Consumers who shop at Heartland Meats don’t get a faceless, impersonal shopping experience. They will speak with a food nutrition consultant to help them find the best meat solutions for their household. Independent Processor editor Sam Gazdziak spoke with Justin Freishtat of Heartland Meats to learn more about the retailer’s unique business model.

For meat and poultry processors making fully cooked or partially cooked value-added proteins, handling the associated fats, oils, and grease that result from the production process can be a costly issue to address.

Greasezilla offers processors an innovative approach for treatment and disposal of these production byproducts. In this podcast, Greasezilla senior executive and business founder Brian Levine discusses the benefits processors can achieve through adopting the technology.

Dr. David Buckley is a principal scientist with Diversey’s Global Research and Development Innovation Team. In addition to this role, he serves as an adjunct faculty member at Clemson University, is vice chairman of the Food Hygiene and Sanitation PDG at IAFP, and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Food Protection. 

In this interview, Buckley details the threat avian influenza poses to processors and shares steps they can incorporate to minimize their risk and exposure to the disease.

Karrie Menz, vice president of quality for Surlean Foods is the outgoing chairwoman of SMA, formerly known as the Southwest Meat Association. In this interview, she discusses SMA's recent rebranding effort, as the association positions itself to serve a growing membership that extends beyond the Southwestern states. 

Our Associate Editor Sammy Bredar sits down with  84.51˚ Insights Director Melissa Myres to analyze consumers' meat purchasing habits.

Joe Pawlak, managing principal at foodservice market research firm Technomic, explains how operators featuring more economical cuts, smaller portions, and optimizing entrees for takeout and delivery are among the trends shaping  innovation for foodservice.

Cargill’s managing director of plant-based meat alternatives shares plant-based protein category perceptions and projections.

Photo credit: Cargill