Meat Packing Journal, Jul~Aug 2016, vol 3 iss 4

The international magazine for the meat and poultry industry

MEAT PACKING J O U R N A L

July~August 2016 volume 3 | issue 4 ISSN 2054-4685

Rise of the meat snack getting in on the industry worth billions

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think craft beer think jerky

P.38

german market report

P.64

planning for a logistic disaster

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C o Mmen t

Anyway you slice it, it’s wrong

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y dad was one of the owners of Peoples’ Fish Market.

Located in San Diego next to where the Coronado ferry used to tie up, it had been around since 1930s and was a trusted market selling retail and wholesale. Peoples’ motto was: ‘If it swims, we’ve got it’. Although, it they wanted it to be 100% accurate, they should have added: ‘And even if it doesn’t swim, we still got it.’

Let me let you in on a fish butcher’s secret, if you’re not buying whole fish – at supermarkets, shops, and almost all restaurants – what you think you’re paying good money for and what you really are getting can be fish of a different scale. Nearly 75% of all fish in US sushi restaurants is mislabeled. If you think that the salmon or shrimp you’re paying a premium for is really ‘wild caught’ or that your Gulf of Mexico red snapper came within 1,000 miles of the Gulf, think again. My wife bought recently some expensive monk fish. If that was really monk fish, I’m Friar Tuck; it was cheap haddock.

Peoples’ Fish scam was with shark. Fish butchers have long realized that most of the buying public don’t really know their fish. Fillet shark a bit differently and it could pass for many species, including some that didn’t even exist. At Peoples’ shark was sold regularly as made-up Butter Fish and was substituted at times for expensive California white sea bass, rockfish, Mexican tatoba, swordfish, and even scallops. My dad, Uncle Luby, Cosmos, and Gene were true maestros at the art of disguising shark.

A judge used to come in every Friday and buy some Butter Fish. My dad liked the judge who had survived the Bataan Death March in World War II and, erky. I've been going through a feeling a bit guilty, told him that he might just find the much cheaper shark to serious amount of jerky while taste very similar to expensive Butter Fish. writing this issue's feature on meat On Monday the judge came storming in and slammed on the counter some snacks. With some fantastic craft jerky cooked shark. “Don’t you ever sell me shark again, that had to be the worse companies out there, demand will only tasting fish I’ve ever tried, just sell me Butter Fish.” continue to rise. Let's see how hunger While I loved my dad dearly, even at seven-years-old I knew what he was you get reading it. Page 18 doing was wrong. And, while I cite the fish industry, the meat industry can be just as bad, especially when it comes to beef. On average 530,000 head of cattle are processed each week in the USA; fewer than 12,000 are naturally raised and antibiotic free. You tell me how all our supermarkets and restaurants are selling so much of this beef. And let’s throw in “grass fed” for a definition that’s hard to prove.

However, there is another food scam going on but which is completely legal. In the UK, Tesco’s puts labels on its chickens and other food items to show which British farms the birds come from. With all the talk about the farm to fork movement and knowing exactly where your food is coming from, what a great idea. Except in Tesco’s case, the farms don’t exist.

What Tesco did was to create seven fictitious farms names designed to replace its discount brand of ‘Everyday Value’ products.

The names – such as Rosedene and Nightingale – make you think of idyllic English countryside scenes. Would you rather buy chicken thighs packaged as ‘Everyday Value’ – which sounds like they’ve been fed sawdust – or from Willow Farms?

Tesco’s is far from being alone. Other big players include Aldi – using Ashfield Farm for its invented meat provider – while Lidl goes with Birchwood Farm. Marks &Spencer's, considered to be anything but a discount supermarket, uses Oakham for its catch-all name for fresh chickens.

While many consumers have condemned the practice, which is not illegal, retail consultant Alison Pike thinks it’s a great idea.

“It’s just a name, just a brand name,” she says. “They could use the name of a real farm, but would the customer know? No.” Laura Reiley of the Tampa Bay Times recently wrote a feature called: “At Tampa Bay farm-to-table restaurants, you’re being fed fiction.” Government oversight of the word “local” is nearly non-existent so restaurants claim what they want. And, this is far from being just a Florida problem. As far as they’re all concerned, they’re doing nothing wrong.

I disagree.

Deceit is deceit. People bought California white sea bass from People’s Fish expecting that that’s what they were buying, not thresher shark. Even though 90% couldn’t tell the difference, consumers should get what they pay for. And if your chicken has a label saying it comes from Oakham Farm, there better be an Oakham Farm.

Velo Mitrovich velo@meatpacking.info @Meat_Packing

Editor's choice

J

www.meatpacking.info

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 3

C ONTENT S

64

18

meat snacks The 60s might have been the age of Aquarius; today it's the age of meat snacks – especially jerky

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61

34

bars & sticks Buffalo meat bars made by Native Americans and a meat stick company transformed by an ex-vegetarian

making snacks A look at some of the products for the meat snack industry

38

Germany The population is large, loves meat, and is highly prosperous, so why is it so hard to make a sell there?

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46

Can 63,000 people be wrong? We give you plenty of reasons why you should be at the next

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38 on the cover A meat snack collage which will make all but the most harden of you wish the cover was edible

In the next issue Poultry and chicken forming, chicken breading, chicken frying – it all means profits for many of you. Also Argentina profile and burgers.

4 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

iffa Review

cold chain To prevent a cold chain failure in your logistics, it starts with training

64

keep running It takes planning and preparation to keep your company on track in the face of a natural disaster

Also in this issue 7 - News 12 - Safety news 70 - Marketing news 72 - Weather 74 - Product news 78 - Back page 80 - Directory 81 - Shows & events

www.meatpacking.info

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For more than 20 years, our Seydelmann Bowl Cutter and Seydelmann Grinder from Reiser have been critical to our family’s success. These two rugged machines never let us down – they are completely reliable, they run without any interruption in production, and they produce a superior, high-quality final product. Plus, the sanitary design of the Seydelmann machines allows easy cleaning and the highest level of hygiene. All of our sausage is then produced using Reiser’s Vemag Filler.

We couldn’t be happier with the performance of our Seydelmann machines – in fact, we just ordered another Seydelmann Bowl Cutter to help us increase production. And Reiser’s team of sales, support and service professionals are the most helpful and knowledgeable in the industry.”

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Canadian chicken farmers cry fowl

US pork exports

F

or the first four months of 2016, US pork and pork variety meat exports totaled $1.8 billion in value and 1.26 billion pounds in volume, down 9% in value and unchanged in volume compared to the same time period last year.

“US pork exports are gaining strength this year but will still face challenges with increased global competition and a

www.meatpacking.info

chicken farmers of canada

C

anada is getting flooded with US ‘spent fowl’ that many in Canada suspect are either being sold on as broilers – instead of going to chicken processing plants – or are in fact prime USA broilers and not old egg laying hens.

And, unless DNA tests are done, it is impossible to tell where a dressed, packaged chicken came from, or if it’s spent fowl or a broiler.

Spent fowl are old laying hens, a by-product of egg and hatching egg production. While broiler chickens are raised for meat consumption, spent fowl hens lay eggs and when their productivity declines, they are processed for their meat.

By skirting around Canada’s poultry quota system, which allows in an unlimited amount of spent fowl but not broilers, the Chicken Farmers of Canada estimate that this illegal practice is costing the Canadian chicken industry around $120 million a year.

According to the Canadian poultry industry, the problem is far from being new.

The amount of supposedly spent fowl coming into Canada jumped from 104 million pounds in 2005 to more than 220 million pounds

by 2012, close to the entire slaughter volume of spent fowl in the US that year. “Either every hen that spent its life laying eggs in America was shipped north to Canada, or something is amiss,” said Yves Ruel, manager of trade and policy at the Chicken Farmers of Canada. “Of course, nobody has claimed to be using the scheme.”

So far in 2015/2016, Canada has imported 113 percent of the USA’s spent fowl breast meat production,

which again is highly improbable and speaks directly to the likelihood of fraud.

Under international trade agreements, only so much broiler meat can be imported to Canada before a prohibitive 238 per cent tariff applies. But spent fowl is exempt from the federal Export and Imports Permit Act. The Chicken Farmers suspect mid-level importers in Canada are working with US middlemen to avoid tariffs.

stronger U.S. dollar,” says Becca Nepple, vice president of international marketing for the Pork Checkoff. “Looking at April data alone, US exports to China (excluding Hong Kong) surpassed export volume to Japan for the first time. Combined exports to China and Hong Kong for the first four months of 2016 were up 78% in volume (up 117% for China alone) and 54% in value.

Central America – excluding Mexico where Pork Checkoff

has been promoting US pork – has also has been an emerging and important destination for US pork exports as the US pork industry has focused on market development and value-added promotions. For January through April, exports to the region were up 22% in volume and 23% in value compared to 2015. However, exports in volume to Mexico, Japan, and South Korea were below last year during the same time period.

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 7

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Nutrition label: more info but fewer will read

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ith a vote of support from First Lady Michele Obama, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced its plans to overhaul the Nutrition Facts label on the back of packaged foods, which will cost the industry around $2 billion to update.

You have to wonder, however, why are they bothering.

The announcement comes at a time when the percent of US consumers who actually read the Nutrition Facts label is declining, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company. A decade ago 15 percent of consumers said that they do not look at the label and now 24 percent don’t, according to NPD’s ongoing food consumption research.

