Meat and Poultry Processing

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Meat, poultry and seafood processors benefit from an ever-increasing array of flexible packaging options with product-differentiating features, enhanced functionality and more sustainable structures.

The American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) has grown considerably over the past few years. Enhanced member services, a continued partnership with affiliate organizations, and the tireless work of member volunteers have made this possible.

The three major functional ingredients areas — salt, sodium nitrate and lactates such as sodium lactates and sodium diacetate — have the biggest impact on food safety, shelf life and product quality. 

Metal object contamination in the meat industry is relatively rare, but it can lead to a disproportionate amount of recalled products. According to 2019 USDA data, recalls for possible presence of metal objects accounted for 34% of foreign matter contamination cases and for 90% of total pounds of recalled meat.

Driven by consumer preference for natural or clean-label products, shelf-life-extending ingredients that are growing continue to be natural or clean-label ingredients.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has allowed many professions to rethink how they do business, including meat and poultry processing plants. Increased automation and robotics allow plants to continue operations, while limiting the risk of infecting workers — or animals.

Managers at aging processing plants are poised to improve or replace their existing wastewater systems. What will they find? Innovative, sustainable and less expensive cleaning systems that now require smaller footprints.

After years of increasing revenues, prepared-foods activity is crashing as consumers switch to homemade meals as they seek safety and savings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a normal year, we would be presenting Independent Processor’s annual Processor of the Year Award to a company that best exemplifies all of the qualities of a small or mid-sized meat processor. In a normal year, it’s a difficult process to determine which company to choose. However, there has been nothing normal about this year since mid-March. 

Processors have several options for pasteurization, including high-pressure pasteurization (HPP), hot water, steam, hot air, infrared heat, radiofrequency and irradiation. Hot water, steam and HPP are the most popular, with HPP and hot water growing the fastest, says Wes Shilling, professor of food science at Mississippi State University in Mississippi State.