answer when trying to determine the best way to use social media to encourage beef consumption. The study was funded through a grant from the South Dakota Beef Industry Council.

Social media platforms provide a wealth of quantitative analytics, including the number of people who visited the site, what they viewed and their demographics, according to Briana Burgers, nutrition assistant and director of online communications for the South Dakota Beef Industry Council.

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"We want to know what information our consumers want to see from us," said Burgers. "This study gives us that qualitative data we need."

The data collected will help the South Dakota beef industry leadership better understand beef demand and tailor their marketing efforts to fit consumer needs.

Based on online surveys filled out by South Dakotans, websites are their leading source of nutrition information and recipes, followed by family and friends, according to Chang. Most respondents were in the 24 to 45 age range.

The third-most popular place the respondents find recipes is magazines, followed by social media, the consumer economist explained.

However, for nutrition information, social media takes a back seat to health professionals, magazines and television - in that order.

Nearly 45 percent of respondents had shopped groceries based on information posted on social media, according to Chang. Though only 27 percent of the respondents had done meat shopping on-line, about 77 percent said they are willing to try new products based on their friends' suggestions on social media.

More than 80 percent of the respondents used Facebook, while just over 50 percent visited Pinterest, with Twitter coming in third, Chang explained, noting that the beef council maintains a presence on all three. "This suggests that the beef council can take increasing advantage of the great marketing opportunities on these platforms."

Boosting Dutch demand for Welsh red meat wales: Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef were on display at the Netherlands’ largest hospitality fair to boost sales.

This was Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) – Meat Promotion Wales – first visit to Horecava; a trade fair aimed at food service industry professionals.

“The Netherlands is a key target market for us this year,,” said Laura Pickup, Market Development Manager at HCC.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 15

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IPPE 2015

Breaks all records

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ver 30,000 registrants at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia, spent three days working their way through three enormous halls – with one so large it had a mini-bus service – in an attempt to see all 1,200 exhibitors.

Sponsored by the US Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association, and North American Meat Institute, IPPE is the world's largest annual poultry, meat, and feed industry event of its kind. This year it was held on 27-29 January.

While long-time visitors still know it as the ‘Chicken Show’, IPPE covers all meats which exhibitors told MPJ makes the show even a bigger draw.

“Putting meat together with poultry is a good idea,” says Jim Thomas of Thomas Pumps. “I’ve been coming to the show for 30-years, this is the best show ever. We had over 300 leads on both Tuesday and Wednesday, with at half of 16 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

those numbers legit people we should see.”

Joe Casper of Cantrell believes that this year’s big draw came from the success of the poultry industry in 2014.

“The producers enjoyed success last year, making good money, and now they’re sharing it with us,” he says. This year was the best one we’ve seen but even in bad years you need to be here.”

Hall B held the largest number of exhibitors with almost all involved in post-farm production of meat.

Brian Perkins of Provisur says that in the first hour of the show they had 40 genuine leads.

“Last year with the bad weather we maybe had 40 leads during the entire show.”

While new leads are great, for many of the exhibitors the show gives them the opportunity to touch base with established customers and to showcase new products.

Jay Ray of Marel, says: “For us we don’t necessarily find new customers, but we see old customers who are interested in seeing new products from Marel.”

However, the shear size of the Hall B makes www.meatpacking.info

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it a challenge. Location-location-location was everything for exhibitors and those who were on the outer fringes of the halls saw no where near the foot traffic as those located along a series of ‘roads’ that criss-crossed the hall.

“We put off deciding to come here fairly late,” says an exhibitor to MJP, “and we’re paying the price for it. If we had booked earlier and got a stand closer to the ‘road’, we would have had at least four times the amount of attendees passing our stand. Live and learn.”

First time exhibitor Ernie Santorelli of Ammeraal Belt Tech, says that he is happy with the response of visitors to his company but agrees that you need to be in the right location to draw the right number of people.

“You look at Thomas Pumps. They’re in a great place and they have the right attitude.

Being a New Orleans company, they’re handing out Mardi Gras beads and getting college kids to do a dance in front of their exhibit which brings people over.”

Although there were many non-North American visitors to the show, including Latin America, India, and Europe (official numbers www.meatpacking.info

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have not yet been released by IPPE organisers’ but last year there were visitors from around 125 countries), not all exhibitors were willing to take advantage of this.

“Oh, I don’t know, to figure out EU regulations seems like a lot of work,” a poultry disinfection company tells MPJ. “We’re aware that elsewhere people are having the same problem with pathogens and trying finding non-bleach ways of treating processed birds, but we’re just a US company.”

Bob Sabdo of Multisorb completely disagrees with this view.

“You’re limited in the USA. If you want your company to grow, you have to think globally.”

“This year’s record-breaking size and attendance numbers are a testament to IPPE’s unparalleled education sessions, numerous networking opportunities and unique exhibits,” says IPPE. “The decision to consolidate three trade shows has produced an annual event that is greater than the sum of its parts. The enthusiasm and energy displayed at this year’s will only ensure the success of future expos.”

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 17

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Poultry:

seeds of growth

18 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

www.meatpacking.info

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It takes up to 30 months to raise a salmon, 12 months for cow, and no less than four months for pigs. Chicken broilers, on the other hand, take four to five weeks. It is little wonder why chicken production continues to grow worldwide. Challenges, however, remain in the industry. Avian flu is currently giving growers problems; Campylobacter and harmful pathogens need to be dealt with in a more efficient manner; and until the industry cleans up its act, animal rights groups will continue to have a field day exposing lax farmers and processors. Still, for those us who grew up in the era of chicken being expensive and only a Sunday treat, the industry continues to amaze. MPJ editor Velo Mitrovich explores poultry in this issue.

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fter experiencing slow but steady growth for most of last year, the poultry industry is in for a roller-coaster year, predicts Rabobank.

Global issues such as avian flu and trade restrictions remain on the horizon for 2015 and will have a big impact on global poultry trade.

Regions affected by avian flu outbreaks, like the EU and Canada, will suffer from lost export markets and this will affect local prices. Despite this, the outlook for 2015 non-affected regions like Brazil and USA remains strong. These countries could benefit from ongoing bullish market conditions such as strong demand, low feed costs and high competing meat prices, and therefore capture some export market share from the EU and Canada.

“A key concern for the coming months is the spread of avian flu, which has become a global issue in recent months. Several avian flu strains are already endemic in scattered parts of Asia and Mexico, and the disease is increasingly spreading globally via wild birds,” explaines Rabobank´s Nan-Dirk Mulder.

Avian flu virus pressure will become a global issue for the industry after new high pathogenic avian flu outbreaks in the EU, Canada, India, and Egypt add to existing cases in East Asia and Mexico. Affected regions will therefore continue to suffer from economic damage and temporary lost export markets with lower local prices, especially for dark meat.

In the longer term, industries need to prepare for ongoing disease pressure, especially in times of bird migration. This will require higher levels of biosecurity and reconsideration of existing business models.

Trade restrictions, namely Russia’s import ban www.meatpacking.info

on US and EU poultry meat, will lead to ongoing record high prices and margins in Russia. The outbreaks of avian flu in northwest Europe have been a big wake-up call for the Russian industry as markets have been highly affected by import restrictions on day-old chicks and hatching eggs; Russia depends on 15% of total hatching egg supply on imports mainly from these countries.

Although Russia is now re-opening imports of hatching eggs and day-old chicks from nonaffected regions in these countries, a future supply-risk for Russia will remain and any outbreak in northwest Europe can affect future market conditions significantly, especially if this happens in the Netherlands.

Global trade streams will shift significantly and Brazil is the big winner, strengthening its export position in Russia and capturing the US and EU export market shares. The country is relatively safe from AI outbreaks due to its more isolated location from bird migrating routes from Asia.

Despite the big impact of avian flu on international markets, global industry margins are still bullish due to ongoing strong markets and low feed prices. Global poultry trade prices are therefore expected to remain stable after declines in recent quarters.

2014 modest growth

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nce all statistics are in, world poultry meat production is expected to show a modest increase of 1.6 percent, rising from 3.3 million metric tons to 311.8 MMT in 2014, according to FAO. Most of the production increases are predicted to be in developing countries, which are also the source of increasing demand.

The world’s largest poultry producer, the USA, March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 19

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is projected to grow 1.8 percent to a record 20.6 MMT in 2014. US poultry shipments to Europe are anticipated to show a decline as domestic production increases offset any import growth, especially in Russia. However, US imports to Mexico are forecasted to rise due to steadily increasing demand and high beef prices.

Other major poultry producing countries such as the EU, Brazil, and Mexico will see some production gains. Russia and India are expected to see larger gains at 8 percent and 6 percent respectively.

The Big Four poultry exporters – Brazil, the USA, EU, and China – account for 75 percent to total global poultry trade. Yet these leading exporters have seen limited growth in recent years.

In contrast, significant export growth has been and continues to be projected for India, Thailand, Turkey, Argentina, Ukraine, and Belarus. Thailand has been in a strong position to take advantage of problems in China’s poultry industry and has been able to scoop-up Japan, which was one of China’s leading export countries.

Turkey predominantly ships halal-certified whole birds to the Middle East, in particular 20 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: Chickens dressed and ready for cooking.

Iraq. Argentina’s main export markets include Venezuela, China, South Africa, and various others.

a decade of growth for eu

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n the EU, poultry is the only meat of which production and consumption are expected to expand significantly over the outlook period (by 7 percent each year between 2014 and 2024), according to the report: Prospects for EU Agricultural Markets and Income 2014 to 2024.

Supported by sustained global demand, the EU will maintain its market share with EU exports accounting for 10 percent of global trade.

Poultry meat currently enjoys several comparative advantages over other proteins. For example, affordability, convenience, absence of any religious guidelines limiting consumption, healthy image, limited greenhouse gas emissions, lower production costs, short rearing time, and lower levels of investment required. As a result, production and consumption have been steadily increasing for many years now. www.meatpacking.info

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Total Meat Statistics in Thousands of Metric Tons (carcass weight equivalent) Production Imports Region 2013 2014 2013 2014 Asia 131,486 133,398 15,296 15,645 Africa 16,537 16,713 2,899 2,992 Central America 8,864 8,962 2,806 2,805 South America 39,875 40,609 1,127 1,170 North America 47,209 46,885 2,398 2,434 Europe 58,525 59,356 4,590 4,531 Oceania 6,174 6,057 421 416 World Total 308,486 311,795 29,444 29,889

Thanks to lower feed prices, poultry meat was able to compensate for the lower supply of beef and pig meat seen in recent years. This increase was mainly concentrated in a number of Member States that are major producers – Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland (which together accounted for 44 percent of total EU production in 2013).

Nevertheless, the outbreak of avian flu in November 2014 on farms in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom should not have a significant impact on overall production in 2014, expected at around 13 million metric tons. This is because preventive measures were immediately put into place.

On the trade side, after an exceptional export performance in 2012, and despite the complete removal of export refunds in 2013, mainly affecting those supplying Saudi Arabia, EU shipments are expected to fall by only around 1 percent in 2014.

The Russian import ban is not having a major effect on the poultry market, as Russian demand was already slowing.

According to the report, the EU market will probably be able to divert the surplus to other destinations, mainly to countries in the Middle East and Africa, especially South Africa.

Imports into the EU also declined over two consecutive years (2013 and 2014). Political tensions in Thailand and the country’s reorientation to geographically closer markets resulted in lower exports to the EU. Brazil has benefited from the Russian ban imposed on the EU and from falling EU exports to Saudi Arabia.

The production giant has increasingly supplied these two markets at the expense of the EU. After hitting a record high in the summer of 2013, poultry meat prices have been gradually declining throughut the EU. Higher domestic supplies and lower feed costs are expected to lead to a further decline in 2014, to an average of 1,897 EUR/t (5percent below the 2013 level). www.meatpacking.info

Exports 2013 5,367 171 477 8,012 9,290 4,694 2,891 30,874

2014 5,638 179 501 8,389 9,298 4,531 2,826 31,309

EU poultry production grows

T

he production of poultry meat is expected to continue to grow steadily over the outlook period, but the rate of growth is very likely to slow to 0.7 percent per year, having averaged 1.7 percent over the past ten years. The strongest increase in production (at 1 percent per year) is expected to be seen in the EU-N13, due largely to sustained productivity gains in Hungary, Poland and Romania.

The other high production increasing countries are EU-15 Member States (eg Germany and the Netherlands), where production is expected to grow by 0.5 percent per year. With feed prices remaining lower than in recent years throughout the outlook period, strong domestic and world demand will together contribute to the increase in production, with total EU production expected to reach almost 14 million metric tons by 2024.

As is the case for pig meat, global demand for poultry meat imports is expected to remain strong, but with the rate of increase slowing (to 2.9 percent per year over the next decade, as compared to the rate of 6.4 percent seen over the previous ten years), to reach 16.2 million metric tons in 2024.

Bullish demand from the Middle East (which currently represents 16 percent of global demand), South Africa (6 percent), other African countries (eg Ghana and Benin) and Asia could continue during the outlook period.

In view of the above, the EU’s position as a net exporter is expected to be further strengthened, with net exports rising by an average of over 50,000 metric tons per year until 2024.

A feature of the trade in poultry meat is that the EU is exporting lower-quality and cheaper cuts (such as legs and wings) and importing cuts March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 21

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with higher value-added, such as poultry breasts and chilled/frozen ready-to-microwave dishes.

Demand from markets in the Middle East, Asia and Africa could continue driving EU exports up by 2.2 percent per year over the outlook period, to reach almost 1.6 million metric tons by 2024.

Nonetheless, the development of the export flow to South Africa is subject to uncertainty, due to the anti-dumping duties imposed by this country on chicken meat exports from three EU Member States (Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom).

On the assumption that these duties are lifted this year, exports could return to their usual level. Although it is assumed that the Russian import ban will be in place for one year, Russia’s policy aim of self-sufficiency will lead to lower imports from the EU. Sustained demand from Saudi Arabia is, however, expected to continue in the future, and to support an expansion of EU poultry exports, despite the absence of 22 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: US-style fried chicken has become one of the world's favorite fast foods, driving up chicken consumption.

export refunds. Moreover, in order to secure supply, foreign companies have started investing in European poultry firms.

rising consumption

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hanks to its relative cheapness and healthy image, poultry meat will continue to be the fastest growing part of the meat market in terms of consumption (out of the four main types of meat), with increases both in volumes consumed (by 0.6 percent per year, to reach 22.8 kg per capita by 2024), and in market share (rising to 32 percent by 2024).

After a slowdown in the short run, reflecting lower input prices, prices for EU poultry meat are expected to then recover steadily over the period to 2018, following world prices, and to continue rising beyond past levels to reach around â‚Ź2,030/t by the end of the period. www.meatpacking.info

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2/23/2015 10:59:11 AM

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Polish plant doubles output

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EADING Polish poultry processor Wipasz has successfully completed a major automation project at its facility in Mlawa that has more than doubled processed output to over 90,000 birds per day, the majority in fixed weight MAP (Modified Atmosphere) packs.