The FDA’s proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts label, which hasn’t been updated for over 20 years, will require serving sizes on the label to reflect what, on average, consumers actually eat. The label will also for the first time list added sugars. About 20 percent of all package labels will be adjusted,

according to the FDA. Food manufacturers have until July 2018 to comply with the new label rules.

As for those consumers who do read the Nutrition Facts label, calories were for a long time the top item checked on its own, but adults are now checking first for sugars on the label and total calories are now a close second. Following sugars and calories, in rank order of importance, are sodium, total fat, and total carbohydrates, reports NPD Dieting Monitor, which is an ongoing tracker that captures consumers’ dieting behavior and eating intentions.

“The reasons why more consumers are not looking at the labels are varied, but among the reasons is that the label hasn’t been updated in over 20 years. Additionally, consumers now have many more resources at their fingertips to research nutritional information” says Darren Seifer, NPD food and beverage industry analyst. “The fact that there is a new label and it will be more reflective of consumer interests and how they actually eat may recapture their interest.”

New iran show

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anctions have been lifted, opportunities are there, but will the world’s business community respond?

That question could be answered at Iran MeatEx which will be taking place in Tehran from 5 to 8 November 2016.

While in some people’s minds US President Ronald Reagan’s ‘Axis of evil’ speech is what they think of when Iran is mentioned, like in many places in the world, the Iran of today is a different place than it was 40-years ago.

8 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

In many ways, it’s now the perfect place for business opportunities in the meat and poultry industry. A significant percentage of Iran’s population is under 30-years-old creating a large domestic market; much of Iran’s meat/poultry processing equipment is in dire need of replacement; and its economy is expected to grow by nearly 7 percent next year.

According to organizers, MeatEx is the union of industry and product. The industry section includes all kinds of machinery, equipment, technology, and automation. This

Above: While a new nutrition label is in the works for the USA, few read the old label

inaugural show will cover the markets of the Middle East, CIS, and Eastern Europe with a Muslim population of around 450 million people.

Iran MeatEx is expected to attract more than 200 exhibitors from over 20 countries.

MeatEx says that the four-day event covers the whole chain of production, packaging, distribution, warehousing, and the sale of red meat, poultry, and seafood. Processed meat products are included in the trade show.

More information for Iran MeatEx is available at: www. iranmeatex.com/en.

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Okay given for massive chicken extension

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ilgrim's Pride Corp. has announced it received state approval for a $24 million expansion to its Mayfield, Kentucky, poultry processing complex.

Scheduled to begin 12 October, the project involves the removal or relocation of existing processing equipment and the installation of new equipment to transition the facility from a fresh foodservice and debone operation to a debone portioning operation by July 2017. The transition will enable the facility to process larger birds and provide greater efficiency and service to customers, the company says.

When the expansion is completed, the plant will increase its

live weight production by about 1 million pounds per week. It will also provide more than 155 additional jobs and will provide for construction of 75 additional chicken houses by local family farms.

The expansion is part of Pilgrim's $190 million strategic capital investment plan to enhance growth with key customers, reinvest cash flow back into the business and improve efficiencies.

Pilgrim's employs about 39,000 people and operates chicken processing plants and prepared-foods facilities in 12 states, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Brazilian giant JBS bought Pilgrim's in 2009.

Taiwan (ROC) reopened to US lamb again

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or the first time since 2003, US lamb and lamb products have regained access to Taiwan (Republic of China).

Dr. Dennis Stiffler, chief executive officer of Mountain States Rosen, a producer-owned and operated processor and distributor of lamb and veal products, thanked US agricultural and trade officials for their efforts to restore market access for US lamb and said the announcement provides a much-needed lift for US lamb exports.

“This is the culmination of many months of work by US government officials, as well as the US meat industry, and we are very excited to resume exporting lamb to Taiwan,” says Stiffler, who also serves as vice chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). “Taiwanese consumers enjoy high-quality, grain-fed meat, as evidenced by the success US beef and pork have achieved in

the market. The US lamb industry is anxious to capitalize on significant opportunities in Taiwan’s restaurant and retail sectors.”

US lamb lost access to several key markets, including Taiwan, following the first US case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in December 2003. The market closures were due to concerns related to scrapie, a disease similar to BSE. Asian markets that remain closed to US lamb include Japan and South Korea.

Last year Taiwan eased somewhat its 11-year-old import ban on US and Canadian beef offal and byproducts by declaring six types of by-products as being 'non-internal organs.' This allowed these products to get around bans brought about by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The move was not popular in Taiwan with its lawmakers.

10 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

Fishmeal at $2k per metric ton

p

eruvian anchovy provessors are expecting low quotas for the first fishing season in the northcentral area, which will be set between 1.1 million to 1.5 million metric tons. This could cause a difficlut season and inflate fishmeal prices, according to IntraFish.com This in turn could affect chicken and pig feed prices.

Over the last three-weeks fishmeal has been selling for $2,000MT, an amount it's expected to stay at.

Danes plan beef tax to reduce emissions

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eef in Denmark – already expensive – might start getting costing even

more.

The Danish Council of Ethics has suggested a tax on beef, reports Fast Company, to reduce environmental damage from cattle agriculture. Eventually the proposal aims to eventually cover all red meats and other foods based on their environmental impact. The council’s suggestion will now be considered by the Danish government.

According to Fast Company: “Meat production is responsible for nearly 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. That's as much as all of the vehicles on the planet, and it's only going to get worse; as more people around the world can afford meat, consumption is projected to increase by about 75% by 2050.”

The council’s suggestion could lower the country’s foodbased greenhouse gas emissions by 20% to 35%, a small step in Denmark’s overall effort to reach the goals outlined in the Paris climate conference last December.

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Over 5 million lbs nuggets recall USA: Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a Waco, Texas establishment, has just experienced its third recall in recent weeks due to chicken nuggets products being possibility contaminated with metal and plastic particles. So far the total amount recalled is 5,550,904 lbs, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The problem was first discovered after the firm received several consumer complaints regarding plastic contamination of the chicken nuggets.

processor fined Australia: Supreme Poultry and Chickens Pty Ltd of New South Wales has been fined AU$30,000 after inspectors found full and overflowing effluent ponds, irrigation areas not managed in a competent manner, and parts of the waste water management system not operation adequately, according to the NQW Environment Protection Authority.

A spokesperson for Supreme Poultry told ABC that despite there being no actual environmental damage done by the company, they would make sure the problems wouldn’t happen again.

Pork recalled due to E. coli Canada: Canadian company Cantran Meat Co is recalling raw pork and pork organ products from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The affected raw pork and pork organ products, supplied by Cantran Meat, may have been transformed into raw muscle meat cuts, ground pork, sausages, and raw ready-toeat products. The products, which have been sold fresh, have only been distributed in Alberta. No figures were released.

12 | Meat Packing Journal | May~June 2015

Labels for mechanically tenderized beef

U

S consumers will start seeing a new label on some beef packs at their supermarkets. Beginning 17 May, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) started requiring meat processors to disclose a common practice known as mechanical tenderization and provide safe cooking instructions so their customers know to handle these products carefully.

However, MPJ questions just how needed is this new label.

Product tenderness is a key selling point for beef products. To increase tenderness, some cuts of beef are tenderized mechanically by piercing them with needles or small blades in order to break up tissue.

This process takes place before the beef is packaged but can also occur at the grocery store’s butcher counter, at a restaurant, or in the home.

The blades or needles can introduce pathogens from the surface of the beef to the interior, making proper cooking very important. However, mechanically tenderized products look no different than product that has not been treated this way, so without disclosure on the label, consumers may not know about this higher food safety risk.

Since 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of six outbreaks attributable to mechanically tenderized beef products prepared in restaurants and consumers’ homes. Some cases resulted in hospitalization and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Undercooking these products was a significant contributing factor in all of these cases.

While anyone getting sick from eating meat – especially when it was easily preventable – is one too many, there is some question about

just how big of problem this really is. It is estimated that around 6.2 billion beef servings annually are mechanically tenderized with this beef – primarily steaks – sold on in either restaurants or supermarkets.

A 16-year record of only six people getting ill out of nearly 100 billion servings means that the odds are greater that your average US consumer will be eaten by a shark, win the lottery twice, and be struck by a meteorite.

This new requirement is the latest of several measures the Food Safety and Inspection Service has implemented over the past several years to improve the safety of meat and poultry products, and to give consumers more information about the products they are buying.

Demands for the label information grew in response to the Christmas Eve 2009 National Steak and Poultry recall of 240,000 pounds of steaks for E. coil O157: H7 contamination. In early 2010 the meat was associated with 19 E. coli illnesses in 16 states.

National Steak supplied mechanically tenderized steaks to such popular chains as Moe’s Southwest Grill, Carino’s Italian Grill, and KRM restaurants.

Labeling technically tenderized beef products and including cooking instructions on their packaging are important steps in helping consumers to safely prepare these products, said Al Almanza, USDA’s under secretary for food safety.

“This common sense change will leaded to safer meats and fewer food borne illnesses.”

In a Canadian test, it showed that mechanically tenderized meat is more tender than marinated beef, without the meat turning mushy or mealy. www.meatpacking.info

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www.meatpacking.info

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May~June 2015 | Meat Packing Journal | 13

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Consumers get food illness sources wrongs

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here is almost always a strong belief by anyone who becomes sick from a foodbased illness is that it was the last thing they ate which caused the illness. However, this can be completely wrong, says Steve Leslie, director and counsel, Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Claims Program; Leslie views are backed by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

According to Leslie in a GMA blog, one of the most common consumer complaints they receive at the GMA Claims Program is ‘this product made me sick.’

