The last time that White Oak Pastures was on the cover of this magazine, it was because owner Will Harris had decided to build a processing plant to slaughter his own grass-fed beef. Over the last dozen years, the company continues to be at the forefront of producing pasture-raised beef.
During the COVID-19 pandemic it has been challenging to operate a small meat plant. However, most small meat plants have been able to successfully stay in business.
The year 2020 has been like a bad disaster movie in many ways, but there has been at least one unexpected benefit. If all the consumer trends were pointing toward small processors in 2019, there is no longer any question about it: independent processors are in demand.
The first-ever American Meat Science Association (AMSA) virtual experience was held as AMSA hosted the 66th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology (ICoMST) and the AMSA 73rd Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC), where science and inspiration met. AMSA was able to welcome the world’s meat science community via an exclusively virtual event thanks to our virtual platform sponsor Empirical.
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.
It is time for independent processors to step forward and take a well-deserved bow. During the last few months, our industry has struggled to keep up with the consumer demand for meat and poultry products and has met those difficulties head-on.
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.
The Coronavirus pandemic has hurt many businesses and affected many ways of life. Restaurants have been hit particularly hard, and the industry is still reeling from reduced capacity, closed dining rooms and the lingering uncertainty about how to avoid the virus.