This project marks the first phase of a major strategic investment by Wipasz aimed at transforming its operations to among the best and most modern in Europe. Phase Two is already underway, which Wipasz factory manager Jacek Jelonek says will deliver “a capacity of 13,500 birds per hour in one of the most technological advanced poultry plants in 24 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

the world.�

Wipasz had Ishida Europe installed four packing lines, one each for wings and fillets and two for different leg cuts. The lines, which give Wipasz the flexibility to respond to market needs in terms of pack and product variations, combine accurate weighing technology and top of the range tray sealing with a variety of pack inspection and testing systems, including X-ray, seal testing and vision inspection, to ensure quality standards.

Each line begins with the feeding of pieces from the cut-up line to an Ishida multihead weigher, in most cases a screwfeeder model which propels the sticky-fresh chicken into hoppers fitted with scraper gates.

Accurate portions are then deposited onto www.meatpacking.info

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all images: Ishida

Wipasz’s facility includes new batching stations, multi-weighers and tray sealers

one of the lanes of a weigh batcher and sent to operators for packing and styling in the trays.

For quality presentation, Ishida tray-sealers are then used, while a vision system ensures correct branding and label placement.

Product quality is maintained through the use of an X-ray system – combined with metal detection – which excludes metal and other contaminants (including bones in fillets); while other tray-sealer features check that the correct modified atmosphere is used for each product.

Seal testers then ensure that the atmosphere is securely maintained by excluding any packs at risk of leaking.

All information printed onto the sealed packs and their labels is also inspected by the Ishida integrated seal testing/vision systems www.meatpacking.info

and checked against information from the line equipment and the company’s factory and enterprise-wide data resources. This provides full data integrity including weight accuracy, shelflife and other figures.

Ishida worked closely with Wipasz on the overall concept and layout of the packing hall as well as supplying the line equipment.

“In our opinion, controlled product quality, modern technology and flexibility are the key to success on the domestic and international markets,” says Jelonek. “The Ishida technology acquired by Wipasz allows us to adjust our offer to specific customer requirements.”

Wipasz processes 140 tons of chicken meat daily. The company holds ISO 9001, HACCP, IFS, BRC, QAFP certifications.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 25

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India's chicken Catch me if you can A study of India is a study into contradictions. While almost half of India’s population does not have access to basic sanitation facilities, the country has a space program and has recently launched an orbiter mission to Mars. Extreme poverty is a reality in India, but also is a growing university-educated middleclass. And, while importing chicken into India is probably a pipe-dream, think hard about importing chicken rearing and processing technology. MPJ predicts big things for India.

T

rying to keep track of growth in the Indian poultry industry seems about as futile as handing out speeding tickets at the Indie 500, it’s moving too fast to record.

While figures are the kiss of death in any article, plough through these so you can get a real measure of what’s happening in India. A prediction in 2004 said that by 2020, India would be producing 1.67 million metric tons of chicken meat a year – a wild guess in a year that India produced 300,000 metric tons.

Last year India produced around 3 million metric tons.

Latest figures from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), state that the Indian poultry industry is likely to cross Rs 1.32 lakh crore ($26.9 billion) mark this year, with a growth of 20 percent.

Several key factors are driving the recent growth of the Indian poultry sector, according to the US Department of Agriculture. First, consumer demand for poultry is rising, driven by both income growth and changes in prices of poultry meat relative to other goods.

26 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Second, the structure of India’s poultry market is changing. In particular, vertical integration of poultry production and marketing has lowered costs of production, marketing margins, and consumer prices of poultry meat.

The future pace of vertical integration in the industry will likely affect the pace at which consumers shift from a preference for live birds to a processed (chilled or frozen) products, a shift that will enable poultry integrators to expand their market reach and scale of operations.

Finally, feed availability and prices have a central role in determining costs of production and consumer prices. Addressing this factor entails assessing the potential for competitive domestic production of feeds, the impact of other sources of domestic demand for feeds, and policies affecting trade in feed ingredients.

In merely four decades India’s poultry industry has transformed itself from a backyard activity into a major commercial program.

This kind of transformation has involved sizeable investments in breeding, hatching, rearing and processing. Indian farmers have moved from rearing non-descript birds to today's rearing hybrids such as Hyaline, Shaver, and Babcock which ensure faster growth, good www.meatpacking.info

all images: Marel stork

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Above: The Nuova 24: the heart of the Marel Stork evisceration system and a key component of Sneha’s future plant.

Right: From left to right: Prabhudhan Reddy – Sneha general manager, Sales, Erik Talens – area sales manager Marel Stork, D. Ram Reddy – Sneha managing director, owner, D. Varun Reddy – Sneha director, son of D. Ram Reddy.

livability, excellent feed conversion, and high profits to the rearers, according to FAO. In a country which has brought new meaning to the word ‘bureaucracy’, India’s poultry industry seems to have only minimal government intervention, which has allowed the initiative of private enterprise to fuel it.

There are, however, several factors have the potential of hitting the brakes on production.

High tariffs are in place for corn (maize) and soybeans, which are primary feed ingredients.

Already the majority of India’s corn crop goes to animal feed; all it will take is one bad monsoon season and feed prices will soar.

If free-trade agreements were in place for corn and soybeans, India could move from being primarily a domestic producer to becoming an exporter of chicken.

Only seven per cent of the broilers produced www.meatpacking.info

in India are mechanically slaughtered and chilled or frozen. This number has to grow significantly to feed the middleclass who either do not live by a wet market or prefer to shop at a supermarket.

India has been lucky – so far – in regards to avian flu and other chicken diseases. However, if growth continues at such a record pace, will health stop-checks be in place? The fact that India has done so little to stem human intestinal diseases, doesn’t offer great hope that the government is up to the challenge and it will require private industry to safeguard their investments.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 27

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marel stork see india opportunity

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neha Fresh Chicken and Marel Stork Poultry Processing have agreed to build a highly automated broiler processing plant in Hyderabad, India, with an initial capacity of 6,000 broilers per hour, says Marel Stork.

The plant will be expandable to a capacity of 12,000 broilers per hour and will incorporate the latest Marel Stork poultry processing technology.

In India, the wet market still represents around 95% of all poultry production. The new processing plant will, when fully operational, give a large boost to local and regional industrial poultry processing capacity.

Sneha Fresh Chicken says it will provide the Hyderabad region with a wide selection of fresh and frozen poultry products, whole broilers, various cuts and filet products.

The Greenfield project incorporates various solutions for high speed automatic evisceration and giblet processing and includes the first Stork VO-20 RS opening machine, the first Stork Nuova 24 evisceration system, and the first system for automated feet processing for India.

Grading is also automated with a combination

28 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: Marel Stork opening machine VO20 RS

of the newest Iris and SmartWeigher.

The Stork Iris vision system incorporates the very latest in image capture and data processing techniques, claims Marel. It will be used to grade both the whole product and its anatomic portions. This helps avoid incorrect grading and costly unnecessary downgrades.

India has one of the world's fastest growing chicken markets and changes in its processing market have made room for a fully flexible, automated cut-up and deboning solution. With the Acm-NT cut-up system and the Amf-BX FlexControl breast deboning system from Marel Stork, Sneha Fresh Chicken will produce a large variety of products. The company can be highly flexible and anticipate pro-actively customer demands and changing trends.

Production will be monitored and controlled overall via the modular PDS-NT Management Control software.

In India the Sneha Group is a well-known company. It is a large agricultural integration owned by the Reddy family and already known for its feed and poultry production operations.

The company will now start processing broilers right in the middle of one of India’s many metropolitan markets, Hyderabad. The region is known for its technology sector and, like many regions in India, is undergoing rapid change.

www.meatpacking.info

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PRIME EQUIPMENT GROUP

Q& A

Geno Gasbarro in front of the Grant Avenue building 1970

30 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

www.meatpacking.info

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The father of modern

chicken processing While Henry Ford didn’t invent the car, he changed forever how the world drives.

Thomas Edison – he took a 50-year-old idea, made some improvements, and lit up our evenings. And then there’s Geno Gasbarro. While Gasbarro didn’t invent chicken processing, he might as well have. For nearly 70-years Geno has been changing the way the world eats poultry. MPJ editor Velo Mitrovich talks to the founder of Prime Equipment Group, about tinkering, inventing, Colonel Harland Sanders, and why at 84-years-old he still shows up at work every day While you would never claim to be founder of modern chicken processing, there are many in the industry who describe you as just that. How did it all begin?

I have always been fascinated by things that were mechanical – levers and balls dropping and all that. And my mom always told me that even when I was three or four in Italy, I was always hammering on something or using a tool.

I do remember one thing that really stuck with me – it was in 1939, I was nine-years-old and my family was immigrating to the USA. The ship we were on stopped in the middle of the ocean and this seaplane flew over, came down, landed, and pulled alongside. I had never seen a seaplane before and I was fascinated – they had come out to deliver the mail. I don’t know why, but that really stuck with me – even to this day.

Later on, my dad would take me to the Curtis-Wright airplane plant in Columbus, Ohio, where they made Hell Divers and Seagulls – planes for World War II. We’d go over and watch the airplanes land, and I remember looking in the factory and seeing all this machinery.

When the Korean War started my two brothers and I got drafted into the Army. I went through basic training www.meatpacking.info

and just as I was getting ready to ship out, they called my name, asked me to step forward, and told me I was going to school. They had done these tests on everyone that told you what you were capable of, and they obviously thought I had an aptitude for machines.

There were seven of us who wound up going to Alaska, working on the first transistorized radar. It was a great step forward from the tubes they used in the past.

So I went up there and worked on radar units. While I was in Alaska, I got a job off-base working on cars. By the time I left Alaska, I came back with $6,000 in cash, a new Oldsmobile, and part ownership in the car shop.

After the Korean War and the three Gasbarro brothers returned to Columbus, was it then that Washington Poultry stopped being a chicken processer and instead became a chicken processing equipment manufacturer?

When we first immigrated here, my dad started up a small business, Washington Poultry, selling live chickens to customers. Within a few years we were selling cleaned birds as well.

Washington Poultry was really built on the chicken we sold to Kentucky Fried Chicken. It never really sold March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 31

prime equipment group

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Above: Geno Gasbarro and Col. Harland Sanders, founder of KFC

equipment, though I was making equipment for our plant to help streamline processes. The equipment development came later. The way it was, when we came back from the war, my dad had a small chicken house, maybe 2,000 square ft. We had the choice of going out and looking for jobs, or working there. It’s better to build your own business and own it, and you don’t have to answer to anybody. That was in 1952, and by the time we sold it to KFC in ’67, we were up to $30 million in sales, and the shop took up the good part of a block.

Like I said, most of that growth came from KFC. There were three stores in Columbus, and we started selling chickens to them. Then we were selling to the KFCs that the same guy owned in Fort Wayne [Indiana], then we expanded into Indianapolis and then to Michigan.

Basically we went out, talked to the franchisees and sold them chicken. We sold good chicken, with good cuts and consistent weights, and they liked that.

During that time, I started developing stuff to make things more efficient. We were using ban saws and rotary saws, and I made a conveyor with a saw on each side to cut chickens. I built a bag opener to make it easier to package the chicken — we had a huge squirrel-cage fan on the roof, and I ducted the air in to blow the plastic bags open in different places on the line, so you could drop the chicken in.

One of the big things we did was to automate, or semi32 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

automate, the cut-up line. We took a couple conveyors, and had people on cut-up stations along them. One carried the whole chickens, and another moved the cutup chicken out. That was probably in 1962 or ’63. At the time, I hadn’t seen anyone else doing that. It wasn’t necessarily a big invention, but it was a lot smoother process and workflow and product flow.

Again, was it at this point that it struck you that there was more money to be made in equipment, rather than processing chicken?

Well, you never really say “I’m going to go start a business building machines.” It just happened, and the machine development only came after we sold Washington Poultry to KFC. In 1967, Washington was bought by Kentucky Fried Chicken, which equipment in particular were they after?

We had become a real integral part of the supply chain for chicken to KFC, and that’s what they were buying — the whole process and supply. As I say, the machine side came later. After we sold it, I stayed on, and I was charged with kind of keeping the place running. I was the maintenance guy, really. I kept the refrigerator running, the machines running. And I started tinkering with machines more at that point. www.meatpacking.info

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In 1969 you started a joint venture with Kentucky Fried, who approached who?

After we sold Washington Poultry, and I was still there, I was working on a chicken cutter, and it was John Brown, the president of KFC, who approached me and said “Let’s do a joint venture.” That’s where it started.

The first thing I really worked on was the automatic chicken cutter, and it worked really well. It would do a nine-piece cut, which was what was done back then.

You’d put a bird on it, hit two buttons so your hands couldn’t get in the way, and in about two seconds you’d have a nine-piece cut.

Back then, it would take 10 or 15 seconds for someone who really knew what they were doing to cut a bird — and that person had to be trained. With this, anyone could do it in about two seconds, with no training at all.

We did a marinator. We did a prep unit for KFC and some other machines. At the same time, I was a partowner in a processing plant, and we were making chicken patties for Six Flags amusement parks. We needed a breader, so I made a breader, and we probably sold 400 or 500 of them.

While most inventors seem to stand on the shoulders of giants to come up with ideas, you were entering virgin territory. How did your ideas come to you? Do you start with the problem and tinker, or is it more of a Eureka moment?

It’s both ways, really. Sometimes it’s easy. Other times you tinker and get things working. It’s not a science - no way. It’s hit-and-miss. Miss, mostly, when you think about it.

Was there some frustration during this time; observing the chicken processing floor and thinking there had to be better ways of doing things?

It wasn’t a frustration. You’d just see things that you thought you could improve, and you’d tinker with them, and maybe they’d work. Like the water-jet deboner (the CFS-series). We were making chicken patties, and we needed a way to get the meat off the bone, and we kept working with the idea, and we realized it was perfect for turkey, so we perfected it.

It works great—it’s still probably the best deboner in the world.

The bones come out so clean, and you can do 35 or 40 thighs a minute.

Most of the machines came www.meatpacking.info

from noticing a problem. You think “I have to do something about this.” I would see a need – it’s no different than today. You go into a plant and see something, and think: “I can do that better.” And you develop it. It’s because there’s a need. The business of building machines just kind of followed.

Here’s an example. We would ship the birds in semitrailers in wooden crates and lots of ice. That’s what everybody did. Well, doing that, you’d be hauling thousands of pounds of ice. You’d rather be hauling chickens. So I built a chiller that cooled the birds on the line before we shipped them. You could haul 30 percent more chickens.

I had visited a closed plant and saw an overhead conveyor, so I bought a conveyor like that. I remember that I had to get it in eight-foot lengths because it had to be galvanized – there was no stainless steel back then – and the dip tank where we got it galvanized was only eight feet long.

I circulated the birds through a chiller until they were just crusted – not frozen, but crusted. You could use no ice. And we started using cardboard boxes. We had some made that were three-ply for better insulation. And they were lighter than the wooden crates. We shipped a lot more chicken. It was more efficient.

A lot of things you do, like that, you don’t even remember, really, but they get picked up by the industry. You don’t get any money or credit for that – and that’s fine – but you see things like that spread.

In 1974 you and your brothers returned to chicken processing, did you sell to KFC or to supermarkets?