“Certainly, no one questions whether contaminated food and beverage products can cause an illness,” states Leslie. “However, many such claims are based on nothing more than a product being the last thing the consumer ate before the start of illness symptoms. This fact alone is insufficient to support a foodborne illness claim, and actually tends to point to other sources of an illness.”

While few consumers struck down by a food related illness would agree with Leslie, facts laid out by the FDA support his views.

The FDA has complied in a chart a list of incubation periods for the Foodborne Illnesses Organism Bacillus cereus Campylobacter jejuni Clostridium perfringens

E. coli (Escherichia coli) E. coli O157:H7

Onset Time Post Ingestion 10-16 hrs 2-5 days 8–16 hours

1-3 days 1-8 days

Salmonella

6-48 hours

Staphylococcus aureus

1-6 hours

most common sources of foodbased illnesses. Almost all have at least a six-hour incubation period before the onset of the illness and with many, such as Campylobacter and E. coli, the onset after ingesting is measured in days. In other words, the burger eaten at 8pm from Joe’s Café most probably did not cause the E. coli diarrhea at 10pm, but instead it was something eaten hours or days before.

Overworked doctors and hospital

staff tend to accept what sick patients tell them at face value, which in turn can lead to false assumptions.

“By understanding the basic facts and fictions of foodborne illness, customer service representatives and claims managers can better protect their brands against unfounded illness claims, often preventing these matters from escalating into litigation,” says Leslie.

Signs & Symptoms

Duration

Food Sources

Abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, nausea Diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting; diarrhea may be bloody Intense abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea

24-48 hours 2-10 days Usually 24 hours

Watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, some vomiting Severe diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting Diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting

3-7 days or more 5-10 days 4-7 days

Sudden onset of severe nausea and vomiting. Abdominal cramps. Diarrhea and fever may be present.

24-48 hours

Meats, stews, and gravies Raw and undercooked poultry Meats, poultry, gravy, dried or precooked foods, time and/or temperature-abused foods Food or water contaminated with human feces Undercooked beef especially hamburger Eggs, poultry, meat, contaminated raw fruits and vegetables Unrefrigerated or improperly refrigerated meats

14 | Meat Packing Journal | May~June 2015

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Fish, chicken and dairy top outbreak list

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he US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is out with its annual report on foodborne disease outbreaks, showing 864 outbreaks involving 13,246 people, 712 hospitalizations, and 21 deaths in 2014, with food 21 recalls.

Among the report’s findings were that in single food categories associated the most with outbreak illnesses, seeded vegetables toped the list at 428 illnesses, followed by chicken at 354, and dairy at 267.

Leading the list of single food

categories associated with the most outbreaks was fish at 43; chicken at 23; and dairy at 15.

There were 25 multi-state outbreaks, with specific types of foods determined in 16 outbreaks, with ground beef and fruits tied at the lead with five outbreaks each.

Restaurants accounted for 485 outbreaks, or 65 percent, of outbreaks reporting a single location of preparation. Specifically, 394 restaurants with sit-down dining, were the most commonly reported

locations of food preparation.

According to the CDC report, foodborne diseases caused by known pathogens are estimated to result in about 9.4 million illnesses each year in the United States.

Not all that many of the illnesses occur in a recognized outbreak.

However, data collected during outbreak investigations provide insights into the pathogens and foods that cause illness.

FDA wants industry to reduce salt

T

he US Food and Drug Administration proposed voluntary guidelines for the food industry to reduce salt, a move long sought by consumer and public health advocates who said the standards could eventually help save thousands of American lives.

However, as Meat Packing Journal has pointed out before, there is scientific controversy over existing salt studies and the amount of sodium which constitutes a harmful

level.

Average sodium intake in the US is about 3,400 mg/day. The draft short-term (two-year) and longterm (10-year) voluntary targets for industry are intended to help the American public gradually reduce sodium intake to 2,300 mg/day, a level recommended by leading experts and the overwhelming body of scientific evidence, says the FDA. The targets are also intended to complement many existing efforts

by food manufacturers, restaurants, and food service operations to reduce sodium in foods.

Americans consume almost 50 percent more sodium than what most experts recommend. One in three individuals has high blood pressure, which has been linked to diets high in sodium and is a major risk factor cause of heart disease and stroke. The majority of sodium intake comes from processed and prepared foods, not the salt shaker.

plant tampering causes massive recall

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chicken processing line employee at St Cloud-based Gold'n Plump was fired after sand and black soil were detected in chicken, reports the US FSIS and the Star Tribune.

The in-house tampering at the plant, belonging to parent company GNP Co of central Minnesota, has caused around 27 tons of chicken products being recalled after contaminats were detected in some products that was mostly distributed to food service and institutional outlets.

In a statement issued by the company, GNP said: "Extraneous foreign matter is linked to an iso16 | Meat Packing Journal | May~June 2015

lated product tampering incident that occured at the company's Cold Spring processing plant during the week of 6 June.

"Our own inspections turned it up," says Lexann Reischl, a GNP spokesperson, "and two food service customers called and told us they found the same material."

Reischl adds that an employee, who has since been fired, is believed to be behind the contamination.

The company's stated said that a third party lab verified that the foreign material was benign, natural materials. However, because the company cannot say with 100

percent certainty that the product is safe for consumption, the recall was required for 18 different chicken products.

There have been no reported sickness; law enforcement agencies are looking into the case.

GNP, known for its Just BARE and Gold'n Plump brands, has been on an upswing over the last seven years with steady sales and increased profits. It is also in the process of completing an $80 million expansion project at the Cold Spring plant, where it is aiming to increase production capacity by 33 percent.

www.meatpacking.info

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Living in a jerky renaissance Meat sticks used to be promoted by a wrestler shouting “ooh-yeah” – eaten only by 14-year-old boys – and jerky was something resembling and tasting like old cow hide, sold in filling stations by sourfaced cashiers. Not anymore, with jerky and meat sticks now gracing the shelves of Whole Foods and New York City boutiques.

MPJ reports

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W

e’ve all have seen nature shows about the Amazon rainforest. In these documentaries, army ants will be on the move, devouring everything in their path.

Much larger insects, birds, and mammals will look indifferent as the first ant bites, but by the time the numbers hit the hundreds and then thousands, it’s too late and what was once mighty and proud becomes ant food.

If you go down the snack aisle of any major US supermarket, you will see the same big meat snack players that have owned shelf space for the last 20-years. Jack Link’s is the USA’s biggest seller – with European dreams as well – followed considerably down in volume is 2nd place Oberto.

But biting away at their market are over 300 craft jerky makers and this number seems to grow by the day. Forgoing the shelves of Albertsons, Kmart, Kroger, Winn-Dixie and Piggly Wiggly, their high-quality products brings them onboard with the philosophy of more up-market stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, and outdoor shops such as Seattle-based REI. If New Yorkers gets a sudden craving for jerky, they can head to the trendy west end for Jonty Jacob’s jerky boutique specializing in South African-style biltong jerky (Jonty has just opened up a second store in coastal jem La Jolla, California). There is even The Beef Jerky Outlet, a franchise springing up across the USA that sells around 200 different types of jerky ranging from beef to salmon and all species inbetween.

But the fact is, many of these new artesanal jerky markers are completely ignoring stores and are doing all their sales through social media, letting jerky-blogs drive customers to their websites.

You ask about the jerky they’re producing? While some should go back to the drawing board and others are all-hype, there are those out there which are truly amazing. For example, put any of Lawlessbrand jerkies against those from Oberto and you have to wonder if Oberto has a secret plan to be out of business within the next five-years.

To comprehend what is happening today in the US jerky and snack meat industry, however, you first need to understand what has happened in the US beer industry over the last two decades.

Beer? Has MPJ completely lost the plot? But, before you turn the page let us whisper this into your ear – one billion dollars. That’s what Ballast Point sold for at the end of last year. You know, the San Diego craft brewing company started by a couple of college guys in their apartment. Wanted some cheap beer, wanted to have some fun. One billion dollars. We thought that would grab your attention. And just to put a jerky spin into it, Krave last year was bought for somewhere between $200-

20 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

300 million – with nobody giving out the exact figure Hersey’s paid for the northern Californian company but most suspect it’s towards the top end.

For years Budweiser, Miller, and Coors were the beers of choice for most Americans. And, while their days as being the leading brews isn’t going to change any time soon, go into any US supermarket, convenience store, or decent bar and you’ll see the new kids on the block getting all of the attention.

Craft brewing has taken America by storm and today there are more breweries than at any time in US history. In San Diego alone there are 120 craft brewers and Stone Brewing is now the third largest tourist attraction in the sun-kissed city.

While Baby Boomers are content to grab a sixpack – what ever is on special – and catch a game on TV, others are willing to pay the same amount on just one or two pints of extremely good tasting beer and drink them in a brew pub. The same is going on in the meat snack industry with growing numbers of both men and women willing to pay extra for a superior quality, high-protein meat snack to keep them going after hitting the gym.

