ASMA Executive Director Dr. Thomas Powell said, “Dan Schaefer will be recognized for his ongoing contributions to commercial meat science in the area of advanced lean recovery systems as well as leadership in beef food safety.”

From the outset of his 18 year career at Cargill, Schaefer has been involved with the development of lean recovery systems for capturing value from traditional by-product streams. He was instrumental in developing Cargill’s finely textured beef/low temperature rendering process and has been awarded numerous patents associated with that area of processing. More importantly, he has devoted numerous hours educating suppliers and customers on the merits and functional properties of lean recovery products.

With Schaefer’s continuing drive to achieve unsurpassed quality and product performance, he spent the past three years revamping and expanding Cargill’s low-temperature rendering process capabilities. Through his research and process development work, he transformed traditional by-product streams into value-added options that reduce formulation costs, while enhancing overall industry efficiency.

Recently, Schaefer was named the assistant vice president of Research & Development for Cargill Beef. In his current role, he manages a team of six food scientists, and is intimately involved in setting food safety initiatives and overall business strategy for Cargill Beef. He serves on the beef leadership team for the Cargill Beef business unit, assisting in the development of both short-term and long-term goals.

Source: AMSA