When KFC bought us out of the development business, I had been part owner of a plant in Georgia, which did cut-up, marinating and everything, so we worked out of there. That eventually was bought out by an investment company, and we unloaded everything down South. That was in the late 80s. The other two brothers wanted to retire, and that’s when we started the company that became Prime.

Why did you start up Prime in 1993?

After the other brothers retired (in the late 1980s), we were focusing on machine development, and we were called Globe Equipment, and there was another company March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 33

Prime Equipment group

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Globe Machine – that we kept being confused with, so we started Prime in 1993.

Above: The Prime company family, from left to right: Nick, Joe, Geno, and Mike Gasbarro.

In hindsight, what was your best invention or the one that you’re most proud of?

Some of them have been in operation at the same plant for 15 or 20 years.

Well, it depends on what you’re measuring. If you’re talking about volume, the number of machines, it has to be the marinator.

When we started on it, there was no such thing as a marinator. The word didn’t even exist. You took meat, and you marinated it for 24 hours – it was a long process. We started on it in ’69. And we made the vacuum marinator. It was just a drum with a lid on a tumbler. You put in the birds and the liquid, and you pulled a vacuum on it. The vacuum sucked the air out, and the air was replaced with liquid. It took a process that took 24 hours and turned it into 10 minutes.

We sold 3,000 or 4,000 of the small units to KFCs at the time, and now, everyone uses that process. You see huge versions of it in plants now. You almost can’t go into a plant anywhere in the world and not see a vacuum marinator.

How many patents do you hold?

The overall best seller?

In terms of sales success, it has to be the skinners. There has to be 600 to 800 machines we’ve built and sold.

34 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

I don’t really know. The last time we counted it was 42, and that was a couple years ago.

When you go into a supermarket, do you ever get a sense of pride knowing that the chicken in the cooling case was probably processed with Prime equipment?

No, when I see the chicken section of a supermarket, I get a sense of hunger (laughs).

But really, to me, the thing that strikes me most when I see that is how much everything has changed. When we started, birds were killed, de-feathered and sold, and that was it. Now, it’s all cut up and easy for the customer, and it comes in little trays, and a lot of that is done with machines. But to have seen it change, and maybe to have been along and helped it along, and been close to it, and seeing it change over time, that’s kind of neat.

For me, it’s not the machines or the sales or any of that.

It’s seeing a problem and solving it. And if you solve it well, that’s where I get the satisfaction. www.meatpacking.info

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Book review:

Tough Man Tender Chicken

I

f you were living on the East Coast of the USA from about 1970 through the mid-1990s, it was next to impossible to miss Frank Perdue. Balding, big-nosed, deadpan expression, squeaky-voice – and company CEO – for two decades Perdue spread the message that it took a tough man to make tender chicken.

The ads – still visible today on YouTube – made Perdue a star. Fifteen years after the ad campaign began, telephone surveys indicated that 97 percent of people on the East Coast when asked to name a brand of chicken came up with Perdue.

While before the ads Perdue Farms Inc was anything but a light-weight – the Marylandbased company had sales of $56 million in 1971 when the ads began – sales shot to more than $1.2 billion in 20-years-time.

Not bad for a man who actually looked like a chicken.

If you want to know about the personal life of Frank Perdue, Tough Man, Tender Chicken is not the book for you. If personal experiences cannot be tied into business learning experiences, they’re not to be found between these 270 pages.

However, if you want to know how Frank transformed Perdue Farms, made the chicken company the USA’s third largest, or if you desire a text book on business success in a tough industry, then this book is exactly what you’re looking for.

Mitzi Perdue had no intentions on creating a biography of her late husband in Tough Man…, but instead wanted to pass on this self-made man’s business savvy.

She says that her book was written not just to share Frank's inspirational leadership, but also to serve as a primer for business school students. "I was hoping for part road map, part inspiration, and part simply a sense of Frank's reaching 36 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

across the decades to accomplish big things," says Mitzi.

Frank Perdue’s father, Arthur, was working for the railroad in 1915 when he noticed that farmers bringing in eggs to ship seemed to be the most prosperous. In 1920, he decided to go into the table egg business, producing the eggs that people ate for breakfast. ''I always helped my father with the farm, from the time I was so small that I had to hold an egg with two hands," Frank Perdue told Fortune magazine in 2003. ''I helped pick up eggs and pack them into crates."

When he was 10, his father gave him 50 laying hens for a 4-H club project. They were ''culls," rejects, but the youngster gave them tender, loving care and they matched their more promising sisters in egg production. He made between $10 and $20 a month on his 50-chicken brood, a lot of money during the Depression. ''That experience," he told Fortune, ''gave me a taste for the business."

Following graduation from high school in 1937, he enrolled at a teachers' college, but after two years decided he didn't want to grade papers all his life and never make any money. He went back to work for his father.

The Perdues switched from selling eggs to selling chickens in the early 1940s. After the war, they began selling chicken feed, and in 1968 went into processing. The business took off when Frank Perdue decided to sell his chickens in New York City, a decision that prompted the advertising campaign.

Not all chickens alike

A

ccording to Joe Holley of the Washington Post, it was in 1971 when Perdue hit upon the idea of selling brand-name chicken on TV. The business had always been competitive, www.meatpacking.info

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www.meatpacking.info

Tough Man, Tender Chicken Business & Life Lessons from

Frank Perdue by

Mitzi Perdue Mitzi Perdue

with extremely thin profit margins, but Perdue decided he could convince consumers that not all chickens were alike, that one brand was better than another. If successful, he could sell Perdue Farms chickens at a premium price.

Perdue went to over 45 New York advertising agencies before finding Ed McCabe, a copywriter at Scali, McCabe, and Stoves, who believed that chickens could indeed be hawked, but the spots had to be funny.

Perdue was skeptical until the results proved these ads helped create a brand that became a household name.

While today many of Perdue’s ideas might seem ordinary, at the time they were anything but. Not only did Perdue himself have an uncanny marketing sense, he also had the ability to shift through marketing chaff and find the seeds of brilliance which would lead to profits.

This even want to changing the feed of chickens to affect their color, realizing that in some areas of the US, raw chicken was expected to be yellow, while in other areas premium chicken was white.

Not all of his ideas turned to gold and definitely not all who met him became a friend, but he was a man ahead of his times. Perdue retired in 1991 and passed away in 2005 at age 84. Today, with Perdue’s son Jim at the helm, Perdue Inc, has 20,000 employees and is worth around $6 billion.

At times Mitzi Perdue's writing comes across as being too close to the source and you have to wonder if someone else should have written the book. Also, you might find that the basic book design – font size, paragraphs, spacing and over-use of capital letters – makes it appear to have been done on the cheap. This is a pity because the information inside is far from this.

If you are in the business, hoping to be, or wish to increase sales and want to learn from one of the best, this book should be on your nightstand table.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 37

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Ground turkey

ready to take off

USDA

Turkey is no longer just a holiday meal in the USA but instead a year round protein. This is due in large part to value-added products such as highly versatile ground turkey and the equipment to make it such as POSS separators. But don’t think for one second the turkey success story is limited to the States; what worked there could work just as easily elsewhere. For producers wanting to expand their product range and to offer to offer customers a healthier version of many existing meat products, it is hard to go wrong with turkey.

38 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

www.meatpacking.info

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I

n 1987 the Philidelphia Enquirer ran an article about the future potential of turkey. If something like turkey burgers caught on – which the paper implied were a crazy idea – then “turkey would start flying as a yearround menu item”.

“A revolution is afoot in the way turkeys are sold,” reported the Enquirer.

“Americans now buy turkeys mainly during the holidays, and they buy them whole. But producers hope that consumers can be taught to eat turkey steaks, turkey cutlets, turkey tenderloins and ground turkey - all year long and in all kinds of ways.”

This seems hard to believe today – at least in the USA where fresh ground (mince) turkey is found alongside ground beef in nearly all supermarkets. But when ground turkey first started appearing in the early 1980s, it was

difficult to find and if you could, you’d be left wishing you never had.

Sold in one pound frozen tubes and hidden in the farthest corners of the store’s freezer compartment, the quality of the meat was low – made from questionable turkey parts – the color odd, and the taste horrible. It was enough to put people off from buying ground turkey for years.

But then around 1990 major US companies such as Cargill, Tyson, Jennie-O, Butterball, Louis Rich, and others became players and ground turkey, along with other value-added turkey products, upped its game considerably.

Not all were sold on this idea.

"Trying to do it with turkey salami, ham and hot dogs may give consumers the idea that the turkey is ashamed of being a turkey," said Philip Lempert, president of a Belleville, N.J., advertising and marketing firm that specialized

T

he largest growth of turkey product sales has been ground turkey

www.meatpacking.info

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 39

Poss design

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in food.

"The turkey business is in transition," said turkey producer Jaindl, whose operation at the time produced 1 million birds a year. "It's a brand-new game." In the end Jaindl decided that they didn’t do turkey parts, only wholecarcass, premium birds, which they remain doing to this day, along with property development.

However, consumers latched onto to ground turkey, fueled in large part by women’s popular magazines which saw ground turkey as a low-fat, healthy alternative to ground beef. In flicking through any of these magazines during the era, recipes could be found for ground turkey meatloaf, turkey burgers, and turkey Bolognese.

Sausage makers, too, jumped on the ground turkey bandwagon and today you would be hard pressed to find any large US supermarket which does not offer Italian-style, breakfast, smoked, and a dozen other types of turkey sausage in the chilled compartment.

The impact on US turkey consumption was – and continues to be – massive.Per capita turkey consumption doubled between 1970 and 1995, going from 8.1 to 17.7 lbs.

According to the USDA, consumers are increasingly choosing poultry as their meat products. Over the last 10 years, the percentage of poultry meat consumption has grown more rapidly than red meats and in particular, the 40 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: Turkey wings going into a POSS hopper.

Inset: The finished product after going through a separator.

consumption of turkey in the United States.

The National Turkey Federation (NTF) says the US turkey industry has experienced unprecedented growth during the past 20 years. The Federation states: “Today’s consumer recognizes turkey’s nutritional value and enjoys turkey year-round, not just during the holidays."

During that time, the largest growth of turkey product sales has been ground turkey. This is due to increased use of ground turkey as a lower fat substitute for ground beef. In addition to health concerns, taste and convenience are also factors that are driving the changes in consumption patterns of protein foods.

The turkey industry has developed from a single-product, holiday-oriented market to a year-round, diversified and value-added product line. Increasingly, turkey products are marketed in a variety of ways. In the deli markets, turkey has developed as a favorite for health-conscious consumers.

US poultry producers have responded to the consumer demand for taste and convenience by pre-cooking poultry items and selling into the convenience market. Examples of convenience marketing are turkey strips that are pre-seasoned and pre-cooked, and ready to eat in sandwiches.

In addition, pre-cooked turkey products such as deli breast, turkey bacon and turkey ham have all experienced substantial segment growth.

Food safety and environmental concerns are www.meatpacking.info

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also factors in the increased consumption of poultry products, because consumers perceive these products to be more wholesome. Turkey companies are marketing more natural and “airchilled” products in response to these concerns.

weathering the storm

G

round turkey has gone through two incidents in the USA, which could have destroyed forever a lessor product.

The first took place in August 2011 when Cargill Value-Added Meats began one of the largest meat recalls ever. A staggering 36 million lbs – around 16,300 metric tons – of ground turkey were recalled after there were reports of a nationwide salmonella sickness outbreak.

One person died from the outbreak and at least 107 fell ill – although this number was probably much higher due to people either not reporting the illness, or not aware where they got it from.

What did not help Cargill’s or ground turkey’s reputation at the time was that a similar outbreak took place only months later at the same Cargill Arkansas plant, although much smaller (185,000 lbs).

Then in 2013, the highly respected US Consumer Reports magazine published an article alleging high levels of microbial contamination in ground turkey purchased in supermarkets. The magazine attempted to then garner maximum attention to the article, distributing written and video news releases to media across the nation.

Its video news release received wide distribution on local television stations, many of which broadcast the release unedited and presented it as original reporting. The NTF and the American Meat Institute mounted an aggressive counterattack, pointing out the numerous flaws in the article: Of the five pathogens tested, only two (Salmonella and Campylobacter) present a significant public health threat, but the tests showed little Salmonella and no Campylobacter in the ground turkey. The article also alleged antimicrobial resistance, but most of the antibiotics tested had no widespread use in human medicine – the one that is widely used has been banned in poultry for almost a decade.

NTF’s response was picked up by some television stations that were airing the video news release, as well as most of the major wire services. In the end, the Consumer Reports media blitz failed to make a dent in ground turkey sales, as consumers remained confident in the product’s safety and nutritional value. www.meatpacking.info

About turkey In 2014, the average American ate 16 pounds of turkey.

Turkey consumption has increased 104% since 1970, with turkey production increasing by nearly 110%.

In 1970, 50% of all turkey consumed was during the holidays, now just 29% of all turkey consumed is during the holidays as more turkey is eaten year-round.

Turkey hens are usually sold as whole birds. Toms are processed into turkey sausage, turkey franks, tenderloins, cutlets, and deli meats.

The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.

A 15 pound turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

In 1920, U.S. turkey growers produced one turkey for every 29 persons in the U.S. Today growers produce nearly one turkey for every person in the country.

Male ‘tom’ turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.

200 years ago in England, turkeys were walked to market in herds. They wore booties to protect their feet. Turkeys were also walked to market in the United States.

The fleshy growth on male turkeys which hangs down over the beak is called the snood.

Turkey has more protein than chicken or beef.

Turkeys have been bred to have white feathers. White feathers have no spots under the skin when plucked. or beef.

Turkeys can blush. When frightened, excited, or ill, the exposed skin on a turkey's head and neck can change color.

Wild turkeys can fly for short bursts at speeds up to 55mph and they perfer to roost in trees.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 41

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Chicken squad

The Food fight Chicken producers are brilliant at what they do but – and this is one very big ‘but’ – for the most part they are terrible at explaining what they do. While you farmers and processors are hard at work, others are working just as hard chipping away at your accomplishments. Well- meaning but uninformed groups are doing all they can to steer public opinion against our industry. However, in British Columbia, Canada, where thinking outside the box is the norm, its chicken industry could see the writing on the wall and they didn’t like it. So they created the ‘Chicken Squad’. Start the music.

W

e have all been in a conversation where it felt like the other person is hearing only what they wanted to hear.

That’s the feeling Sandra Middleburg, a British Columbian chicken farmer, got when people talked to her about chicken growing practices in BC. Unfortunately, Middleburg’s feelings were correct. Research undertaken by the BC Chicken Growers Association and BC Chicken Marketing Board showed that over 64 percent of British Columbians believe that hormones and steroids are added to the chicken they eat.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The use of hormones and steroids in Canadian poultry has been banned for over 50 years and a stringent provincial and federal licensing and inspection regime ensures those laws are upheld.

Obviously if the use of hormones/steroids has been banned for half a century and most people still believed this in BC, the right message wasn’t getting out there. The Association and Board decided it was time to educate the public about Canadian chicken growing practices.

That’s where the inspiration for the ‘Chicken Squad’ came from – the real people who quietly work behind the scenes to ensure BC chicken is raised according to the highest national standards.