And, while many people attribute this all to the Millennials, MPJ prefers to call them the ‘label readers’. For example, a package of Epic’s ‘Beef steak with cranberry & sriracha’ lists twelve ingredients, starting with grass fed beef and ending with oregano with all ingredients a seven-year-old can understand. Jack Link’s ‘Beef Jerky Original’ lists around 16, starting with beef and quickly going into chemicals that only a professor can understand. The people driving both the craft beer and jerky industry care want a more natural and healthier alternative.

“The parallels between the craft beer industry www.meatpacking.info

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and the jerky industry are numerous,” says Brian Bianchetti, managing director of Los Angeles’ People’s Choice Beef Jerky and fourth generation commercial jerky producer.

“New entrants into both industries face a lot of the same issues from finding distribution, scaling production, overcoming regulatory hurdles, in addition to fierce competition from heavily capitalized industry incumbents with established distribution networks. There will always be a place for the Jack Link’s and Budweiser’s of the world, but what we’re seeing across both industries is that the market is large enough to support players of all sizes,” says Bianchetti.

“The opportunity is driven by a combination of new sales/distribution channels and the emerging consumer landscape. Consumers are interested in local products, handmade products, artisanal products and their access to these products via e-commerce has decreased the barrier to entry and inspired many small firms to enter the market.

“In other words, demand for artisan meat snacks has undoubtedly increased while the means to deliver these snacks has decreased significantly with more efficient distribution channels. Personally, I encourage the competition and see it as a boon to the industry. One of the benefits of new entrants delivering innovative products has been the expansion of the traditional meat snack consumer base, bringing new types of consumers into the fold – whether it’s women, the health/fitness segment, or gourmet foodies.

“We have actually taken inspiration from the craft beer industry. Our ‘Tasting Kitchen’ products are inspired by the craft beer model of releasing limited-edition, small batch flavors. The idea behind www.meatpacking.info

the Tasting Kitchen is explore interesting and new flavors without having to fully develop the product.

We encourage our consumers and fans to participate in the process. We see this as an important facet of our relationship with our consumers.”

starting small

M

uch like how a sizeable majority of all the US craft brewers are Millennials who started in a garage or university dorm, so too are many of today’s craft jerky makers and here is the truth of the matter. Beer goes back to at least the ancient Neolithic period (about 10,000 years ago) and preserved meat to mankind’s prehistory; the techniques to make both are simple. But what is new is the quality that is going into both and the prices they are able to command.

Justin ‘Duke’ Havlick, president and founder of Colorado’s Thanasi Foods – and Duke’s jerky – also sees the similarity between craft beer and jerky.

“What happened in craft beer is happening in meat snacks and other foods. Creativity and small batch care really resonates with consumers,” he says. “I see strong similarities between craft brewers and craft jerky makers, at least in the case of Duke’s.

“Duke’s started as an individual passion for making great products and sharing with friends, which is similar to how a lot of craft breweries start as homebrewing operations before turning into small businesses. Duke’s Smoked Meats was born out of my backyard smoker using recipes I developed in my kitchen.

“You can also draw a lot of parallels between July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 21

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jonty jacobs

Jonty Jacobs located in New York City

22 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

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the focus on high-quality ingredients and unique flavors used by craft brewers and craft smoked meat brands. Duke’s places a lot of emphasis on our recipes and the ingredients that are used in our products.

fueling the fire

S

nacking may very well be the new American pastime. According to the recent report from Mintel, Snacking Motivations and Attitudes US 2015, nearly all Americans (94 percent) snack at least once a day. What is more, half of adults snack two to three times per day with more frequent snacking having the potential to replace standard daily meals.

According to a Euromonitro survey, people between the ages of of 20 to 34 snack the most.

And not only are they satisfying their hunger more between meals – and skipping 'proper' meals althougher – they are willing to pay more for snack items that they perceive to offer health benefits.

So where does jerky and meat snacks fit into this?

“It’s [jerky] really going from a convenience-store road trip item almost to an hors d’oeuvre,” says Sherry Frey, vice president of Nielsen Perishables group, the division of the consumer-trend company that tracks sales of fresh food in grocery stores.

Growth in sales for meat snacks, a broad category that includes everything from Slim Jims to bars made of dried meat and mixed fruit, far exceeded the growth of more traditional snacks like chips, candy, and nuts last year, according to data from Nielsen Perishables Group. Between 2009 and September of last year, total dollar sales in the category grew from $1.58 billion to nearly $2.5 billion, according to data from IRIWorldwide, an analytics and consulting firm.

Health plays a prevalent role in the types of snacks consumers are eating. More than one third of snackers limit their intake of sweet snacks, such as cookies, candy, and ice cream. According to Mintel research, the percentage of US adults who snack only on healthy foods has increased over time.

Despite these increases in healthy eating habits among US consumers, 60 percent wish there were healthier snack options. However, Mintel research shows that even though consumers want these snack options, they end up placing more importance on taste and flavor than healthfulness when making purchase decisions. When it comes to choosing snack options, 74 percent of consumers agree flavor is more important than brand, while 51 percent agree taste is more important than health.

“The dried meat snack industry has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years,” says Brian Bianchetti. “Industry sales have shot through the roof. Demand for industry products outpaces several competitive savory snacks – outselling www.meatpacking.info

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seeds, party mixes, and pita chips combined. High in protein, all natural, and portable, dried meat snacks uniquely target emerging health trends and evolving consumer-eating behavior...put simply, we are living in a jerky renaissance!”

In looking at the potential drives for the meat snack industry, a good place to look is in the US military exchange systems located on all US Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marine bases. While base commisaries are where families shop, the exchange annexes are where younger members, many living in base barricks, do their shopping. With an average age span of between 19-24, they are the snack consumers of today and tomorrow. What are they eating? Meat snacks.

Randy Demster is a buyer for the Army & Air Force Exchange System (AAFES). AAFES operates more than 925 store locations and post exchanges on US military bases around the world. He says that last year meat snack sales continued to climb. "We are marketing protein and healthy snacking in the meat snacks catergory using our 'Be Fit' health and wellness initiative."

During a walk-though by MJP at an Air Force PX annex, the amount of jerkies and other meat snacks was almost staggering, especially when compared to five to 10 years ago. These young meat snack consumers – both male and female – will continue to buy meat snacks well after their enlistment ends and they return to civilian life.

While Jack Links held by far the lion's share of shelf space at the visited PX, followed by Oberto, smaller brands such as Dukes, Perky Jerky, and Kraves were ringing up the sales.

end in sight?

O

ver the last two years, growth in meat snacks brands such as Jack Link’s has far exceeded that of major chips/crisps brands, including Lay’s and Pringles. With annual sales of US$1.5 billion, Link Snacks, the owner of Jack Link’s, has now become the world’s 10th largest savory snacks player, ranking just behind Kraft-Heinz, according to Pinar Hosafci, a food analyst at Euromonitor specializing in bakery and snacks As a result, the category has seen increasing interest from some of packaged food’s biggest players. For example, confectionery giant Hershey acquiring Krave Jerky in 2015 and Cheerios producer General Mills adding premium meat snack maker Epic Provisions to its portfolio earlier this year.

But, while Hosafci believes that while meat snacks have showed strong growth over 2010-2015, meat is inherently a risky category to venture into.

Meat is subject to extreme price hikes, weighing on margins, which, in turn, forces smaller companies out of business, leaving the industry in the control July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 23

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of a handful of meat giants.

“The problem with the US is that the category is quickly becoming saturated. There are dozens of artisanal meat snack players banking on the natural protein hype, and meat giants such as Tyson have already started to launch snack variants of their existing brands,” she says.

However, MPJ disagrees. What makes the jerky industry exciting right now is that it is showing no signs at all of slowing down and, as the craft beer industry as discovered, a company’s success doesn’t lock up sales in area but, instead, increases demand for more different players.

While the Silent/Swing Generation (1923-1944) and to a degree the Baby Boomers believed in

24 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

brand loyality – something many companies banked on allowing them to make an ever increasingly subpar products – today’s Millennials jump from product to product. This allows a huge number of players to enter the market. While the price of a small craft brewery will set someone back anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million, in comparison it’s cheap to enter the jerky market and many are doing just that.

“At Multisorb, we have witnessed the growth of jerky products firsthand by the increasing interest in our JerkyFresh oxygen absorbers. The trend in the US towards consuming snacks combined with growing demand for high protein, low calorie content gives jerky a powerful opportunity for sustained growth. We anticipate that growth to continue both next year and over the next five years,” says Jim Clark, market leader, food and beverage packaging, at Multisorb Technologies.

“From a business standpoint, it’s a sensible and natural progression for new companies to start small. This allows them to better manage capital expenditures and build a customer base without overextending.

“Working with suppliers that service both small and large businesses can be helpful for start-ups.

At Multisorb, we understand the needs of small companies. At the same time, we are experienced working with larger companies, so we can easily advise and help smaller companies ramp up when the time is right.

“Our automation solutions are ideal for small, mid-size and large manufacturers, and we’ve seen small manufacturers save a lot of manpower and increase their output by implementing our dispensers,” he says.

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Justin ‘Duke’ Havlick of Duke’s Jerky

U

p until 2007 or so, the jerky and snack meat market was mostly shared between four major players. Now, across the US around 300 craft jerky makers have sprung up and Oberto and Jack Links seem like dazed boxers.

of “small batch”, but, in general, it implies smaller-scale production where products are made using more traditional or artisanal methods with significant care going into sourcing high-quality ingredients. In the case of Duke’s, our products are made in batches of 200 cases or less.

