The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) announced it will sponsor three new paid education programs at the 2019 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), scheduled to take place February 12 – 14, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Meat and Poultry Labeling Workshop, scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. on February 11, will review meat and poultry labeling policies, including new regulations affecting nutritional information and the Nutrition Facts panel and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) policies on marketing claims. Attendees will also learn strategies to comply with the regulatory requirements and labeling changes. Featured speakers include Jeff Canavan, deputy director, Labeling and Program Delivery Staff at FSIS; Patricia A. Hansen, Ph.D., deputy directory, Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; Debbie Nece, scientific and regulatory affairs director at Cargill Protein Group; and Roya Galindo, director of regulatory services at NAMI. The workshop costs $150 for registered IPPE attendees.

The Navigating Traceability and Business Management Systems in the Meat and Poultry Industry workshop will provide an in-depth look at some of the most important systems in data management, with a focus on traceability and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The traceability discussion will emphasize mistake prevention, loss prevention, theft prevention, employee accountability and labor savings. In addition, the workshop will explore differences in ERP, Warehouse Management Systems, and Manufacturing Execution Systems to help attendees better understand how to use these systems to improve their business operations.

John Dvorak, Reinhart Foodservice, and Mike Gau, PFG Middendorf, will participate in a panel discussion on traceability and recall survival with NAMI processor members. Other session speakers include Matt Schoneman, traceability consultant and sales manager, Schoneman Inc.; Ed Wood, CEO, North America, CSB-System; Patrick Pilz, industry principal CPG, CSB-System; Glenn Goulding, senior account executive, Alithya and Microsoft Dynamics 365; and Sylvain Menard, protein industry architect, Alithya and Microsoft Dynamics 365. The session is $150 for registered IPPE attendees and will take place February 12 from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The Meat Quality Workshop: Packaging, Color and Shelf Life will examine some of the most critical factors affecting meat quality and customer satisfaction and will provide attendees with an understanding about how meat color, packaging and shelf life relate. The interactive workshop also will showcase the latest packaging technologies and will cover best practices and real-world examples for determining and extending shelf life. The session, which costs $150 for registered IPPE attendees, is scheduled to take place from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. on February 13.

Speakers include Dale Woerner, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Animal and Food Science and Cargill Endowed Chair in Meat Science and Sustainability, Texas Tech University; Chance Brooks, Ph.D., professor and associate chair of the Department of Animal and Food Science, Texas Tech University; Jerrad Legako, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Food Science, Texas Tech University; and Jerry Kelly, national business development manager, Sealed Air Corporation Food Care Business Unit. A panel discussion about the future of packaging technology will feature Matt Peterka, research and development director, meat, Bemis Company, Inc.; Shawn Harris, director of marketing, fresh red meat, North America, Sealed Air Food Care Division - Cryovac Brand; and Matt Malott, president and CEO, Multivac, Inc.

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

Source: NAMI