‘Chicken Squad’ follows BC chicken farmers

44 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

as they come together to create a parody action movie trailer to let consumers know that their chicken is hormone and steroid-free.

The irreverent, 10-episode documentary video series uses humor, vulnerability, and a whole lot of fun to get the point across, says the Board.

it's about the farmer

S

teffen Janzen, creative content strategist at Relevention Marketing, says the idea which led to ‘Chicken Squad’ started in 2011 with a proposal to the BC Chicken Growers’ Association about an educational campaign that would leverage social media.

Things didn’t move forward, but the conversation continued. When the BC government announced a new Buy Local funding program, the Association got involved, received funding, and the campaign entered the development stage.

“The client provided very thorough research and information about the chicken industry at the beginning of the project, so we were more concerned about understanding public perception of the industry,” he says. “We commissioned our own research testing the hypothesis that, rather than combatting the myths head on, we needed to change the conversation and make it about the farmer, not the chicken.”

During the first brainstorming session held www.meatpacking.info

BC Chicken Marketing Board

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while sitting outside on the grass, the staff at Relevention kicked around the idea of what the world would be like without chicken.

“Initially this got us thinking about a postapocalypse scenario where chicken is nearly extinct, and hence extremely valuable. That idea got dropped, but it got us thinking in a unique direction,” says Janzen.

A significant influence to the team’s custom research was that it indicated young urbanites were the most likely to distrust farmers.

“The challenge then became, how do we make chicken farmers interesting to a young, city-dwelling audience that is very disconnected from where their food comes from?” www.meatpacking.info

Above: Chicken squad hero and real life farmer Chris Kloot.

Relevention’s research also indicated that it was easier to change men’s perceptions on the issues, compared to women. This helped drive a more edgy, creative strategy.

According to Janzen, the ‘Chicken Squad’ itself was inspired by the real team of poultry inspectors who work behind the scenes to ensure BC chicken is raised to high standards.

“We got to interview some of them in Episode 5. Interestingly, both inspectors we interviewed are actually ex-cops so the whole ‘’Chicken Squad’ idea wasn’t that far off from reality,” he says. “We just put real farmers in the role and had some fun with it.”

The farmers would agree.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 45

BC Chicken Marketing Board

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The good, the bad and the hungry

C

hicken farmer Kerry Froese is upfront about what he first thought of the idea for ‘Chicken Squad’.

“I thought it was crazy,” says Froese. “But then I realized that we as farmers think it’s crazy that consumers still have the misconception that we pump our chickens full of steroids and hormones.

“The idea was actually pitched to us that it was to make us farmers look like super heroes.

I liked that. Farmers feed the world and I think that’s something to be proud of.”

Those who have lived in the Pacific Northwest would agree that people in the region tend to do things a bit differently. Could elsewhere in Canada or the USA have thought of such an idea as ‘Chicken Squad’?

“I think BC currently has some younger,

46 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: Chicken squad villain and real life chicken farmer Kerry Froese.

innovative thinkers in the chicken industry,” says Froese. “We knew that what we were doing in talking to the public wasn’t working, so we adapted our method of communication to speak to our target audience.

“Social media is the new preferred public communication platform. We aren’t better than the rest of Canada; we just learned to speak the new language first.”

Froese says that he didn’t hesitate one bit to be part of a program to dispel myths about chicken. “With the growing Urban/Rural disconnect, I take any chance I can to tell consumers what and why we farm the way we do.”

Going to chickensquad.ca, it shows some of the background scenes where every farmer had to audition to be part of the trailer – what Froese describes as almost like a family team building exercise. Ultimately the director selected the cast he thought would work best. Froese was selected as the arch villain. www.meatpacking.info

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BC chicken industry British Columbia has more than 300 chicken growers licensed by the Board.

All licensed growers hold quota issued to them by the Board. Growers produce a variety of chicken from the free run and free range to specific breeds such as the Silkie or Taiwanese chicken.

Kerry Froese

All growers are required to apply for a license each calendar year and may be granted a license if they continue to be in good standing with the Board. All growers must also follow a National On Farm Food Safety Program and Provincial Biosecurity Program. This ensures that the BC chicken industry continues to produce a high quality product.

“We held open auditions for chicken farmers from across the Province and had a great response,” says Janzen. “Farmers are busy people, so scheduling was one of the biggest challenges.

We lost one of our main characters the first day of filming and had to use a farmer who hadn’t even made it to auditions.”

When you look at the trailer, one thing begins to stand out are the fried chicken legs the cast always seems to be eating. Far from being carefully planned, this happened very spontaneously.

“The director liked it so we kept adding it into different shots,” says Janzen. “Chicken farmers never get tired of eating chicken; in fact we had to send someone to pick up a few more chickens because we were going through the drumsticks too fast!”

numbers tell the story

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ne thing that many groups have discovered is, you can have a great video but if nobody watches it, it has no value. Different organizations have different expectations and while some US beef associations back-slap themselves when numbers of viewers reach over 5,000, for the BC Chicken Board and Relevention they were looking for a much, much higher audience base.

“Overall the response has been very positive,” says Janzen. “I give huge credit to the Board for having the courage to take an unconventional approach to sharing their message.

“It takes a special kind of client to pull something off like this and I believe it has paid off.” www.meatpacking.info

Above: BC chicken farmer Kerry Froese and his two sons.

The British Columbia Chicken Marketing Board was created under the Natural Products Marketing (BC) Act in 1961 and was the first poultry Board created in Canada. The mandate of the Board is to monitor and regulate the production and marketing of chicken in British Columbia In Canada, producers try to grow only as much chicken as Canadians will consume, which is called supply management. It prevents over production and flooded market conditions which helps the industry remain sustainable and provides fair returns for farmers. It also keeps prices stable for consumers.

Supply management relies on three pillars: production planning, producer pricing, and import controls.

Combining view figures from the trailer and the episodes, ‘Chicken Squad’ has got around 1 million views.

“We received significant media coverage on TV, in print and online through an extensive blogger engagement strategy. There have been many requests on YouTube and Facebook to make an actual ‘Chicken Squad’ feature length movie. We’d love to do that,” says Janzen.

Does Froese feel the same?

“I get compliments from everyone that watches it.

And the people that still think that we use steroids and hormones, I get more in depth questions about our farming practices. I think it’s an amazing tool for connecting with urban consumers and bringing awareness to the issue.”

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 47

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metal detection vs X-ray inspection A piece of stainless steel wire recently found in a restaurant’s sukiyaki leads to 24 tons of frozen product being recalled in the US. An isolated incident? Far from it, foreign contaminants cost processors each year millions of dollars around the world. It’s just not the initial loss of recalling the product, refunding buyers, and possibly paying fines and covering lawsuits, it is also the long term loss of a company’s reputation. Bob Ries, Lead Product Manager, Metal & X-ray Inspection for Thermo Fisher Scientific, explains the differences in detection equipment.

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www.meatpacking.info

X- r ay

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onsumer safety has always been a primary concern for food processors. However, the recent enactment of the US Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA) has turned the intensity up even higher as FSMA shifts federal regulator focus from responding to food contamination issues to preventing them.

With significant costs and penalties for noncompliance, processors will be relying, more than ever before on the latest quality control methodologies and equipment to keep the food supply safe.

Although recalls due to Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella, may be grabbing headlines, foreign object contamination is an equally important food safety issue and an all too common occurrence.

Most raw foods and ingredients originate in a natural environment – a field, an orchard, a farm, etc. As the food is picked or harvested,

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foreign objects such as stones or glass can end up comingled and transported into the processing plant. Additionally, objects found in manufacturing facilities – such as metal and plastic – can also find their way into the processing stream. Lastly, fragments of bones, pits, or shells that are removed during processing can end up hidden in the final products.

In addition to more stringent regulations, retailers have also started to make product inspection demands on food processors – even refusing to do business with those not employing the latest technologies.

With these drivers currently in place, the objective of this white paper is to review the attributes of both metal detectors and X-ray systems and for which each is best suited. (The technologies are frequently deployed at different points in the production process which means it is not uncommon to find both on the same production line.)

The goal is to provide food quality professionals with comparative information which can then be used to make the right decision for individual product and processing requirements.

the challenge

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etal detection and X-ray inspection traditionally have been the first line of defense to identify the presence of foreign contaminants in food products before they have the chance to leave the processing plant.

For food quality professionals, process engineers, and corporate food safety executives who decide which technology will best protect them from contaminants, choosing a detection system is typically based on three things: the optimum detection point, overall

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March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 49

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Beatrice Murch

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Left (top and bottom): A piece of wire led to 24 tons of sukiyaki and gingered pork products being recalled in the USA

USDA

Above: A tiny scrap can cost you millions

application capability and total cost/benefit.

However, even though detection technologies have been employed by food processors for decades, engineering and software improvements continue to set new standards. This has led to some confusion regarding which technology to employ and why.

the basics

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n security applications, such as airport screening, metal detectors use radio frequency signals to react to moving metal (eg, coins in your pocket). X-ray systems produce density images that are analyzed for irregularities.

But deploying these technologies for food applications is more complex. The size and type 50 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

of anomaly being detected is more challenging and the rapid speed in which the detection needs to take place makes the process more complex. In fact, in many cases, the real challenge isn’t finding the contaminant; it is ignoring the product, packaging or environment.

False detections add up to big costs and high frustrations for plant workers and managers.

Metal detectors and X-ray systems for food applications must be very sensitive, easy-to-use, fully automatic, fast, extremely robust, reliable, and cost effective. This is a tall order for any automated system that must run for many years in a hot, wet factory and make reliable pass/fail decisions on literally millions of products.

Foreign object detection performance is determined in three ways: detectable contaminant types, minimum contaminant size and probability of detection.

Situations can occur when contaminants can be missed, or conversely, find foreign objects you thought weren’t possible. The best practice prior to deployment is always to test many samples with different contaminants. This record you then develop specifically for your own product and machines will help you understand how the product and contaminant react when in the detection system.

Minimum contaminant size depends on the system design/technology and the product effect (how much the food itself ‘looks like’ a contaminant to the system).

Probability of detection means ‘what is the chance of missing a contaminant in real production with real products running at real speeds?’ In most cases, the larger the contaminant, the higher is the probability of detection.

This fundamental trade-off is addressed by www.meatpacking.info

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building in margin for error, setting periodic mandatory audits, and performing preventative maintenance. Policies, procedures, training, and discipline are the order of the day.

selecting the detection point

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ompanies typically use Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) methodology to manage their food safety. The first part of the process, (HA) identifies which contaminants are most likely to occur.

Next, is the determination of the (CCP) – or in the case of contaminants, the best detection point. CCPs can occur in multiple places: at the beginning of the process; after cutting, sifting or mixing; immediately after a bag or box is filled; or at the end of the line.

Ideally, the goal is to find problems early in the process to reduce the cost of rework or scrap while still ensuring the final product is safe. Inspecting large cases immediately prior to shipment is not always the right decision.

The optimum detection point can influence which technology should be employed. Metal detectors can be installed almost anywhere, but their performance depends on the size of the aperture (hole) the product passes through. In general, they work best for bulk conveyed or piped product or products in small packages.

X-ray systems are dependent on product size, too, but have greater sensitivity with large products than metal detectors.

Due to the basic detector sensor scanning rate, X-ray systems are limited by speed. They are typically found closer to the end of the line.

Because X-ray systems need a constant, known speed to construct images, they cannot be used in gravity flow applications. Metal detectors are ideal for these types of products.

decision-making check list

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efore making a decision, answer these fundamental questions: What contaminants do you want to find and where do they come from?

Given all the factors that affect application performance, the best way to select a technology and specific system is to run a test.

Try everything to make the system fail. Strive for near 100% probability of detection with no false readings. Make sure you have enough detection margins so the system can run trouble free for hours without false rejects or the need for calibration. www.meatpacking.info

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x-ray inspection guidelines

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-ray systems create grayscale images corresponding to density.

To detect a contaminant in those images the contaminant must have significant contrast compared to the product the contaminant is inside. The only way to definitively determine what can and cannot be detected (material and contaminant size) is to have an application specialist run a test.

package material trends

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he need to market products in packaging materials which costeffectively enhance shelf life has led many brand owners to convert to metalized film or foil-based structures. These materials not only provide better oxygen, moisture, and UV-light barriers, but they also improve shelf presence.

However, metal-based structures are not compatible with metal detectors. On the other hand, X-ray systems have no problem seeing right through these packages and are able to detect very small contaminants inside.

Packaging material trends will continue to be a critical factor in contamination detection choices.

Equipment vs. failure

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mall incidents can cost millions of dollars and lead to total business disruption. How much are you willing to risk? Weigh this against the total cost of ownership for the metal detection or X-ray system including installation, training, maintenance, repairs and the cost of downtime.

In general, metal detection systems are less expensive than X-ray units and last two-tofive times longer. If your main concern is metal contamination in small, dry products, choose a metal detector. If you want to find glass, rocks, bones, plastic, or have metallic packaging, an X-ray system can be the best return on investment.

Metal detector and X-ray systems have been deployed for decades. Deciding which to use can be difficult. Find vendors with both technologies and long, successful track records. They can easily provide you with the confidence you need.

Finally, make sure you fully educate your staff on use and operation. Audit the system regularly to assure your policies and procedures are being followed.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 51

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Increase yields Innovation at Silver Fern Farms

It seems ironic: while the world’s population has never been higher, there has never been such a huge need to automate the meat processing industry. X-ray machines, scanners, and robotic cutters are one way of cutting labor expensive and improving yield. But, is the ROI of high-tech equipment worth it? For the facts, MPJ talks to Grant Pearson, recently retired innovation manager at New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms.

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www.meatpacking.info

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t’s a story being repeated around the globe.

Countries with highly developed meat industries, such as the USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand, can grow cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry with an efficiency that is staggering.

Countries such China, India, and others in Asia are seeing a growth in the middle class with numbers never before seen. The middle class are able – and willing – to spend more on their diet and one thing they consistently want is quality meat for their protein.

It would then seem like the match made in heaven between these groups of producers and consumers, except for two factors which have a strong potential of derailing this.

Not only in the more economically developed countries is there is a lack of local workers for processing plants – due to either few numbers, little interest, or spiraling labor costs – but their www.meatpacking.info

governments are tightening up foreign worker programs as well.

This has the potential to serious problems within the industry. Indeed, the Canadian Meat Council has already warned its members that unless action is taken to increase the availability of workers to fill vacant positions in Canada's meat processing plants, it will not be possible to take full advantage of export opportunities being created by new trade agreements.

But to overcome this, the meat industry does not have to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it can take a lesson from the automobile industry when it was faced with similar problems - automate production with robotics as much as possible.

For New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms, this has meant turning to Scott Technology to bring the 21 century to the processing floor.

Silver Fern Farm is New Zealand’s leading processor, marketer and exporter of lamb, beef, venison, and associated products to more than 60 countries, and is New Zealand’s second March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 53

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silver fern farms

the breakdown area and it seem would like a winning idea. But Pearson still had his doubts.

“I was concerned that we could be overengineering our business by adding cost and complexity,” says Pearson. “My inclination was to keep it simple, starting with some mechanical aids and then move on to more challenging systems with robotics and dedicated automation equipment.”