Would there be definite advantages with being part of a bigger company?

MPJ: What do you think brought about the new jerky movement?

There are likely advantages with being part of a bigger company when it comes to budget and

Havlick: I believe that the proliferation of craft brands in the dried meat snacks market can be traced to several different trends in the food industry. First, the love affair with protein keeps growing with 50% of consumers actively looking for higher protein foods. There’s also an increasing trend towards snacking as a replacement for meals. People are trying to eat less by replacing large, full meals with smaller portions - meatbased proteins are the perfect meal replacement.

Additionally, there is a movement towards real, rather than artificial, foods with 6 out of 10 consumers claiming that they read labels to make sure that ingredients are simple and recognizable.

Lastly, people are looking for more craft, less mass-produced snacks and foods. What happened in craft beer is happening in meat snacks and other foods. Creativity and small batch care really resonates with consumers.

How big is your yearly production?

What exactly is a ‘small batch'?

dukes Dragomir Nikolov

Past annual production for our Duke’s Shorty Sausages has been significant and driven by demand. While we have made thousands of cases, they have all been made in small batches. We’re anticipating our number to increase by about 70% this year.

Right: Justin 'Duke' Havlick who many call the new face of jerky

There are differing opinions as to the definition www.meatpacking.info

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 25

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scale, but there are also advantages to being a smaller company. We have a small team, and can be nimble when it comes to launching new products and executing programs. Also, a lot of larger companies manage multitudes of brands across a lot of different categories. We’re passionate about smoking meats, and we spend a significant amount of time focusing on our products.

In five-years time, where would you like Duke's to be?

Given the quality of our products and current trends, we have aggressive growth expectations for Duke’s. In five years, I would expect Duke’s to be widely available across all distribution channels.

Do you tend to buy your beef from the same supplier?

dukes

We produce dried meat snacks from grass-fed beef, pork, and chicken. Our meat comes from more then one supplier.

26 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

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What are the steps you take from beef arriving to jerky going out?

We have two product lines, our Smoked Shorty Sausages and our Steak Strips. Our Shorty Sausages are a really unique product. They’re made in small batches using fresh pork or chicken. We add whole, roasted or diced ingredients such as fresh garlic, Serrano peppers, Hatch green chiles, and ripe peaches, which give our products a fresh, homemade flavor. After we carefully blend the meat and fresh ingredients into sausages, they are slow-smoked using creative hardwood pairings like hickory, avocado wood, cherry wood and red wine oak barrels. Lastly, they’re hand-hung and dried for many days before being packaged. Each serving delivers seven grams of protein; they’re also low in sugar – 0g to 2g depending on the flavor – and we don’t add unnecessary fillers to our products to drive down costs. Our Steak Strips start with pasture-raised, grass-fed beef. The beef is sliced against the steak’s natural grain and marinated before being slow smoked over real hardwood.

The wood pairings for our Steak Strips include oak bourbon cask planks and plum and hickory hardwood. We use an artisan process for both our Steak Strips and our Smoked Shorty Sausages which is labor and time intensive, but we find that it results in the highest quality finished products.

To produce one pound of finished jerky requires how much raw beef?

Producing 1lb of our Steak Strips requires more than 2lbs of raw beef because we don’t add cheaper fillers like processed sugars to lower costs by improving production yields.

How many people work at Duke's Just over 100, including production The field of jerky makers in the States is now around 300; how do you stand out?

While there are a lot of brands in the category, we feel that our products and process are unique and allow us to stand out versus others. Our fresh ingredients, and artisan process takes a lot longer than other production methods, but we find that it results in the highest quality finished products. We believe that our products speak for themselves.

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where we attended events, passed out samples of our products, and talked to consumers. As the company has grown we have been able to invest in broader marketing campaigns, along with our grassroots efforts, to further support our retail partners.

How successful does this usually turn out?

As far as our grassroots initiatives, they were really successful in growing the business to where it is today. It’s great to be able to connect with consumers on a personal level and share your passion for the products.

As much as we would all like to think different, is the logo and packaging as important as what's inside?

We take a lot of pride in every single aspect of Duke’s. It all starts with the product first and foremost, but we also we place a significant amount of emphasis on our logo and packaging.

We recently redesigned all of our packaging, and we feel that the new design does a much better job of representing the brand and the premium nature of the products inside.

How do you pick a marketing agent?

Obviously, it’s important to choose an agency that has the right core competencies for whatever it is your trying to accomplish. It’s also always important to find someone that understands your brand, your products, and your goals and values.

Chemistry is also essential since you will be working closely with these individuals over a significant period of time.

What's a realistic view of how long a marketing campaign should last until you see results?

That really depends on the campaign. There are certain efforts such as in-store couponing programs or display programs where the campaign lasts for a finite period of time (eg: 2-4 weeks) and you expect to see immediate results. Other campaigns, such as grassroots initiatives or larger branding efforts may run for a longer period of time with results being less-defined and building up over several months or years.

And how would you like to be described?

Is marketing something that people think they can do in-house?

Duke’s – a craft producer of the freshest, best tasting, highest quality smoked meats

For smaller companies, a lot of the marketing is done in house. When we started out the majority of our programs were grassroots campaigns

For more jerky, be sure to read the Back Page interview with Brian Bianchetti of People’s Choice Beef Jerky.

www.meatpacking.info

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 27

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Meat bars and sticks heat up the market It’s just not jerky that lighting up the meat snack industry. A take on a Native American food is bringing in big sales, plus meat sticks making in impact

www.meatpacking.info

Above: Tanka bars are made from buffalo and cranberries and based on a traditional Native American recipe.

Below: Mark Tilsen and Karlene Hunter of Tanka

tanka

I

t’s hard to believe but there are times when a piece of jerky won’t do.

You’re running a marathon or racing a bike and need a quick protein lift –not always easy to do with jerky which needs a good chew. Or, you’re at the office working late on a report and the last time you tried eating Krave sweet chipotle jerky while typing it took IT a week to clean out your keyboard – never to be repeated, they said.

Luckily, there are two new options for consumers who are literally eating them up: meat bars and meat sticks. The word ‘new’ is not quite accurate.

Meat bars are based on traditional Native American pemmican – a mixture of ground dried meat, fat, and berries made famous by Arctic explorers – and meat sticks have been around since at least Roman days, but how they’re all being made today Sitting Bull or Julius Caesar never envisioned.

For those of you who have not seen a meat bar, in regards to texture they have much more in common with a moist, soft, and chewy breakfast bar or protein whey bar than jerky. As far as production goes, however, if your plant is set up for jerky, you could also make meat bars without a huge changeover in equipment and indeed, there is a middling amount of jerky companies who are also making meat bars – and this number is steadily growing.

This makes good sense if you’re trying to reach a greater demographics. Despite the huge change

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 29

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Clockwise: Some of the crew at Vermont Smoke & Cure; Vermont uses Ulma packing equipment; a meat stick slicer in operation. The company has recently closed a deal with Target. All photos Vermont Smoke & Cure

in the jerky market over the last five to 10 years, jerky remains in the mind of many women to be a ‘man’ snack and the market remains predominantly male. However, with many women eating granola or other breakfast bars already, it’s not a huge jump for them to try same-shape, individually-wrapped meat energy bars, which do not have carbohydrates and sugars.

Two of the meat bars generating a huge interest is Tanka and Epic. Tanka is headquartered at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The Native American population on Pine Ridge has among the shortest life expectancies of any group in the Western Hemisphere: around 47 years for males and 52 years for females. The infant mortality rate is five times the United States national average, and the adolescent suicide rate is four times the United States national average.

When Mark Tilsen, president, and Karlene Hunter, CEO, co-founded Tanka, it was to 30 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

accomplish three main goals: provide a healthy option to a Native American population with huge nutritional gaps; offer a new revenue stream to the economically stagnant 2.9 million acre reservation; and shed light on the diminishing wild buffalo population which Tanka bars are made from. Tanka says that its 100% natural bars are perfect food for anyone on the go – athletes, students, busy moms, and pow-wow dancers. They come in these flavors: jalapeno; apple orange peel; slow smoked original; and spicy pepper.

Tilsen says when he first tried selling Tanka bars it was anything but easy. “I’d go into a buyer or call a buyer, sometimes it would take 15 or 20 times to get a buyer on a phone and I’d tell them, ‘I’m selling a buffalo and cranberry bar,’ and they’d laugh or hang up.”

In a documentary about Tanka bars and the work the company is doing on Pine Ridge, it showed Tilsen in New York City trying to give out www.meatpacking.info

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free samples. People looked at him like he was crazy. However, Tilsen is having the last laugh: today they’re sold at over 8,000 locations including Whole Foods.

epic journey

M

arried couple Katie Forrest and Taylor Collins described themselves as once being close to fanatical vegans.

Now they make Epic meat bars and

jerky.

“Back in 2013, this whole Paleo primal movement was very young and niche,” Collins, tells Forbes. “But whatever people called it, they were going into clean protein, low carb, low sugar food.

We saw an amazing opportunity.”

