The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) announced details for four free education programs at the 2019 International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE), scheduled to take place February 12-14, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Beef 101 session, scheduled from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 12, will provide an overview of the beef lifecycle, address common questions regarding beef production, discuss factors affecting beef quality and offer a unique demonstration of innovative beef cuts. The workshop will feature Davey Griffin, Ph.D., professor and extension meat specialist, Texas A&M University. 

NAMI is once again partnering with the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) to host the Pork 101 education workshop on Monday, February 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. The four-hour, hands-on session offers attendees a brief look into AMSA’s three-day Pork 101 Conference. The workshop will address quality and consistency issues in the pork industry, providing insight on the value differences in swine, pork carcasses, pork primals and processed pork products. The session will feature Dr. Griffin and Dean Pringle, Ph.D., associate professor and undergraduate coordinator at the University of Georgia. 

 Meanwhile, the Get the Facts With Meat Mythcrushers session will introduce attendees to NAMI’s Meat Mythcrushers video series, which uses referenced facts and industry experts in the areas of affordability, animal welfare, antibiotics, environment, food safety, meat processing, nutrition and livestock handling to crush some of the most common myths to help consumers make informed choices. The session, which will be held Wednesday, February 13, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., will equip attendees with the tools needed to talk to consumers and customers about food production practices. NAMI Vice President of Public Affairs Eric Mittenthal will lead the session.        

The Meat Industry Regulatory Update and Compliance Session, scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 13, will cover the major regulatory issues affecting meat processors in the past year and the challenges facing the meat and poultry industry in 2019. In addition, the session will provide an overview of common in-plant inspection and enforcement issues and discuss strategies to best respond to these matters. NAMI Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs and General Counsel Mark Dopp and Vice President of Regulatory Services Norm Robertson will lead the session.

For more information about any of the above sessions and to register to attend IPPE, visit www.ippexpo.org.  

Source: IPPE