Independent Processor

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A new piece of legislation was recently introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate that will be a game changer for small processors. 

AAMP is pleased to announce that a University Class competition will once again be held in conjunction with the American Cured Meat Championships (ACMC), July 15-17, 2021, in Oklahoma City. 

The American Association of Meat Processors is looking forward to a great convention and trade show in Oklahoma City, July 15-17, 2021, and would like to extend an invitation to all of you to join us there. 

Meat and poultry brands and restaurant operators have been moving beyond the classics and incorporating peppers with dynamic flavor profiles. For example, according to the Chicago-based Mintel Menu Insights database guajillo, Calabrian, serrano and ancho chilis have been gaining traction on menus, adding a sweet or smoky edge to menu items. 

“Your knives are your paintbrush, your sculpting tool,” says Kari Underly, principal, Range Meat Academy, based in Chicago. Their medium may be different, but butchers also use handheld tools like artists to bring shape to an undefined surface. 

Meat processors and food safety inspectors both want the same thing: safe food. However, the relationship between the two entities can be touch-and-go at times. At the best circumstances, state or local governments and small meat plants can work together to develop successful operations that produce quality meat items. 

A product’s packaging and labeling contribute significantly to a product’s success or failure. Frequently small and medium-sized meat processors pay a lot of attention to the ingredients used in a product and the way the product is manufactured and fail to pay enough attention to how the product is packaged and labeled. 

Back in 2014, the Animal Sciences Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison began to ponder the question: How do we teach meat science in the future? What will a classroom look like, and how will students get the best education possible? 

It seems like the social media world is its own parallel universe sometimes, with trending news that rarely if ever meets the real world. If you watch the evening news or read news websites, the biggest news items in the country at the moment are the COVID-19 vaccination rollouts and mass shootings.