That opportunity: a meat bar. Since Forrest and Collins launched Epic Bar in 2013, they’ve seen tremendous growth. In 2014, Epic Bar’s first full year of operation, they did $6.8 million in sales; revenue nearly triple to $20 million in 2015. At the beginning of this year, Epic was sold to General Mills for an undisclosed amount, keeping Forrest and Collins in charge of the company. They said in a joint statement that the decision to join General Mills “provides Epic Provisions with the scale to bring the products to more consumers and to increase the impact of the business on grassland regeneration and livestock management practices.”

Despite the field of meat bars suddenly becoming more crowded – even Krave is throwing its hat in the ring – Epic isn’t worried.

“We know better than most how fast the food industry changes,” says Forrest. “But we as human beings have been consuming animal proteins since the beginning of time. We don’t consider meat consumption a fad.”

meat stick revival

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n the 1990s, meat sticks were sold in filling stations next to the cash register, the ingredients inside them were questionable at best, and when WWF(E) wrestler ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage bit into a Slim Jim and shouted ‘ooooh yeah’, he didn’t follow that up with praise for how healthy they were for you.

But that was then.

Some companies such as Vermont Smoke & Cure are offering a more healthier version of the meat stick, while major US player Hormel is bringing new life into traditional pepperoni sticks.

And while jerky and meat bars remain mostly a US product, meat sticks aren’t. In Hall 4 at the recent IFFA trade show in Germany, where the latest food developments in meat where showed off, tasty meat sticks were being given away by the www.meatpacking.info

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thousands. MPJ talks to Vermont Smoke & Cure and Hormel to get their take on the stick and what is coming next.

At what point did Vermont Smoke & Cure decide meat sticks could be a quality product?

Chris Bailey, CEO: I was a vegetarian for five years while working on an organic vegetable farm.

My perspective toward meat shifted when I took a job on a diversified farm with livestock raised on pasture. I realized that animals raised in an environment where they can eat well and express their natural behaviors could actually be a great source of healthy meats. It was in 2008, after a few years into my role at Vermont Smoke and Cure, that I identified a real need for single-serving, highquality, flavorful meat snacks that were produced without preservatives or antibiotics and with far less sodium and fat content than the existing options on the market. The answer came in the form of our Meat Sticks (they were first called “Real Sticks”). In 2009, even before we began selling them, our sons were raiding our pantry to trade them for cookies and cupcakes at school. I realized that we had the chance to reach a wide-ranging market if kids loved them as much my wife and I, our employees and friends.

In the early 1990s owner GoodMark Foods did the first real market research as to who actually like Slim Jims and found it was teenage boys. Who makes up the demographics of your meat sticks?

Ross Fenderson, vice president, marketing: Our core customer is wide-ranging – it’s the busy mom and her kids, hard-working professionals, athletes looking for healthy protein snacks. It is really anyone who wants to incorporate meat into his or her diet and lifestyle, who values healthy sustenance and nutrition, and who cares about the larger picture and wants to ensure what they are consuming has been produced in the most conscious, sustainable and transparent way. They want all this, but they don’t want to sacrifice taste and flavor. And we believe our most important attribute is the delicious, one-of-a-kind flavor that comes from the high quality meat and simple ingredients we use.

Much like how the craft brewing industry is transforming beer across the US, there seems to be a new movement in snack meats, do you see yourselves part of this renaissance?

Fenderson: Absolutely. We are a small-batch meats company and our recipes are unique and personal, starting in our CEO’s kitchen. Chris conjures up a new flavor idea, researches it and then crafts a test batch flavor at home and tests it with family and July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 31

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to Chris Bailey taking over as CEO? Fenderson: Yes. Vermont Smoke & Cure products have always been about a movement towards healthier and sustainable agriculture, but Chris took this concept to the next level. The 2010 launch of the meat stick line made only from nitrite free, ABF meats was a testament to his vision and passion for a healthier, more sustainable livestock farming industry. That has only continued with the recent expansion of the Smokehouse in Vermont and the brand relaunch in 2015.

Getting the Target deal must be a huge boost for the company, but already you’ve had major deals with Whole Foods. Was Target a natural progression of the company or was it taking a huge leap?

Fenderson: We have seen great success in the natural channel with retailers like Whole Foods and in regional grocery stores like Wegman’s. Target was the natural next step because of the crossover that it gets from natural and specialty shoppers and a renewed commitment to offer the best natural foods.

In going to your website you list the farms that you get your meat from. With Target, will this go out the window or will you maintain this handson approach to sourcing raw material?

Fenderson: No, even with our entry into Target, we will stay hands-on and keep true to our heritage of sourcing only the highest quality meats and ingredients. To us, transparency is key.

What type of equipment do you use?

Abover: Hormel, already the US's leading pepperoni company, brings this taste to a stick. The 'Stix' platform continues to grow in importance for Hormel

friends. Once refined, we bring the recipe into the smokehouse where we scale it on the production equipment.

We also know consumers today are sophisticated; they want snacks that taste great, but are also healthy and nutritious and they won’t sacrifice one for the other. Our meat sticks address all of these needs. They are high in protein and contain less sodium than leading competitors. We don’t use any lab manufactured flavoring systems, whether artificial or natural. We use simple ingredients and spices to create those delicious, one-of-a-kind Vermont Smoke & Cure flavors in every bite.

Has much of Vermont’s move into using beef raised without antibiotics, vegetarian fed, etc, tied 32 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

Fenderson: Butcher Boy and Risco grinders, Anritsu X-ray metal detectors, Vemag stuffers, Ulma packaging equipment, and a high-efficiency smokers that reduce our energy requirements by more than 10%.

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hile companies such as Tanka, Krave, Epic, and other ‘craft’ meat snack producers are the topic of the minute for financial newspapers and reports, the fact is the big players will be setting the agenda most will follow. MPJ talks to Hormel.

How important are Pepperoni Stixs to the Pepperoni business?

Jake Nelsen, brand manager, Hormel pepperoni: Historically, the Hormel pepperoni stix have been a very small portion of our overall business, but as protein snacking has evolved, the Hormel pepperoni stix platform has grown in importance and become www.meatpacking.info

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more of a focus, as a significant area for additional growth.

Out of your five flavors which is the most popular?

The original pepperoni flavor is our best selling item, but we have a number of consumers that are very partial to the turkey pepperoni stix, as well.

With your demographics, do certain stix appeal to certain age groups, women as opposed to men?

In general, we are seeing younger males gravitating toward the Hormel pepperoni stix.

Are you finding consumers looking more for meat snacks as opposed to buying a regular whole pepperoni?

We are definitely seeing an uptick in the on-the-go snacking occasion, and the qualities that make that type of item successful are inherent in the DNA of Hormel pepperoni (portable, low mess, shelf stable, protein based, bold flavor, etc.). However, at this point, our 6oz original Hormel pepperoni sliced pillow pack is still the #1 SKU in the $6 billion lunch meat set.

In your five-year plan are you projecting more meat snacks?

Without question, this is an area of significant potential growth and we want to be in the position to capitalize on this evolving need-state, giving consumers on-the-go offerings that compliment our current offerings.

Are you looking at making healthier options, i.e., lower salt, fat, and a use of natural nitrates, or is this not a concern of your average eater?

We are very aware of consumer's desires to, in general, eat "cleaner". Hormel pepperoni is a great protein-based, indulgent, snacking item that has a very ‘craveable’ nature, for which many consumers feel better about eating than other high sugar/carb options. That being said, we are developing both "better-for-you" and more natural items that will be available in the marketplace in the upcoming months.

Could you go through the basic steps required to make a pepperoni stix and the actual equipment used at your plant The manufacturing process for our Hormel pepperoni stix is very similar to that of our normal pepperoni items. We formulate the product with our spice and a variety of cuts of pork and beef www.meatpacking.info

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trimmings. After batching, the product is stuffed and hung on racks. The product goes through a thermal cook cycle and is then dried to specification before going to be packaged.

What packaging equipment do you use?

We use a standard rollstock machine with flexible form film. Upon being packaged individually, we then place the specified number of sticks in each pouch, seal each pouch and packaged into finished cases to be shipped.

What is your level of production?

Typical volume on this line is around 10,000 lbs weekly on our core items.

In the big Hormel Foods picture, how important are the new Hormel REV bites?

Andrew Quinn, brand manager for Hormel REV: Very important! The REV brand has been very successful for our organization and the REV bites line marks the brand's first item launch into new forms of snacking beyond wraps.

Which flavors will be available and which do you anticipate to be the most popular?

We will be launching three new varieties in July – Pepperoni & Cheese, Turkey & Cheese, and Ham & Cheese. Although we expect all three varieties to perform very well, I have a suspicion that the Pepperoni & Cheese item could be the fan favorite.

With your demographics, will REV bites appeal to certain age groups, women as opposed to men?

People of all ages snack and our REV bites serve as a convenient on-the-go snack that uses familiar flavors that consumers know and love.

Proportionally, there is a consistent theme between males and females eating our products and we expect that to carryover to the bites.

Could you go through the basic steps required to make a REV bite and the equipment used at your plant.

The first steps in making REV bites come in preparing the dough and sauce. After these components are formulated, we then stuff the sauce into the dough at weight ranges to meet our finished goods packaging requirements. The bites are baked then chilled before going to be packaged in a basic vacuum tray-sealing machine. Once we package the material, the finished cases of product are sent to distribution to be shipped out to our customers.

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Meat snacks

Keeping jerky Fresh Packaging, at Multisorb.