However, as he explains, they did the opposite with Scott Technology – a New Zealand company which specializes in the design and manufacturer of automation equipment.

“We jumped into the deep end with a robotic leg boning machine and then moved on to the X-ray primal cutting system, and automated forequarter and middle breakdown systems.”

There’s been no looking back. largest primary sector exporter.

With revenues of around NZ$2 billion ($1.53 billion), it owns and operates 21 processing sites throughout New Zealand and has eight sales and marketing offices around the world. It’s also one of New Zealand’s largest employers with over 7,000 staff at peak season.

As a company, it believes that you have to do more than add value, you have to create it. That belief has put the company on a relentless drive to innovate at every opportunity, from plate to pasture. It was just a matter of time before the innovation eye turned to its processing plants.

needed convincing

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rant Pearson, recently retired innovation manager, at New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms, admits that he wasn’t keen at first on the idea of using robotic technologies in lamb processing.

“High technology automation for labor saving on processing lines usually doesn’t pay in New Zealand,” says Pearson.

While labor costs are higher in New Zealand than in the USA, because the lamb industry is seasonal, the low plant utilization factor would work against the idea of such an automated plant.

“There would be labor saving, but it does not justify the cost and support requirements for the automated primal breakdown system,” he says.

The main advantage for Silver Fern, he says, would be increased yield.

With the volume of processing that Silver Fern does, just adding an additional one percent of carcass value by having more accurate cut lines with a lamb x-ray primal system would be significant. Combine this with an improvement in worker safety by taking bandsaws out of 54 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: Grant Pearson

X-ray vision

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hile watching the system operate on YouTube (Scott Automated Lamb Boning System), it becomes clear how much is dependent on the X-ray system and on having parts which can withstand quick movements while holding heavy loads.

“The X-ray is critical to get more accurate cut lines than can be achieved with vision imaging systems. We typical get cut lines within 2mm of target, with the forequarter blade on a tilting frame to cut between ribs rather than through them,” says Pearson. “In terms of primal weight predictions, we work on getting 95 percent of all primals predicted with five percent of actual weight, and expect to be able to improve on that as we develop the technology further.

“Our X-ray units can predict lamb primal weights, count the number of ribs, measure rib angles, and determine cutting lines for different cut planes between the leg, middle, and the middle and fore, doing this all at around 30 carcasses per minute.

“We haven’t incorporated metal detection, but this would not be difficult. We are currently working on adding DEXA detectors to measure the meat, fat, and bone proportions of each region of the carcass, with trial units in NZ and Australia on lamb and have done some testing on beef as well.”

At the moment Silver Fern is reporting lamb primal proportions to farmers, but this is of limited value to them in terms of breeding programs so far. However, once meat/fat/bone predictions are available, that should lead to a yield payment system that will be a powerful tool for breeders.

While the automation equipment catches the www.meatpacking.info

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imagination of anyone who sees it in action, it’s the hidden software which controls the entire operation. And, as anyone knows who has worked on a project like this, developing software can be just as time consuming at building the plant.

“The development of the software used in the X-ray system to analyze each carcass for skeletal structure, cutting lines, and predicted yields has been a big job, probably taking as much effort over the last few years as the development of the mechanical equipment,” says Pearson. “Scott Technology has some pretty smart software engineers so they’ve done a good job on this.”

targets reached

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he road to robotic success is littered by those companies who have failed. The reasons are many but often the software never worked as it should have; development funds were insufficient; or too many shortcuts were taken.

While Silver Fern’s Te Aroha processing plant is automated, most of the company’s other processing plants remain as they were. Is this a sign that the company is unsure about the future of robotics?

“No, money is tight at present and there is surplus sheep-meat processing capacity in NZ, so major investment in automation is unlikely in the short term, says Pearson. “Looking ahead, I would expect to see a program of plant closures with investment in automation and other technologies in those that remain.

“Te Aroha uses proprietary equipment throughout; it was able to be commissioned successfully and has reached targets since starting up in 2012. We still have some work to do to get the best out of the Marel cut/trace system which will give us better control of yield and provide detailed yield and value information on each carcass.”

Pearson describes robotic maintenance as “not being for the faint-hearted”, but says that it can be managed by having capable tradesmen, assisted by on-line diagnostic support from Scott Technology.

“We don’t normally dedicate maintenance staff to the robotic systems. At Silver Fern we have a number of fitters and electricians trained to work on the equipment and we call in Scott Technology as required.

“We carry some critical spares and Scott Technology keeps other spares in centralised storage for Australian and NZ customers. At this stage, we still have back-up hardware on hand to revert to conventional carcass cutting methods if there is an equipment failure so www.meatpacking.info

More development needed in robotics While Silver Fern Farms of New Zealand says that labor issues were not its primary reason forgoing robotic, the growing lack of workers either able or willing to work in processing plants will become a major factor in hurting industry growth in some countries.

For example, the new Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement has been ratified by both governments and has gone into effect on 1 January. Negotiations aimed at concluding a free trade agreement with the European Union are expected to conclude soon.

However, changes made in June to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program have dramatically reduced the ability of pork and beef processors to fill positions in their plants.

Ron Davidson, the director of international trade, government and media relations with the Canadian Meat Council, says Canadian processors simply cannot find enough Canadians prepared to move to rural communities where their plants are located.

In a recent radio interview, Davidson said: “We could easily use a thousand workers in western Canada between the beef and pork sectors right now. We have plants across the prairies that are operating with 100, 200 empty positions in their plants…so this is a very, very serious problem for the sustainability of the livestock and meat industry in Canada.”

Robotics, when developed for beef, could give these plants a way out.

production loss is minimal,” says Pearson.

Throughout the world beef producers are looking keenly at the developments in New Zealand and Australia, hoping that the same technology will soon be available for beef. For producers who are having problems in find qualified workers, this could be a game changer for them.

But, according to Pearson, beef automation is more challenging than that for small stock.

“However, the advances they are making in X-Ray technology could transform beef grading systems for both feedback to farmers and smarter processing in beef plants,” he says.

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 55

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Why Temple Grandin's approach continues to

shake-up the industry

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“Calm animals produce more meat and better quality meat,” says Dr Temple Grandin, whose work on how to create low-stress handling lairages is making a seismic impact on the meat industry around the world. Through a lifetime of straightforward and detailed observation of animal behavior, she has challenged anyone who keeps animals to think again about how to care for them. MPJ technical editor James Chappelow looks at this fascinating person.

I

n the United Sates it would be difficult to find a stock breeder who had not heard of Dr Temple Grandin.

She is known as ‘a hero for animals’ and, following the release in 2010 of a biopic of her life, Grandin was named

by Time magazine as among the 100 most influential people of that year.

The details of her background have become common knowledge. She was born severely autistic and found communication extremely difficult. As a teenager she spent time on a family ranch in Arizona and discovered that it was easier to empathize with animals. She believes that, like herself, animals think in pictures. It was through an appreciation of how

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Cattle in a feedlot.

Animals relate to their world based on sensory-based thinking that is rooted in sound, smell, touch, and taste.

animals are most likely to see the world that Grandin began her work.

Temple Grandin has become a prolific bestselling author. She not only writes about animal behavior, but she has become a leading expert on autism in children. She works as a lecturer in Livestock Handling and Behavior in Colorado State University and she tours the United States to lead conferences on the subject.

The Temple Grandin Web Site is very active and she welcomes questions on her work – to which replies are sent promptly.

Grandin's book, (written in collaboration with Mark Deesing) Humane Livestock Handling: Understanding Livestock Behavior and Building Facilities for Healthier Animals serves well to March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 57

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demonstrate her approach.

Throughout the work the reader is struck by the thought that this is all common sense yet, as Temple Grandin said in an interview: “there is nothing common about common sense”. It is the simplicity of the thought that gives the ideas clarity. What is difficult to understand is why it has taken so long for people to accept things that seem so obvious.

Fundamental to Grandin's approach is the idea that humans are different from animals. In particular, humans, through their more complex higher brain functions, are able to use both verbal and visual ways of thinking.

In contrast to this, animals have to rely on sensory-based thinking that is rooted in sound, smell, touch, and taste. This may be presented as thinking in pictures which, as Grandin points out, is highly specific.

Animal cannot access the generalized or the highly nuanced thinking of humans. The ability to verbalize and construct complex arguments to support a particular vision of good farming practice may prove worthless if the needs and perceptions of the animals are forgotten.

“Livestock producers can create a safer, healthier, more cost effective, and productive handling space for animals if they learn to rely less on words,” says Grandin.

instincts run wild

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hile farm animals, and particularly grazing animals, are regarded as domesticated, they nevertheless retain natural instincts from their former wild state. They remain prey animals that are prepared to react to any 58 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

possible predators. This is easily confirmed by observation and experience.

In a field of what appears to be happily grazing animals even a distant sound will cause ears to twitch in in that direction. The closer bark of a dog will stop the grazing, as will all loud noises.

Some sounds will become familiar and have positive associations, such as the approach of a truck that normally brings feed, but it has been proved that other loud noises, such as shouting and harsh whistling, do nothing but cause adverse reaction in animals such as increased heart beats and flight. Grandin says: “The best handlers are often completely silent when cattle are being moved. The only sound that people should make is a gentle shhhh shhhh with their mouths to move them.”

In a similar way, humans need to take account of animal senses of smell, touch and taste, but, as Grandin confirms, the sense of sight is of crucial importance to grazing animals.

It is clear from the position of the eyes on such animals that they are able to see in an arc of nearly 360 degrees.

seeing behind

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here is only a small blind spot behind the animal in line with the backbone. Human peripheral vision is, in contrast, very limited. Again, any simple observation of grazing animals will demonstrate the ability to remain alert to movement and sudden and rapid movement will be interpreted as the movement of a predator. The arrival of an out-of-control dog into an otherwise peaceful pastoral scene will cause an immediate reaction among the animals.

Good animal handlers will know how to approach slowly, to be aware of the flight zone and never to appear suddenly from out of blind spot. Grandin also has some interesting insights about the difficulty animals may have with depth perception and the need to give animals the time to see where the leader of a herd will need to look down to check the safety of a contrasting floor.

Grandin's research shows that the lack of verbal communication does not mean a lack of memory. As with humans, animals are able to store sensory experiences and to draw upon them in similar ways.

An animal's appears to be capable of remembering a first experience of any situation over a long period of time. If a man wearing a black hat beat an animal it is likely that any other man in a similar hat will cause a negative response. Animals are able to remember people, www.meatpacking.info

USDA

Steve Jurvetson

Left: Temple Grandin making a point

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places and objects.

Grandin cites an Australian experiment that proves this point. In this experiment test sheep were restrained tightly in a squeeze chute and then turned upside down. When handlers tried to herd them into the same squeeze chute in the same place a year later, the sheep adamantly refused. They still remembered that same frightening experience even though a substantial period of time had passed since the trauma.

better lairage design

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ased on many years of observation and research, Grandin has suggested many techniques for the better handling of livestock as well as redesigning the facilities for their use on farms.

Her designs, especially with the characteristic curved chutes, have become the hallmark of her www.meatpacking.info

Above: There is only a small blind spot behind many animals in line with their backbone.

work.

To help the creation of a calm and reduced stress environment overcrowding is banned.

Screens and capes are substituted for electric prods on almost all occasions.

It is believed that over 54% of farms in the US have taken up Grandin's ideas and have implemented changes that will have improved livestock handling and consequentially animal welfare. Simple diagrams and practical advice accompany the logical arguments for change based on common sense.

From the point of view of the meat packing industry there are two areas of special interest.

First are the implications of genetic difference and selective breeding. The two types of domestic cattle are the Continental European and British breeds from temperate climates, and the zebu breeds which are more common in hot climates.

Grandin's experience is that the British breeds March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 59

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Design of Chutes, Ramps, and Races for Cattle, Pigs, and Sheep at Slaughter Plants I have received drawings of livestock handling 12ft (3.5m) facilities from many processing plants around the world. Many companies ask me to check their designs to see if I can point out any design problems before they are constructed.

Round Single file race Some have been really great and could be Crowd built as drawn. However, others contained Pen 20ft (6m) serious design mistakes. These oversights Straight would cause animals to refuse to enter the 30 chute, fall down, pile up or jam.

One of the most critical parts of the handling system is the junction between the crowd pen and the single file chute. The correct Wrong, dead ended design will enable animals to move smoothly from a group into a single file, while the wrong design will cause the animals to either refuse to enter or the animals to jam up the Right, cattle see a place to go entryway.

Modern, curved-chute systems with round crowd pens will work better than straight chutes, but they must be laid out correctly.

Here are four tips on how to avoid some Hen's egg common mistakes: pens built on ramps will cause animals to fall Never dead end the entrance of the down and pile up. Groups of animals held single-file chute. Animals have to be able stationary on a ramp will move back and pile to seeoila place to go. They will not enter if on the back gate. A slight drainage slope will Soybean the entrance looks like a wall. The junction not cause a problem. If the system has a ramp, between a crowd pen and the single-file it should be in the single-file chute part of the Cabbage chute is one of the most critical points of the system. Newer facilities for pigs should contain system. An animal standing at the single-file no ramps and be level. Cattle and sheep will Hen's eggentrance must be able to see at least chute stand quietly in single file on a ramp. three body lengths up the single-file chute Design single-file chutes to the correct before it turns.

That will be about 20 feet (6m) length.

A common mistake is to make the Beer for cattle and 12 feet (4m) for pigs and sheep. single-file chute (race) too short. If the chute Animals will move easily through tight bends is too short handlers have to hurry and push Potatoes after they have entered the first section near animals too hard to keep up. The chute should the entrance. be long enough to hold enough animals so Correct crowd pen angle at the single-file that the handlers have plenty of time to refill Milk nanograms chute entrance. For cattle and 2sheep, one side the crowd pen without running out. The Beef from HPG must be on a 30 degree angle and the other chute also needs to be long enough to take treated steer side should be straight. This recommendation advantage of natural following behavior. It is applies to both circular and crowd pens and possible to make a chute too long. For large straight ones. For pigs, the junction between cattle plants processing 100 or more cattle per 1000 4000 5000 6000length is200,000 201,000 the single0 file and the crowd pen2000 should be 3000 hour, the minimum 80 feet (25m). abrupt. A very gradual transition or a crowd Curved single file races work efficiently Level of oestrogen in nanogramsbecause per 100 pen that narrows gradually causes jamming. theygrams prevent cattle from seeing people I received two sets of drawings this year that up ahead of them. They also take advantage contained this very serious mistake. of the animal's natural behavior to return to The crowd pen and staging area must be where they came from. Multiple curves in the level. Crowd pens, staging areas and holding single file races are NOT recommended. The o

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may be described as “usually calm and less flighty” while some of the Continental breeds, which often have greater amounts of lean muscle are known to be nervous and flighty.

The modern pressure from the market for more lean beef and the increasing need for animals that are more heat tolerant to meet demands for more home produced beef in the developing world has led to more crossbreeding of European and zebu breeds. Such cattle appear to be more likely to have a highly reactive temperament which makes the need for better handling even more important.

