The good news? Consumers say protein content is important. The bad news? They aren't always aware that meat, chicken and seafood are good sources of protein.

Consumers still want protein, but are more willing to experiment with healthy, preservative-free choices.

Newspapers and news Web sites have spent considerable ink (or kilobytes) this year talking about the rising prices of meat and poultry products, and some pundits questioned if there would come a price point where consumers had to stop buying meat altogether.

Last year, a new burger patty was introduced to foodservice operators that cooks in half the time of other burgers.

Farmland Foodservice, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, has introduced three new quality pork cuts for today’s menus.