In 2007 the top four brands of jerky controlled 87% of the market. Since then it’s a whole new ballgame with the industry worth $2.5 billion last year and new players, such as Krave and Duke’s moving up strongly. Do you anticipate the growth leveling off or continuing to grow for at least the next year? The next five years?

Clark: At Multisorb, we have witnessed the growth of jerky products firsthand by the increasing interest in our JerkyFresh oxygen absorbers. The trend in the USA towards consuming snacks combined with growing demand for high protein, low calorie content gives jerky a powerful opportunity for sustained growth. We anticipate that growth to continue both next year and over the next five years.

In many ways new jerky makers remind many of craft brewers, starting off as hobbyists and then realizing they could make a living at this. Do you think these companies have a tendency to think too small, i.e. using manual processes when they should be automating?

From a business standpoint, it’s a sensible and natural progression for new companies to start small. This allows them to better manage capital expenditures and build a customer base without overextending.

Working with suppliers that service both small and large businesses can be helpful for start-ups.

At Multisorb, we understand the needs of small companies. At the same time, we are experienced working with larger companies, so we can easily advise and help smaller companies ramp up when the time is right.

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Our automation solutions are ideal for small, mid-size and large manufacturers, and we’ve seen small manufacturers save a lot of manpower and increase their output by implementing our dispensers.

There are numerous companies in the marketplace offering oxygen scavengers. I’m a new company thinking of expanding, why should I go with JerkyFresh? I’m a long established company, why should I change suppliers?

The jerky market is becoming very competitive and companies need to differentiate themselves in the market and assure a quality product. Whether a company is new to the business or established, the reasons to use JerkyFresh are compelling. It’s a jerky specific oxygen absorber designed for optimum performance and made to the highest food safety standards in the industry. Multisorb manufactures JerkyFresh in the US in a cGMP compliant facility certified to GFSI FSSC 22000.

Multisorb’s expertise and willingness to act as a consultative partner brings additional benefits. We can help companies optimize oxygen absorber use and size to minimize waste.

Our systems approach, which includes custom engineered dispensers for JerkyFresh, delivers a turnkey solution for high productivity to meet increasing demand.

We assist our customers on an ongoing basis by supporting their growth and changing needs. The feedback we receive from our customers is that our quality and service are invaluable.

Do companies tend to buy the whole JerkyFresh system or just the oxygen absorbers and use their own existing system to insert JerkyFresh in a pack?

Our customers tend to look for a fully integrated system. New companies that do not have dispensing equipment can benefit from increased production as a result of automation. Larger and more established companies are looking to increase efficiency, optimize the size of their oxygen absorber to minimize waste, and implement an www.meatpacking.info

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aybe it’s the name, but MPJ is beginning to see more and more of Multisorb Technologies’s JerkyFresh oxygen scrubbers in jerky packs. MPJ talks to Jim Clark, Food & Beverage

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Casing detection for optimal food safety

Jim Clark of Multisorb

easy-to-use dispenser interface for operator use.

All of these are benefits that our system approach offers. However, smaller start-up companies have the flexibility to manually insert if desired.

What steps do you think the industry needs to take to continue to grow?

There is a growing trend among consumers demanding a cleaner label, and this has increased awareness for food processors to reduce preservatives in their products. For example, the desiccants and oxygen absorbers used in our active packaging technology are not considered additives.

Our products can allow some food processors to reduce the use of preservatives and deliver a more natural product to their customers while maintaining quality and shelf life.

When your team visits perspective buyers, is there a consistent problem or error that they see most companies making?

Because every company is unique, and consequently, their challenges are also very unique, it is important for companies to use suppliers who have the technical expertise and ability to optimize and deliver workable solutions. www.meatpacking.info

ViskoTeepak, a world leader in fibrous, cellulose and plastic casings, and TOMRA Sorting Food have developed a casing solution that makes it easier for sausage producers to detect pieces of casing in peeling operations, while still being able to track the color formation of the sausage during processing.

In the production of skinless sausages, it is essential to guarantee that all fragments of the casing are removed from the surface of the sausages after peeling. To help in this ViskoTeepak has developed a special casing type “Wienie-Pak D-Tech” that allows producers to verify that the casings are completely removed.

This type of casing contains a special component in the full body of the casing. This component leaves the casing fully transparent in normal conditions, but becomes detectable in combination with TOMRA’s Genius optical sorting machine.

During the processing of the sausages, the color formation of the sausages can be followed as in regular clear casing and at the same time becomes detectable while implementing TOMRA’s special optical module. The innovation can be used to produce skinless type sausages of all types, including frankfurters, hot dogs, mini-salamis and much more.

“The biggest advantage is the fact that this casing allows for full automation of the detection and eventually the separation process with the correct sorting equipment,” explains Marc Vrijsen, business line director at ViskoTeepak.

“Combining TOMRA’s Genius sorter with ViskoTeepaks’ D-Tech development, doesn’t only allow for casing detection but it is also possible to sort on size and other quality deviations such as color” says Bjorn Thumas, Director Business Development at TOMRA Sorting Food.

“TOMRA’s Genius sorter can process up to 5 tons per hour and is equipped with high-end technology enabling to detect good sausages and hotdogs from bad ones, including defects such as too light, too long, too short, attached and loose casing.”

Thumas continues: “The requirements in food safety will continue to increase. TOMRA can now, together with ViskoTeepak, provide the most complete range of cellulose casing detection to help reduce the exposure of manufacturers. We take these concerns seriously and, by doing so, provide support for a long term sustainable business.”

Vrijsen adds that another benefit is the labor cost saving, since less workers are needed in the peeling/packaging section.

The innovation was thoroughly tested at a major German producer of salami snacks and the results were convincing.

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New sausage casings boost confidence Kalle, one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrially produced sausage casings, has launched a number of new products to address what it believes are two key areas of consumer concern.

The German company will first focus on the ongoing changes in consumer expectations. Secondly, it will present a number of new sausage casings that enable manufacturers in the meatprocessing and sausage industries to improve the efficiency of their production process.

Kalle’s first ever range of clean-label, value-added casings products can transfer smoke, color and/or flavoring directly to the filling surface without the use of preservatives or artificial coloring. They are also entirely allergen-free.

It developed its clean-label casings in response to changing consumer preferences. A 2015 study by Innova Market Insights in the United States documented the growing trend towards a healthier lifestyle and a more critical attitude towards food ingredients. According to the study, 60 percent of consumers read the ingredients on food packaging “on a regular basis”. In addition, almost 80 percent think it is important that the list of ingredients should be as short and comprehensible as possible.

“Foods should be made in the way people would make them at home – using ingredients they are familiar with from their own kitchens,” says Kalle Managing Director Kees Bras, summarizing the mindset of many consumers.

“And that is exactly what we are enabling sausage manufacturers to do with our new clean-label casings. Because we use natural ingredients, the sausages our customers produce are entirely free of the kind of E-number additives that many consumers now reject.

On top of that, our clean-label casings bring the same efficiency benefits to the sausage production process as our existing valueadded casings.”

Polymer casings have traditionally been used in the production of parboiled sausages and boiled hams. When it comes to the ripening process, however, these casings have always been considered unsuitable as they lack the permeability required for what are often large quantities of egressing water vapor. All that is set to change with Kalle’s NaloFerm, a vapor-permeable polymer casing This product is also ideal for the manufacture and curing of raw sausage. Since it is possible to precisely configure the degree of permeability, NaloFerm-cased sausages can be cured in a regular ripening room with no risk of dry edge formation. In addition, NaloFerm is resistant to mold.

“Kalle sausage casings enable manufacturers to differentiate their products and increase efficiency,” says Dr. Carsten Heldmann, CEO of Kalle. “Our casings also offer genuine benefits when it comes to improving product safety during the production process. The result is an increase in both quality and consumer appeal. As such, sausage casings have a decisive role to play in the production and marketing strategies of sausage manufacturers.”

The Kalle Group, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrially produced sausage casings. In addition to its innovative value-added casings, Kalle is constantly developing new and customized solutions.

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Seals 30 packs per stroke

A Japanese meat stick producer is using a SEALPAC RE25 thermoformer which is loading an astonishing 30 packs per stroke.

“The interesting part is that each sausage is individually loaded by robots and packaged with a 15.2 index, meaning 30 packs per stroke. Each pack has a large peel tab on the top side for easy opening,” says Marcel Veenstra of SEALPAC. As an experienced specialist in packaging systems, SEALPAC has launched seven thermoformers, ranging from its entry-level PRO10 up to its custom-made high-end model RE30. All models come with the following features: rapid air forming; compact design; quick tooling changeover; easy maintenance and cleaning; and optimized product support.

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‘More taste’ for meat snacks Austrian spice professional Wiberg says that is spice products for the meat industry “provide more taste and more function” for a diverse range of areas.

According to Wiberg, the imprint “no preservatives” is having an ever greater influence on the purchasing decisions of consumers.

With Germex Fresh, Wiberg says that it has an effective solution for preservation with the need to declare E numbers. Shelf life and freshness are ensured using only spice extracts. Optimisers ensure stable, homogeneous emulsion that have a positive effect on consistency and texture, in particular in the production of cooked sausage and meat snack products.

Wiberg’s new products Optimiser MC and Optimiser TF are active agent combinations for structure formation in cooked sausage, cooked salami, and convenience products. To enhance the natural

color of meat, Wiberg recommends its Rosso Pure R and Rosso Pure V products which use only natural vegetable and plant extracts for coloration.

