The Meat Sciences program in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois is a program broad in scope, but collaborative in nature.

Andy Hanacek, editor-in-chief of The National Provisioner, visited Hillshire Brands’ Chicago headquarters in November 2013 to speak with Jeff George, senior vice president of Research & Development, as well as Susan Zaripheh, Ph.D., director of Nutrition Research & Innovation, about a new study from Biofortis Clinical Research and the University of Missouri’s Department of Exercise Physiology and Nutrition (see the release on page 40).

In conjunction with The National Provisioner’s 2014 Economic Outlook, we thought it wise to get a read on processor’s capital-expenditures trends this year and spending plans for the coming year as a leading indicator on the industry’s health, and to offer a benchmark for your company’s plans.

The trouble with making predictions for an agriculture-based industry is that uncontrollable factors have a funny way of intruding.

In a perfect world, everyone’s cholesterol and credit levels would be right where they needed to be, and consumers could enjoy their meals without any outside interference.

Consumer habits are shifting as economic uncertainty, technological advancements and evolving demographics all push shoppers in new directions.

Many external forces, from droughts and other natural disasters to rising corn prices, have greatly impacted the price of beef in recent years.

According to the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), there are nearly 40,000 products in a typical supermarket, all competing for the same consumer dollars.

If there is an absolute truth about packaging today, it is that one size does not fit all, and there is no one solution for everyone.

American consumers increasingly choose foods with health and nutrition in mind.