If our current state has shown anything, it’s that the food industry is an essential and often unappreciated part of our country. It’s easy to take our food chain or our grocery stores for granted when times are good, the toilet paper aisle is stocked and people aren’t wearing masks whenever they go outside.

When disaster hit and people were forced into social distancing and quarantines to save their lives and the lives of those around them, it was the retail food stores that stayed open. Not just the big box stores, but the small meat markets worked overtime to help feed the nation at a desperate time. Employees made more ground beef than they ever have before, produced more sausages than ever before and smoked more bacon than ever before. They instituted new procedures and added new services to fit the constraints of social distancing, both among consumers and among their own staff.

We would like to honor one of these small meat processors with our annual Independent Processor of the Year Award. The winner will be featured in the August issue of the magazine. Admittedly, you have other things going on in your lives, as all of our professional and personal lives have had to make a hard right turn in the last couple months. But if you think that your business or your team members deserve a little extra recognition, and you want to learn more about how to enter this competition, email me at gazdziaks@bnpmedia.com. I would love to hear more about your story.