Equally, the breeding of pigs for rapid lean meat growth has led to them either becoming more excitable or, where the halothane gene has been eliminated, pigs need more careful handling as their rapid growth may cause fatigue.

Secondly, Grandin has given much thought to the process of the slaughter of farm animals. It is to complete the logic of improving the handling of animals on a farm that conditions to and at the slaughterhouse should be considered. Such work is long overdue.

slaughterhouse conditions

Temple grandin

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best design is a single file race with a single 180 degree half circle or 90 degree quarter circle. The serpentine design with two tight curves should only be used in places where space is restricted. When sufficient space is available a radius of 10 ft (3 m) to 12 ft (3.5 m) is recommended for races used at slaughter plants.

When a round crowd pen is used it should be a full half circle or 180 degrees. This will take advantage of the behavioral tendency of cattle to go back to where they came from. For cattle, a 12 ft (3.5 m) radius is recommended. Do NOT use a larger radius for the crowd pen.

Temple Grandin

www.meatpacking.info

he story of the slaughterhouse is one to which most people prefer to turn a blind eye. In preindustrial societies and primitive societies the killing of animals for food was on a small scale and part of the natural process. Issues of animal rights may have been raised occasionally – as in Thomas More's Utopia where necessary butchery is defended but hunting with dogs for pure pleasure is condemned – but such arguments were little debated. Vegetarianism was a consequence of poverty rather than choice and any opportunity to add meat to the otherwise dull fare was greeted with celebration.

With more advanced industrial societies, ever growing populations and changes in diet, the demand for meat has led to the emergence of a world-wide meat industry. Larger slaughterhouses near to urban centers became the norm. Few questions were asked about processes and their architecture was dominated by the perceived need to hide their work.

This image was not improved in the machine age of the 20th century. The slaughter lines of Chicago were in full use by 1896 and the stockyards formed a landscape of thousands of acres of pens that accommodated 50,000 cattle, 200,000 hogs, 30,000 sheep and 5,000 horses at any one time.

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the industry a shocking reputation. This led to government intervention to regulate slaughterhouses in most advanced countries.

Food safety and hygiene provided the initial motors and to these animal welfare has been added in recent decades. Scandals and scares have led the meat industry to follow voluntary codes and these are backed by legislation that includes inspection and the participation of veterinarians in slaughterhouse processes. The advent of factory farming has increased the pressure for improvement.

five basic causes

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emple Grandin has made a significant contribution to the animal welfare debate. Her critique of slaughterhouses has been based on her views on the sensory perceptions of the animals.

In 1996 in her presentation, ‘Animal Welfare in Slaughter Plants’ she identified five basic causes of animal welfare in slaughter plants: Poorly designed or improper stunning and handling equipment Distractions that impede animal movement Lack of employee training and supervision 62 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Above: Tests in Australia have shown sheep can remember stressful experiences.

Poor equipment maintenance Poor condition of the animals when they arrive at the plant The solutions to these problems all arise from a proper understanding of animal behavior together with an acceptance that the right equipment needs to be properly maintained.

In general, Grandin maintains that the same principles that she applies to handling facilities should also be applied to slaughter facilities.

Any design element or work practice that unsettles or agitates animals needs to be eliminated. If animals stop of balk when moving through a handling system there must be a reason. It may be caused by “sparkling reflections, air blowing towards the animals, movement or high pitched noise”, all of which are easily avoided. Slippery floors that cause animals to fall down have been found to be a common problem in slaughterhouses.

Grandin has always emphasized the importance of providing animals with sure footing, not least on ramps and in transportation. In surveys the poor condition of flooring was the highest scoring maintenance problem in both U.S. and Canadian slaughterhouses with 21% having unacceptable floors. This is a cause of much stress to animals. www.meatpacking.info

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Grandin's research has included asking the question: Does an animal know it will die at a meat plant? By testing for cortisol – the stress hormone – on cattle going through a squeeze chute for vaccinations and on cattle entering a similar squeeze chute at a slaughter facility, Grandin had found that the behavior at each place was much the same as were the levels of cortisol.

From further observations she has concluded that a live animal that sees a recently killed animal it will usually remain calm. It is only when the live animal is aware that the dead animal has been altered – if it is dismembered or its head is removed – that stress levels will increase significantly. The solution is not to let this happen.

A slaughterhouse where animal stress is minimized is a slaughter house that will produce better quality meat. Grandin's views on meat quality are in line with many other observations and reports. Problems are caused by increased pH levels in animals in the period just prior to slaughter. The result of this is DFD – dark cutting – meat in beef and sheep and PSE – soft watery meat – in pigs. Correct handling at all stages prior to slaughter can avoid bruising and injury which also lower meat quality. This www.meatpacking.info

Above: Temple Grandin laying out the proper design for animal movement.

has obvious economic implications for the meat industry.

Paradoxically, Temple Grandin's views, particularly on the slaughter of animals, have generated opposition from some sections of the animal welfare lobby. She has been accused of ignoring emotion in her application of logic and avoiding debates on the morality of slaughtering animals for food.

It is also claimed that she has become the creature of the meat industry, offering them justification for questionable practices. Vegans remain uncompromising in their views, which is only to be expected. Others, however, see that if animals are to be killed then this should be done in the most humane way possible. The way that man deals with its animals is a reflection of his own humanity.

To Temple Grandin the argument about whether or not animals should be part of the human food chain is irrelevant. Ideas on how to improve animal husbandry should be welcomed.

Grandin has offered a new approach which has already had a significant impact on farming in the United States. Legislation in the EU and other parts of the world reflects the demand for better animal welfare. Temple Grandin has solutions that should not be ignored.

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Sausage: Give the dog a chance Europeans don’t get it. To them, a sausage needs to have a crunchy ‘snap’ when you bite into the casing. A sausage needs to come from a region with more passion and loyalty felt towards their preserved meat than the local football team. And a sausage needs a proper name like Andouille or Braunschweiger – not ‘hot dog’. But here’s the fact: US consumers spent last year around $2.5 billion on 1 billion packs of hot dogs in US supermarkets. No matter how you spread the mustard, that’s a lot of wieners.

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mericans have been devouring hot dogs like there is no tomorrow since 1893 when visitors to the Chicago World’s Fair discovered what had been a local treat in Chicago and New York City’s German neighborhoods.

The story is; a hot dog seller at the fair provided people with a white glove to keep their hands clean when dipping the steamed sausages into mustard. But, after getting losing too many gloves, he decided to put the wiener in a bun and the modern hot dog was born.

However, US hot dog historians – yes, there are such people – find holes in this story, claiming a German butcher was selling hot dogs in a bun out on Coney Island in 1871.

These historians debate as well if the ancestor of the hot dog got its start in Frankfurtam-Main, Germany, pointing to the term ‘frankfurter’ or Vienna (Wien), Austria, going to the term ‘wiener’ to prove their claim as the birthplace of the hot dog.

Regardless, the hot dog is here to stay.

The traditional hot dog is made out of beef or pork, is seasoned with salt, garlic, and paprika, and comes skinless and already fully cooked. But, they can be found today made out of turkey, chicken, salmon, or even tofu, and

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Chicken sausages – nothing fowl

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t should be of no surprise that in the USA, Californians eat more chicken sausages and hotdogs than any other State – and the world for that matter. In fact, the Golden State has done more to create this wonderment – or travesty depending on your perspective – than any one else.

In the US, except in areas where there were areas of large German or Polish immigrants – such as the Northeast or Midwest states – sausage was something eaten at breakfast. While high in flavor, it was also high in fat and salt; many hot dogs were also just as unhealthy.

For this reason chicken hotdogs had been available since the 1970s. However, if Europeans already thought that American hotdogs were bland and uninspired, chicken hotdogs took this to the extreme.

But then in the 1980s, just north of the San Francisco Bay Area, Chef Bruce Aidells started to experiment with ground (mince) chicken to make a sausage that would give shoppers a healthy and tasty option.

An advantage in using chicken is that a butcher can experiment with other flavors that would be lost in a pork or beef sausage. Aidells’ chicken and apple sausage was one of this first available in supermarkets and there has been no going back. And, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Aidells must feel very flattered for even Jimmy Dean, the USA’s leading pork breakfast sausage maker, has come out with an Applewood smoked chicken sausage patty.

Here are just some of the chicken sausage styles that can be found in US supermarkets: Chicken Apple Sausage Mango Jalapeno Chicken Sausage Thai Chicken Sausage Chicken Andouille Sausage Pesto Chicken Sausage Artichoke & Garlic Chicken Sausage Black Forest Chicken Brats Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sausage Blueberry Chicken Sausage Pineapple & Bacon Habanero & Green Chili Sun Dried Tomato & Kale Portobello & Swiss Cheese Italian & Mozzarella Cheese

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some even have the indignity of being stuffed with cheese, chili, bacon, or a host of other flavorings.

According to the US National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, this year the sales of hot dogs will remain strong throughout the United States and experts believe sales of the entire refrigerated processed meat category will continue to grow in the future.

Last year sales remained steady at the retail level, and other venues continue to post high sales as well, including airports, restaurants, and ballparks.

Driving this, says the Council, is the popularity of high protein foods and interest in natural and organic products. New products available are mostly brand favorites reformulated with a reduced fat content or increased protein content.

In addition, new products in flavors such as honey and brown sugar, barbeque, Cajun, spicy and teriyaki hit the market in the last year.

According to consumer research, convenient packaging, preparation, and usage information are high priorities with shoppers.

Consumers with larger households made up of older children in the Midwest and South continue to be the highest consumers of refrigerated packaged meat products. Sixty percent – mostly older consumers – of people surveyed said they preferred all-beef hot dogs.

Younger consumers preferred other products such as pork and chicken.

The vast majority of hot dogs are of the skinless variety, cooked inside a cellulose casing that is removed prior to packaging. Some hot dogs are produced in natural casings that are not removed, these feature the characteristic 'snap' that many people enjoy. Most hot dogs are sold eight to a pound, with around 35 percent offered in 10 to the pound packages.

While the hot dog is popular across the country, consumption does vary by region.

According to sales data for 2013, New Yorkers spent more money on hot dogs in retail stores ($126.5 million) than any other market in the country. Residents of Los Angeles came in second with $93.5 million spent on hot dogs.

The summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day continue to make up the ‘hot dog season’. Hot dog producers estimate that an average of 38 percent or $614 million of the total number of hot dogs are sold during this time. Ten percent of annual retail hot dog sales occur during July, which is designated as National Hot Dog Month.

According to the Council's 2014 survey of hot dog and sausage consumption at major league ballparks in the United States, ballparks were expected to sell 21,357,361 hot dogs. The www.meatpacking.info

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baseball fans' love of the hot dog is why all top ten hot dog consuming cities host major league baseball teams.

growing demand in us for highend sausages

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hile the hot dog will remain king for the conceivable future in the USA, high-end specialty sausages are beginning to make

inroads.

A large part of the credit for getting American consumers to try something new has to be given to Trader Joe’s grocery stores. While the chain is found in many US states, shoppers do not find many branded items, but instead local, unconventional, and interesting products.

Because Trader Joe’s doesn’t attempt to have one product at all stores, local products – including sausages – can find a more ready market and opportunity. While Oscar Mayer’s all-beef franks won’t be found at a Trader Joe’s, mango jalapeno chicken sausages will be.

"People realize this is not the sausage from the 1960s," says Judy Preiss, partner and sales and marketing, Pulaski Meat Products, New Jersey, in The Sausage Report. "Better companies produce better sausage.

"Our [products are] gluten-free [and] high in protein, and the product tastes phenomenal," she adds, noting that her liverwurst and Kiska are the only two products out of more than 100 that are not gluten-free. "Customers want to eat something healthy that they love."

This spillover seems to be affecting the entire US sausage industry, with sausages enjoying unprecedented sales as new flavors, convenient products and many great tasting old standards have enjoyed steady category growth, says the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.

Some of big brands are getting in on the act. Last year Hillshire Farm brand launched new additions to its Gourmet Creations SKU, a line of premium pre-cooked smoked sausage, with Chicken Basil Pesto with Parmesan and Provolone Cheese, and Angus Smoked Sausage, Polska Kielbasa, and Italian Style. www.meatpacking.info

US hot dog & sausage facts Sausages are one of the oldest – if not the oldest – processed food, having been mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as far back as the 9th Century BC. Los Angeles residents consume more hot dogs than any other city (over 40 million), beating out New York and Atlanta.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs, 725,000 more than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.

On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times.

During peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs.

That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period.

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the Artisan sausage

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growing trend throughout Europe, the USA and Australia are artisanal sausage makers who are determined to make a superior sausage for customers who aren’t afraid to question what’s in their sausage.

Consumers who can afford it are turning away from high fat/high salt products and instead are buying wonderfully made sausages from places such as Simply Sausage and Creminelli Fine Meats of the USA, San Jose Smallgoods and Eumundi Smokehouse of Australia, and Frank’s Sausages of New Zealand.

Much like the microbrewers of the USA who started making beer as a hobby in their garages and then moved up in equipment and output, so too are the better artisanal sausage makers, abandoning home kitchens for serious business ventures as demand grows for their product.

While in the sausage making industry USbased Reiser is known for making equipment for the largest of sausage manufacturers, it also produces equipment for artisanal sausage makers who are making that jump from ‘small batch’ to sustainable business production.

“The Lucky Linker by Vemag is ideal for small artisan processors,” Chuck Pinkham tells MPJ. “It is a small, economical sausage stuffer developed for processors with low production requirements and those who want to produce a variety of sausages in small batches.

“It’s ideal for processors who want to transition from a piston filler to a modern

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vacuum filler. It utilizes the powerful positive displacement double-screw pump that provides the highest level of portioning accuracy and smear-free stuffing.

According to Reiser, The Lucky Linker includes everything needed for sausage production: the stuffer has a built-in linker, a built-in portioner, a casing holder, one linker horn set, one straight filling horn, and a one piece hopper which has a 45 liter (100lb) capacity with a see-through cover. It is built to the same robust standards of the larger Vemag Robot 500 and HP-E Series stuffers.

What draws customers towards artisan sausages are the different ingredients that some sausage makers use such as lamb and apricot, pork with sun dried tomatoes, or chicken and spinach.

These combinations with very different textures, however, can be a challenge to make.

The last thing a customer wants who bites into a chicken/roasted red pepper/spinach sausage is seeing a green mash.

“The Vemag is perfectly suited to produce gourmet sausages with special ingredients such as apricot or sun dried tomatoes,” says Pinkham.

“Its positive displacement double-screw pump transports product for filling from the feed to the outlet of the machine extremely gently and without product degradation—important for products containing large pieces.

“The virtually friction-free conveying of the product for stuffing guarantees gram accurate weight portioning. The broad range of double screw designs allows the machine to be adapted perfectly to suit different products and pumping www.meatpacking.info

outputs. The double screws can be quickly replaced and are also very easy to clean.”

medium to large

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eiser’s Vemag 500 sausage stuffer is perfect for medium size processors and can handle virtually any sausage filling task. It is the most installed vacuum stuffer in the world, with more than 4,000 machines sold,” says Pinkham, adding that the Vemag 500 accepts a number of specialized linking attachments and also features the positive displacement double-screw pump.

