Articles by Richard Mitchell

Positioning meat and poultry as more than a center-of-the-plate item can potentially generate a bonanza of additional activity for retail and foodservice operators.

While retailers and restaurants leverage the elements to enhance the flavor and texture of proteins, a greater consumer focus on healthy eating is forcing a shift in product ingredients if operators are to maximize activity.

Merchandisers can boost breakfast meat sales by offering wider varieties, positioning the proteins for all dining occasions.

The growing focus by shoppers and retailers on meat and poultry with clean labels is likely to trigger changes in substances that help to enhance product quality, including gums, binders and emulsifiers.

As more consumers and retailers look for protein portions that conform to their health and merchandising needs, processors face the task of efficiently creating exact size products from animals that are becoming bigger and more unwieldy.

Maximizing meat and poultry revenues in supermarket delis is an intricate undertaking.

Workers hold the key to meat and poultry safety. The inability of plant employees to follow such hygienic practices as proper hand washing and wearing sanitized personal protective equipment can lead to contamination, the spread of foodborne illness, reduction in product shelf life and product recalls.

While shoppers typically see fried foods as containing large amounts of fat and calories, a significant base of consumers is willing to accept them in return for flavorful meat and poultry.

High noise levels, dangerous equipment, slippery floors, harmful chemicals and musculoskeletal issues are causing illness and injury rates in the meat packaging industry to be 2.5 times higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

While ground beef remains a major supermarket meat department revenue generator, alternatives such as ground pork, chicken and turkey also are becoming more popular as consumers seek newer and healthier meal options.