It is not always easy to indicate or appreciate what the benefits of maintenance are, but as product processes become more automated, they are more interconnected.
The meat-processing industry, as evidenced by the Top 100 Report, continues to be both extremely stable in some aspects and wildly erratic in others. The companies at the top of the list — Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill Meat Solutions and Smithfield Foods — did not break rank from last year.
Processors and their R&D departments must take a closer look at tomorrow’s meat-case shopper and decide if their product mix and makeup meet the ever-changing demand.
The year 2011 has passed, and many processors are sad to see it go. Even with the economic uncertainty that has plagued the United States for several years, many companies in this industry reached record sales figures and operating income.
The beef industry has been focused on dealing with E. coli O157:H7 since the 1993 Jack in the Box outbreak. Researchers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) have been conducting studies since then to help the industry reduce the risk of this pathogen ending up in beef products.