Reiser also supplies a range of Vemag HP-E Series sausage stuffers developed for medium and large applications that can handle demanding sausage stuffing and production requirements.

Along with also featuring a positive displacement double-screw pump, the HP-E Series accepts a wide range of attachments, from inline grinding and separating, to all types of high-speed linking, length portioning devices and casing loaders, to link cutters and automatic hanging machines.

This complete line of superior sausage processing equipment has been optimized www.meatpacking.info

Above: France has a long tradition of selling artisan sausages at farmers’ markets Below: More than 4,000 Reiser’s Vemag500 have been sold

to produce the highest quality sausage at the highest rates of production output - without adding labor, claims Reiser.

“At Reiser, we see fresh sausage as the classic Vemag installation,” says Pinkham. “This system would include a Vemag HP-E stuffer - your model determined by production requirements a 982 inline grinder/separator, a LPG208 linker, and a TM203 link cutter.”

Other Reiser equipment includes: Vemag Separation Grinder 982 The Vemag Stuffer’s double screws drive the inline grinder, integrating the grinding and separating process into the filling and linking process.

Vemag LPG208 Length Portioning Machine with Twin Horns This is the fastest linker in the industry, claims Reiser. It features two rotating linking horns to significantly reduce casing change times and dramatically increase production.

Vemag TM203 Link Cutting Machine The Vemag TM203 Link Cutting Machine quickly and economically cutting strings of linked sausage into individual sausages.

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Non-stop production An on-going problem facing sausage makers is the casings. A worker must monitor equipment or be on scene to ensure the casing material does not run out. Handtmann has designed a system which can produce continuous vegetable casings, allowing 24/7 production. Handtmann's Armin Büchele presents this paper

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andtmann’s ConPro continuous production systems are special co-extrusion systems for the production of sausages or products in sausage shape with an edible casing. This system combines the advantages of a pure vegetable alginate casing with co-extrusion technology. The most important advantage of the ConPro systems is that sausage skins or casings no longer have to be changed. Thanks to continuous co-extrusion there are no more casing change times, with filling time therefore maximized.

Continuous sausage production with increased potential for automation – almost unmanned production and packaging in line – renders it possible to reconsider conventional production methods in their entirety in order to generate economic benefits. In addition, the system makes it easier to produce innovative products to open up new market potential.

The basic components of the ConPro system are two vacuum fillers. While the master machine continuously conveys the product, the slave machine precisely feeds the vegetable alginate paste to the co-extrusion head.

Handtmann says the basic principle of this slave machine is that it offers the option of individually determining the casing thickness and guarantees consistent, measurable application. The alginate paste allows you to choose from an array of thicknesses and appearances; a state-of-the-art casing customized for new products.

alginate casing

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n terms of appearance, the alginate casing provides the same transparency and shine just like standard natural or collagen casings, a good bite and excellent mouth-feel, claims Handtmann.

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With products that are, for example, traditionally produced in sheep's casing (e.g.

French fresh sausage) or pig's casing (German fresh sausage), the casing remains visible for the consumer but the sensory quality is more pleasing.

Another interesting variation is the concept of ‘casing-free’. The skin has only supporting effect in the production of sausages and is not perceived by the consumer during consumption.

In types of sausages that are dried, smoked, or cooked, the corresponding alginate casing can help improve the desired dark red color. Types of dry sausages which are coated with a culture to obtain white mold are supported in the maturing process by the vegetal alginate.

The thinly applied alginate paste provides further advantages such as excellent intake of smoke flavorings or the fact that peeling before consumption can be dispensed with. The alginate is also ideal for the preparation of 100% halal and kosher products. Sausage products, which are often offered by butchers or stores as sausage-by-the-yard or in a cabanossi-style, are particularly suited for continuous production with the ConPro system and alginate casing.

Continuous co-extrusion

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wo vacuum fillers ensure a constant product flow under continuous pressure. The specially designed coextrusion head puts a thin layer of alginate paste around the product. While the continuous strand of sausage is conveyed to the AL system in the product slide, the casing can solidify in the fixing solution.

The systems can basically be classified into conventional ConPro systems and systems with linking functionality. The primary difference between the systems is the shape of the product ends. With the conventional ConPro systems, the product strand is either cut directly and straight after extrusion and fixation using appropriate separating devices, or formed during cutting by means of a forming cut. With both variations the product ends are not completely enclosed by the casing.

The process steps of collating and depositing are the continuation to the complete solution.

Using a collating module, portions can be collated in different ways. The precise depositing

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on the collating belt or the exact depositing into trays sets the sausages up for additional automation steps such as packaging.

The ConProLink system (linking) allows for extrusion of fully closed products. The strand of sausages can be cut either into individual portions or into chains.

Fixation or solidification of the skin during linking ensures a stable and tight sealing of the sausage portion. The lines in general have a very flexible design in order to offer a maximum possible caliber range.

Both ConPro categories can be expanded to include the hanging function: it allows linking and hanging in a continuous process.

The linking/co-extrusion head is again used to produce a purely vegetable alginate casing; the filling product is portioned precisely to the ounce and constricted with a voider, with the products then linked and hung on the hanging unit.

This system also proves to be cost-effective since existing smoking/cooking systems can be used for the hung products and new investments are not required in this area.

reducing cost

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onsiderable advantages are also provided by the substantial potential for increased efficiency thanks to the continuous process without the usual down-times when casings are changed, in conjunction with considerable reductions in staff costs, according to Handtmann.

The company claims that this system reduces productions costs by up to 40 percent compared with the equivalent products that use natural casing. The guaranteed reproducibility of a permanently consistent level of quality is a decisive factor for customer satisfaction and sustained success.

The variably definable casing thicknesses and casing designs also offer flexibility for innovative trend products and provide pioneering producers with significant growth potential. The ConPro 200 system has been developed for companies that have recognized the market potential and want to get started with ConPro technology.

Handtmann says it is also the ideal model for medium-scale producers, since it has been customized exactly to their requirements. The ConPro 400 system is used for industrial highperformance. The industrial producer benefits from twice the performance compared with the ConPro 200 system and also from the highest product quality.

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Timothy Allen

Reduced cost casing

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US-based company has recently introduced a new alginate-based sausage casing for use in all major types of co-extrusion sausage-making equipment.

According to FMC Health & Nutrition, these casings – made from brown seaweed – offer superior casing strength with improved performance, functionality and product flexibility. They also result in considerable savings to sausage manufacturers.

“Consumers are increasingly conscious of the ingredients in their food, questioning exactly what’s in it, where the ingredients are coming from, and in the case of sausage, right down to what the casing is made of,” says David Birnbaum, of FMC. More and more, consumers are looking for healthier versions of the foods that they love, like hot dogs, and more healthy alternatives to traditional pork sausages.

“We’re seeing more variety in sausages to suit a wide range of consumer preferences – vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, Paleo, etc,” says Birnbaum. “These new varieties present new challenges, for example, pork-averse consumers choosing poultry-based sausages but then are turned off when the sausage is made with a natural casing.”

What even makes it more of a challenge for manufacturers, he says, are that they are challenged to meet consumer demand while

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Above: FMC’s alginate-based casings are derived from plentiful brown seaweed

maintaining quality and managing costs.

“Although consumers are seeking new options in their hot dogs and sausages, they’re not willing to sacrifice the experiences associated with a great sausage – the telltale snap, uniform browning, ease and consistency of cooking – and the price point with which they are comfortable.”

Collagen-based and natural casings dominate the sausage market. However, ensuring a quality supply of natural or collagen-based casings is getting tougher, increasing their cost. Similarly, use of lower quality materials affects the manufacturing process, requiring more frequent starts and stops of equipment. Also, these casings are not suitable for niche markets like vegan, kosher or halal, says Birnbaum.

However, advances in casing technology offer manufacturers today alternatives to natural and collagen-based casings that match the eating experience, while offering cost and production advantages and which are suitable for niche markets.

FMC’s alginate-based casing is a new technology that is naturally derived from brown seaweed harvested from key regions around the world, says the company.

The technology is powder-based and in application, by means of a calcium chloride solution, it coagulates to form a strong casing.

It works with finely emulsified, as well as coarser meat particles, and in uncooked, cooked, semidried and smoked varieties in diameters ranging from sticks to large kabanossi sausages.

FMC alginate-based casings are able to achieve the appearance, shelf life, cooking performance and eating quality that consumers expect, claims the company.

Additionally, they offer advantages to sausage makers in raw materials supply, cost and production efficiencies. Brown seaweed is a reliable and consistent source. The resulting powder-based technology is easier and more economical to transport relative to alginate pastes and doesn’t require refrigerated storage.

In production, the strength of FMC’s alginate-based technology lowers usage level and cost in use and maximizes throughput, yielding more products in shorter time more economically. Overall, when paired with existing meat processing equipment, it decreases the need for manual labor and improves process and equipment performance, claims FMC. www.meatpacking.info

Game for the exotic

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ome sausage makers in the UK and USA have found that pushing the boundary results in more customers.

Hot Doug’s in Chicago offers a new game sausage every week and owner, Doug Sohn, says he can get customers to eat anything from yak to alligator to kangaroo. When Los Angeles restaurant WurstKüche opened in 2008, owner Joseph Pitruzzelli included a rattlesnake sausage on the menu to lure more adventurous eaters and he’s not the only one to offer sausage made from the deadly snake. Steve Loppnow, co-owner of Specialty Meats & Gourmet of Wisconsin, says the rattlesnake and rabbit combination sausage is a big seller.

“I will bet you have never thought of this combination before. It is down-right delicious, but I must admit it conjures up some interesting images and conversations. There is equal amounts of rabbit to rattlesnake in this sausage and the jalapenos add a much welcomed bite to the already flavor packed sausage.”

A look at Specialty Meat’s order list looks more like a passenger list for Noah’s ark. Besides rattlesnake, the shop offers sausages made with: alligator, alpaca, caribou, kangaroo, ostrich, antelope, buffalo, elk, wild boar, duck, goose, pheasant, and a lot more.

Max Bratwurst und Bier in New York City www.meatpacking.info

Above (clockwise from left): Today’s choice at Hot Doug’s in Chicago; One of Doug’s foie gras and sauternes duck sausage with truffle aoli; Why did the zebra cross the road? Not to go to the sausage shop.

produces a rattlesnake and rabbit sausage which is like a thicker bratwurst that packs a mildly gamey flavor.

“Grinding the meat is the key, because you get the chew of the sausage,” he said.

“Rattlesnake and alligator have continuously moving muscles. Anytime you have continuously moving muscle, you need to work on texture and flavor.”

In the UK are web-based butchers - such as ExoticMeats, Kezie, and The Exotic Meat Company - which feature sausages made from African game animals. These include zebra, gnu (wildebeest), kudu, impala, springbok, and blesbok.

Loppnow has found that people are trying more game meat sausages because it is seen a more lean, healthy, and free of hormones or other feed additives.

He has seen an increase in orders from food establishments as well, and he’s now supplying some exotic sausage trucks in Los Angeles.

“We deal only with the smaller, specialty suppliers and producers in the business,” says Loppnow. “Our suppliers include individual farmers and smaller distributors.”

“We specialize in products that are not usually found in grocery outlets or your average restaurant. Instead, our products are chosen for their distinctively unique features that insure the highest quality and value for the consumer, along with a memorable taste experience.”

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P ro d u c t s

Product news

Robotic hog splitter is fast International meat processing equipment Jarvis has added the Model JR165 robotic hog splitter to its line of automatic splitting systems. Jarvis says that the system produces high quality pork loins and necks, along with large amounts of specialty products.

Jarvis’ hog splitting robot adapts to any type of slaughter line, and can be installed anywhere on the production line.

Upgrades made old skinners like new Prime of USA says its new upgrade and conversion kits for its chicken and turkey skinners can upgrade existing Prime skinners to give them the performance of newer models, with nearly all older models being able to be retro-fitted. These upgrades include: No-Water Conversion Kit which converts a traditional or low-water Skinner to a No-Water model.

Complete traceability solutions Meat packing software Simba Basic, made by Dynamic Systems of Washington State, offers traceability solutions for medium to small meat packers and distributors with rapid inventory turnover requirements.

Simba offers detailed traceability, automatically generates bill of lading, prints labels, can track short-term rapid turnover inventory to location, and records up-to-the-minute production by product details including commingling or re-boxing lots.

Finishing and inspection line for labels The Saturn Midi 330 multifunction printing finishing machine, made by Italian firm Prati, allows for optimum control of printing on paper and thermos-transfer polyester, as well as producing PE-labels, barcodes, and RFID for industrial applications.

The machine features clear-on-clear labels, as well as configuration for white labels and labels with irregular shapes. Equipped with servo motors .Â

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P ro d u c t s

Ham producer goes with Bryant Tulip Ltd, one the leading pork producers in the UK, has bought a Bryant TN4200 whole muscle packaging system for its Lincolnshire plant. The site was looking to lower packaging and labor costs for the production of its premium Wiltshire ham product.

“With the TN4200 machine, the whole muscle product is automatically compressed and clip-packaged into a single plastic casing or netting, ready for cooking and slicing. The system creates significant savings," says Bryant.

Back meat harvesting solution The Meyn back meat harvesting solution saves on labor and further increases profitability in back meat and breast deboning, says the Dutch-based company. The solution allows for automatic harvesting of back meat separately from the breast, with an undamaged structure, giving it a unique presentation. When opting for back meat harvesting on the Rapid Plus, the amount of back meat harvested will be increased and trimming losses reduced, claims Meyn.

With over 200 Rapids sold worldwide, the breast deboning concept has been globally accepted and proven to be very successful. Meyn claims that’s processor can harvest all filet and tender products automatically at the highest capacity.

Line weighs, packs, and seals The Ishida Fresh Packing Line for meat and poultry combines accurate weighing with subsequent product batching, tray sealing and seal testing.

The 14 head Ishida 3-litre Screw Feeder weigher incorporates unique rotating corkscrews to provide a powerful, controlled and fully automatic product feed to the pool and weight hoppers.

Marel’s Smartline Grader Global company Marel has announced a new series of hygienic graders for the meat and poultry industry. The SmartLine Grader has an IP69K rating, and its open frame design and minimal horizontal surfaces ensure maximum hygiene during high-pressure wash-down. Marel says that the strip-down time for cleaning has been vastly reduced, resulting in minimal downtime.

As well as being super hygienic, the SmartLine is fast and highly accurate, says Marel. It also features a comprehensive, real-time reporting function that gives the operator a complete overview of the production process.

www.meatpacking.info

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Viv Bangkok

R

egional road shows have been visiting leading Asian countries since October 2014 to carry the message that VIV Asia, the region’s foremost Feed-to-Meat show, will be bigger and better than ever when it returns to Bangkok in March 2015. Special events, features and themes added to the exhibition will serve the needs of dedicated target groups.

In drumming up publicity for the show event organizers have brought a traveling road show to Indonesia, South Korea, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and will finish with a series of sessions in North Africa and the Middle East region. This is great news for exhibitors who are looking forward to a huge turnout of visitors.

The road shows also bring news that VIV Asia 2015 will have more exhibitors than at previous editions and that more of the stands in March will display products and systems for producing pork. The show returns to its usual venue at the BITEC. The difference in March 2015 relates to size – a temporary structure is being used next to the permanent halls at the showground in order to increase the number of exhibits from 700 to 850.

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pork production

O

nce again the VIV Asia experience will be very strong in its connections to the production and processing of poultry meat and eggs.

However, an extra feature in March will be the introduction of a special theme of pork production, in support of invitations sent especially to the top pig producers in the Asian region that they should be sure of visiting the show and seeing what it now has to offer them.

Several of the leading international suppliers of pig equipment have already signed up to exhibit for the first time.

Other animal protein sectors also figure strongly in the show’s line-up, as demonstrated by the Aquatic Asia and DairyTech conferences and pavilion areas arranged for the aquaculture and milk businesses. But in another first for VIV Asia 2015, these will be joined by a conference and pavilion combination that is specifically about biogas in relation to animal agriculture.

Additional conferences for the VIV Asia week include a Pork Summit on pig production techniques, a MeatTech seminar on links between marketing and technology in meat and eggs, an egg business conference for Asia introduced by the International Egg Commission www.meatpacking.info

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and an animal health seminar hosted by the Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations.

every continent

I

n total our forecast for visitor numbers is that there will over 35,000 animal protein professionals and associated buyers from Asia, Africa and the Middle East,” says Ruwan Berculo, VIV Asia exhibition manager.

“In fact we think we will have people from every continent because the show has grown into such a big international event. Today it can claim to serve almost all of the world’s most promising markets for animal proteins, at a time when Thailand is ready to play a major part in driving the food supplies of the new ASEAN trade zone.”

To cater for Chinese-speaking visitors, Mandarin has been added to the list of official languages for the show alongside a special program of activities in this language.

The addition in 2015 of a special Chineselanguage program recognizes the growth expected in the number of visitors from China. It is thought that when compared with previous editions, more people will also be coming especially from Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

extended for business

I

t is extremely important to see VIV Asia as a valuable business platform for everyone involved in animal protein production and processing,” says Ruwan Berculo.

To increase the opportunities for doing business, the exhibition organizer decided to extend the show’s opening hours.

“The show will open on each of its three days at 10:00 and run until 18:00, but on the Wednesday and Thursday the exhibitors have the option of staying on their stand until 20:00 in order to meet or entertain clients.”

VIV Asia in 2015 becomes the start of an Agri-Food Business Week Asia event in Bangkok. www.meatpacking.info

p re v ie w

VNU Exhibitions has arranged its three trade shows on Asian livestock and agriculture so that VIV Asia takes place 11 –13 March and then HortiAsia and Agri-Asia for horticultural technologies and agricultural machinery will be held together at the BITEC showground between 17 –19 March.

viv asia 2013

T

he new feature MeatTech Asia 2013 was held for the first time during VIV Asia 2013, with a theme of ‘Automation in Action’.

“The combination of western businesses and the enthusiasm and levels of interest shown by the emerging Asian economies resulted in a sensational atmosphere where plenty of deals were concluded,” says Berculo.

While at the show, Meyn Food Processing Technologies concluded a major contract with Big Bird Group from Pakistan to provide state-of-the-art systems and equipment for a complete processing plant.

Robert Birkhoff, sales director of Meyn: “With innovations on display and a huge number of visitors to our stand, we can confirm that our participation at VIV Asia was an outstanding success. We are proud of the contract with Big Bird Group to construct the largest automated poultry plant in Pakistan.”

venue BITEC, Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre 88 Bangna-trad Road, Bangna, Prakanong

show times Wednesday, 11 March: 10am ~ 6pm Thursday, 12 March: 10am ~ 6pm Friday, 13 March: 10am ~ 6pm

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Walmart tells chicken to come clean

T

here are few companies in the world such as Walmart in which saying their name gets an instant strong response. Some in the USA, such as Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent – Vermont), seem to believe that much of the world’s ills are caused by Walmart and even blues artists sing about how Walmart killed the country store.

However, unbeknown to most – and this is something its own PR department seems to have labeled Top Secret and hidden in a safe – it is one of the largest corporate donors in the world. Indeed, if it was a country, it would probably be in the top 20 of donor nations. And, it is not just money Walmart uses an instrument of change; it also uses its size and scale to bring about positive reforms in industry.

For example, in 2005 Walmart partnered with several aquaculture certification groups to ensure that all of its farmed shrimp suppliers adhered to best practice standards. If you didn’t farm to these standards, Walmart crossed you off the buyers’ list. Up until this point shrimp farmers simply ignored threats from groups such as the WWF. But, this hit-them-where-ithurts incentive forced them to clean up their act.

Now Walmart is focusing on its chicken suppliers in a campaign to improve food safety. MPJ talks to Frank Yiannas, vice president for food safety at Walmart, to find out more.

In a nutshell, what is the program about?

At Walmart and Sam’s Club, we are committed to providing our customers with safe, quality food. We recognized that Salmonella and other pathogen contamination in chicken needed to be reduced and we determined that it was important to

78 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

require additional layers of protection for our customers.

Is it fairly straightforward then?

Far from it. There is no single ‘silver bullet’ to reduce pathogens in chicken. In discussing this, we’ve met with regulatory officials in the USA – including CDC [Center for Disease Control] - the UK and New Zealand. It’s a pretty complex issue.

But in the end, Walmart will deliver to chicken producers a document telling them this is how we want you to raise chickens, how to process them, etc?

No, Walmart’s role is establishing performance targets; not telling companies how to achieve them. There are several reasons for this. For one, Walmart is a retail store – the world’s largest – but still, we’re a retail store.

We’re not farmers and we’re not processors; this isn’t our expertise. Second, we don’t pretend to have all the answers. Each supplier will do things differently, coming up with innovated solutions – there is no single one way.

But no matter how they do it, all of our poultry suppliers must be in compliance with the new regulations by June 2016.

Could you explain Walmart’s four-point plan in establishing the program?

Our enhanced poultry measures involve a four-point prevention and reduction plan which will follow the entire chicken production chain. The critical control points are: primary breeder stock; biocontrol measures; whole chicken process control; and chicken parts intervention. Each of these points we’re looking at differently. For example, on farms it’s more of a vertical transmission problem. We want breeders to make more efforts in breeding stock; there might be some chickens which are more resilient to becoming carriers of pathogens.

www.meatpacking.info

b ac k

On the processing side, it’s a biocontrol issue which has a horizontal transmission.

Right now which part of the chain is giving the most problems?

It’s chicken parts. Most consumers no longer buy whole chickens, they buy parts and Salmonella is higher on parts than whole. The USDA [US Department of Agriculture] reports that around 24 percent of all chicken parts produced in the USA are contaminated with Salmonella.

You keep mentioning Salmonella but isn’t Campylobacter actually a bigger problem in chicken?

It is but Salmonella can be fatal and it is what the public is more aware of. But, by taking steps to eliminate the threat of Salmonella, you would also be eliminating Campylobacter as well.

In talking with scientists at the UK’s Institute of Food Research, they felt that food safety, in particular with Campylobacter in chicken, was an attitude problem.

Consumers believe that they do not have to take responsibility for their own health, that’s the job of the stores. Would you agree with this?

Yes, definitely. Behavior change is a big part of food safety and we need to get better at changing this.

STEEN

page

People expect that raw meat products should come from the stores pathogen free – that’s impossible with today’s technology. Food safety is a shared responsibility, consumers need to cook chicken to the right temperature and they have to avoid cross contamination in their own kitchens. They’ll use a chopping board or knife with raw chicken, and then use the same board and knife with salad vegetables.

Is behavior change then just a consumer issue?

Far from it, a change needs to be made along the entire chain. Do all processing plant and farm workers understand their role in food safety? You and I have been saying ‘behavior change’ and ‘food safety program’, but what needs to exist along the whole chain is a ‘food safety culture’.

And in this you literally wrote the book?

Yes [laughs]. It’s Food Safety Culture, published by Springer Scientific. A new edition should be coming out this summer.

Frank Yiannas is a registered microbiologist with the American Academy of Microbiology, has a BS in microbiology and a Master’s in public health. Before taking on his current role at Walmart in 2008, for 19-years he worked at Walt Disney World Co as director of safety & health.

®

www.steen.be

STEEN 850 The STEEN ST850 turkey de-boner is constructed as a carousel on which the products are placed in line with the deboning head.

The machine provides perfect results without any bone breakage, every time when deboning anatomically cut turkey thighs, drumsticks or wings.

With one person operating the machine, the capacity is 35 pieces a minute.

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March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 79

D ire c t o ry

Directory Banss America

Poss Design Limited

Scott Technology

Services: Food safety and hygiene, Logistics and handling, Processing, Slaughter Species: Pork, Red Meat Region: North America Web: www.banssamerica.com Tel: +1 407 930 3554 Email: gpolitis@banss.de

Services: Processing, Slaughter Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.poss-separators.com Tel: +1 905 8291077

Services: Further Processing, Logistics and handling, Processing, Refrigeration Species: Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.scott.co.nz Tel: +1 614 253 8590 Email: sales@scott.co.nz

Bettcher Industries Services: Further Processing, Processing Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.bettcher.com Tel: +1 800 321 8763 Email: sales@bettcher.com

FRC Systems International Services: Waste management Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.frcsystems.com Tel: +1 770 534 3681 Email: info@frcsystems.com

Handtmann Services: Processing, Further processing, Weighing and portioning Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.handtmann.de Tel: +49 7351 45 0 Email: info.machines@handtmann.de

Jarvis Products Corporation Services: Processing, Slaughter Species: Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.jarvisproducts.com Tel: +1 860 347 7271 Email: sales@jarvisproducts.com

Multisorb

Prime Equipment Group Services: Processing, Slaughter Species: Poultry, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.primeequipmentgroup.com Tel: +1 614 253 8590 Fax: +1 614 253 6966 Email: Sales@PrimeEquipmentGroup.com

Steen Services: Further Processing, Processing Species: Poultry, Other Region: Europe, North America Web: www.steen.be Tel: +32 (0) 3 665 04 00 Email: info@steen.be

Provisur Technologies Services: Further Processing, Processing Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.provisur.com Tel: +1 312 204 6042 Email: info@provisur.com

Reiser Services: Further Processing, Labeling and packaging, Processing Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Europe, North America Web: www.reiser.com Tel: +1 614 253 8590 Email: sales@reiser.com

Get your company listed in print and online

Stork Poultry Processing Services: Further Processing, IT solutions, Labeling and packaging, Logistics and handling, Other services, Processing, Refrigeration, Slaughter, Weighing and portioning Species: Poultry Region: Worldwide Web: www.marel.com/poultry Tel: +31 (0) 485 586 111 Email: info.poultry@marel.com

Services: Packaging Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.multisorb.com Tel: +1 716 824 8900 Email: info@multisorb.com

80 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

sales@meatpacking.info

www.meatpacking.info

e v en t s

2015 14 - 16 March Food Expo Greece Athens, Greece www.foodexpo.gr 4 - 6 May International Meat Industry Exhibition Qingdao, China http://www.chinaexhibition.com 19 - 23 May Meat-Tech Milan, Italy www.meat-tech.it 14 - 15 September EuroPack Summit Cascais, Portugal www.europacksummit.com 15 - 18 September Process Expo Chicago, US www.myprocessexpo.com 5 - 9 October Agroprodmash Moscow, Russia www.agroprodmash-expo.ru 22 - 24 October International Meat, Meat Products & Equipment Exhibition Shanghai, China http://www.chinaexhibition.com 27 - 29 October ProPak Cape Johannesburg, South Africa www.propakafrica.co.za 25-27 November Poultry India 2015 Hitex Hyderabad, India www.poultryindia.co.in

www.meatpacking.info

March~April 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 81

C O n tac t s

Velo Mitrovich

Rhian Owen

Editorial

Sales

Velo Mitrovich

Jim Robertson

Editor +44 1442 780 591 velo@meatpacking.info

James Chappelow

Technical Editor james@meatpacking.info

Head of Sales +44 1442 780 593 jim@meatpacking.info

Josh Henderson

Accounts Manager +44 1442 780 594 josh@meatpacking.info

Executive

reby media

Jack Young

Reby House

Publisher jack@meatpacking.info

Rhian Owen

Group Editor +44 1442 780 592 rhian@meatpacking.info

Jack Young

42 Crouchfield Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP1 1PA Great Britain info@rebymedia.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

Meat Packing Journal ISSN 2054-4677 is published bimonthly by Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. Subscription records are maintained at Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. Meat Packing Journal and its Editorial Board accept no responsibility for the accuracy of statements or opinion given within the Journal that is not the expressly designated opinion of the Journal or its Editorial Board. Those opinions expressed in areas other than editorial comment may not be taken as being the opinion of the Journal or its staff, and the aforementioned accept no responsibility or liability for actions that arise therefrom.

82 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2015

Jim Robertson

SUBscriptions Meat Packing Journal is a bimonthly magazine mailed every January, March, May, July, September and November. Subscriptions can be purchased for six or 12 issues. Prices for single issue subscriptions or back issues can be obtained by emailing: subscriptions@meatpacking.info

Europe One year: â‚Ź119, two year: â‚Ź199 North America One year: $169, two year: $279 Rest of the world One year: $199, two year: $299 The content of Meat Packing Journal is subject to copyright. However, if you would like to obtain copies of an article for marketing purposes high-quality reprints can be supplied to your specification. Please contact the advertising team for full details of this service. Meat Packing Journal is printed at Buxton Press Ltd, Derbyshire, UK.

Editorial advisory board Meat Packing Journal is advised and guided by an editorial advisory board formed of leading professionals and researchers

Jorge Ruiz Carrascal University of Copenhagen Fred W. Pohlman University of Arkansas Ian Richardson University of Bristol Graeme Rolinson Marel

www.meatpacking.info

VEMAGNIFICENT S AU S A G E! When it comes to sausage production, Vemag sets the industry standard for product quality, portioning accuracy, and consistent performance and reliability.

The industry’s leading sausage processors all have one thing in common: they rely on Vemag for their sausage production needs. They know that Vemag’s double-screw portioning technology will provide exact-weight, smear-free filling. Vemag has virtually eliminated their giveaway while producing a superior looking product. From fresh sausage to cooked, from cocktail weiners to deli logs, from natural casings to alginate, from small production requirements to large, there is a versatile Vemag that will fit your application perfectly. Test your product on any of our Vemags – contact Reiser today to arrange a demonstration. www.reiser.com Reiser • Canton, MA • (781) 821-1290 Reiser Canada • Burlington, ON • (905) 631-6611 Reiser UK • Kingston, Milton Keynes • (01908) 585300 2014

Lower costs higher yields better quality Marel introduces, DeboFlex, a groundbreaking new way of de-boning and handling pork fore-ends.

The DeboFlex system is in-line and uses an overhead conveyor and specially designed carriers to transport fore-ends past operators who carry out individual deskinning, defatting, de-boning and dividing operations.

Increases “knife in meat” time No heavy lifting Focus on specific process tasks Improved food safety; longer shelf life Better factory floor logistics

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“

The efficiency in the production hall has risen, the transport of products has become simpler and the cutting process has become easier.

”

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