Accelerated drying for meat snacks Metalquimia of Spain says that its new QDS process uses “breakthrough” technology to create an accelerated drying process for sliced meat products and meat sticks which is applied directly after the fermentation step to the sliced product, and prior to the final long and dilated drying phase.

This results in a drastically reduced total processing time, eliminating interminable periods of time in the chamber, simplifying the production process and obtaining significantly improved energy efficiency.

According to Metalquimia, by using the QDS process, it is possible to develop new products that are not viable with the traditional process. The traditional process requires that the product enters the drying stage with a water activity level already reduced to avoid microbiological damages in the first drying days, when aw is still high. The high speed of the QDS process avoids this requirement without damaging the product and opens the door to the development of new products which will grab the consumer’s eye.

In addition, this leaves open the possibility of creating new product shapes other than the traditional round one since the QDS process permits any possible shape of slice, regular or irregular.

read it first online www.meatpacking.info

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Germany

EUROPe's Giant It’s tempting. Germany has 81 million of the world’s wealthiest consumers and it is by far the biggest market for food and beverages in the European Union. But as anyone who has tried will tell you, Germany is a hard nut to crack.

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abroad hitting a record level, driving the production of food processing machinery and packaging machinery to 13.5 billion euros ($15.25B).

"Meat processing machinery is one of the growth drivers of the food machinery industry, and the demand continues to be strong," says Klaus Schröter, chairman of the VDMA Meat Processing Machinery Technology Group.

But know this if you want to chase after the German euro; the country’s consumers are a different breed. While Germany might be the EU’s richest country, it also has the least amount of home ownership with well over half renting. German shoppers are obsessed about low prices, with discounters beating out super and hypermarkets in sales. While consumer spending is healthy, so too is consumer savings, with most Germans having a savings plan in place.

Taxes are paid, traffic laws are obeyed, and the

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n paper it seems like everyone in the world who makes processing equipment or sells meat should have an office, or two, or 12 in Germany.

Germany’s meat companies number around 400, with 60,000 employees, and had last year a turnover of around 40 billion euros ($45.23 billion). It’s now Europe’s largest producer of pork, second in beef, and respectable in poultry. In talking just sausage alone, more than 1.4 million metric tons (MT) of boiled, smoked, raw, and cooked sausage were produced last year with 500,000 MT exported abroad.

German manufacturers of machinery for the meat industry increased their production for the sixth consecutive year in 2015, with demand from

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German pigs. The country is a huge producer and consumer of pork

streets are free of rubbish. If you’re experience with Europe comes from its Mediterranean countries, Germany will seem like a different planet.

While in the USA many companies will give lip service to ‘Made in USA’ and then buy from China, German meat companies seem to prefer buying German processing equipment. A German processor told MPJ at Frankfurt’s recent IFFA trade show: “If you’re buying for today, buy Chinese equipment, it’s cheaper. But if you’re also buying for tomorrow and the day after, then buy German; it will last.”

If it’s beginning to sound like the German market is impossible to break into, take heart, it’s not. But you have to really understand where your product will fit into.

the facts

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ermany's economy is among the top five in the world and, as a member of the European Union (EU), is also part of the world's largest single market.

Germany also ranks as the third-largest exporter and importer in the world. As a prominent member of the EU, Germany provides a gateway not only to its own large, developed consumer population, but to opportunities in the surrounding EU markets, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s global analysis.

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The country’s population of nearly 82 million has created a leading market for food and beverages in the EU, ranking Germany as one of the largest individual agri-food and seafood importers in the world. According to its customs data in 2013, Germany imported around $85 billion in agri-food and seafood, putting it just behind the US. The health and wellness sector is shaping food markets worldwide and this is particularly true in Germany. Convenience has also been welcomed into the German marketplace, for several socioeconomical and lifestyles reasons, such as busy lifestyles and time-starved generation.

German consumers are also increasingly keen to buy eco-friendly products as the interest in preserving the environment intensifies. Packaging and communicating the appropriate messages to the consumer is therefore essential. In addition, the German market is incredibly price-conscious when it comes to food and beverage purchases as German consumers prefers to allocate a greater portion of their budgets to travel.

trends in food retailing

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erman consumers expect high quality food products. However, they are very price-sensitive, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Germans are www.meatpacking.info

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devoted to their discounters and the country has, globally, the highest share of discounters in food retailing. This is one reason why margins at the retail level are so thin.

A key factor in the future will be that Germany has one of the world’s oldest populations. Food retailing in Germany will face significant challenges due to changes in the demographic structure and consumer lifestyles. Demand for convenience, health, and wellness, as well as luxury products, will remain a consumer trend impacting food retailing into the future.

Many German consumers are fairly healthconscious, and spend considerable time identifying the components of a wholesome, nutritious diet. Concerns about additives in packaged food and pesticides in fresh food are widespread, providing plenty of ground for organic products to shine as a more natural, less modified alternative. Demand for organic food is further driven by growing concern for the environment and the negative effects of mass industrial animal farming, says Mintel Reports.

On another front, while the majority of the over-65s will be the wealthiest group of pensioners Germany has ever seen, two other groups are expected to grow at the same time: The disadvantaged pensioners, whose working lives did not secure a comfortable pension, and the "working poor", workers on short-term contracts and low wages. This is clear signal that high-end healthy products will increase, along with discount and priced down offerings which will continue to serve main stream Germany.

Euromonitor also notes that the proportion of single-person households and couples without children will continue to rise, since family formation and childbirth are delayed or cancelled due to financial and lifestyle reasons. Also, downsizing and trading-down trend, which are based both on the rise of a new form of poverty and a change in lifestyles to improve the work life balance, is on the rise. This explains in part the modest slowdown of the overall growth rate of food expenditure by 2018.

Besides an increased German consumer interest in food quality more generally, demand for organic and Fairtrade products has been growing and there is an increasing interest in reliable information on the origin, animal welfare standards, and genetically-modified (GM) content, according to Euromonitor International.

Organic

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he German organic food market is currently worth three times as much as in 2000.

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animal welfare credentials, and lower pesticide residue levels. After the US, the German organic food market is the 2nd biggest market of the world.

Sales of organic food in Germany have steeply increased over the last couple of years and peaked in 2014 with organic food sales reaching over ₏7.9 billion ($8.5 billion). That’s nearly a third of the total organic food sales in the European Union and just about 4 percent of the total food sales in Germany, but domestic production has failed to keep pace and the increasing demand was mostly covered by higher imports.

Organic food sales in Germany are split between traditional food retail companies and specialist organic food stores. Major driver for the growth in organic food sales was the expansion of specialist organic retail shops in recent years.

Buy local

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onsumers are developing an increasing appetite for locally produced food and beverages. Unlike other countries however, "buy local" in Germany does not necessarily refer to German produce, but to products attached to a smaller territory (terroir). According to Mintel, 75% of German consumers prefer "regional products" if they have the choice, most already buy such products on a regular basis, and 70% claim that they are even prepared to pay a premium for them.

GMO free

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n an attempt to create greater transparency for consumers, Germany introduced a new "non-GM" label on foods that have not been genetically-modified. This was done in response to demands from consumers of conventional food who are also increasingly interested in GM-free food. This includes animal products that have been produced with GM-free feed.

Premiumization

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he food market in Germany continues to see a trend towards premiumization, as manufacturers extend their product ranges to include more sophisticated ingredients and packaging, thus also adding value.

Health and wellness

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he health and wellness wave will continue upward mainly supported by an aging population. Media and societal pressures have encouraged German consumers to become increasingly aware of the importance of a healthy diet, strengthening the growth of those foods with a healthier image and negatively affecting the more indulgent ranges.

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Naturally healthy

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his is the largest health and wellness category in Germany, claiming 41% of total per capita expenditure value sales. Germany enjoys the highest annual per capita spending on naturally healthy food and beverages in Europe.

Better for you

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onsumers also highly value cooking meals at home and opt for “better for you" food products when they can that are low in salt, low in saturated fat, and trans-fat free and more importantly that are wholesome.

Vegetarian/vegan

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n emerging trend in Germany is ‘vegetarian/vegan'. It is estimated that there are approximately 7 million vegetarians in addition to 1.2 million vegans, representing close to 10 percent of the population. Furthermore 12 percent of German consumers claim to be are ‘flexitarians' (eating meat only occasionally), these groups are still relatively small, but growing continuously.

Foodservice environment

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characteristic of German foodservice is that the sector is large and highly fragmented, but can be divided into the commercial and institutional foodservice markets. The German commercial foodservice market includes hotels, restaurants, fast food and take-away outlets, bars, cafeterias, coffee shops, and similar channels. The institutional food service market is comprised of hospitals, universities, nursing homes, and cafeterias.

On the commercial foodservice front, many Germans eat out mainly as a special occasion and not as a regular element of their social life, compared to other European countries such as France or Italy. In Germany, the most important times of day for eating out are lunch and dinner, and Germans traditionally prefer full-service restaurants. However, fast food is seeing a high share of transactions; this is due to the channel's convenience, good value for money and popularity among young people.

breaking in

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he market offers good opportunities for US and other exporters of consumeroriented agricultural products, according to the USDA. However, there are a number of challenges exporters must meet before exporting to the German market. Success in introducing food 42 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

products depends mainly on knowledge of the market and personal contact.

The supplier should analyze German/EU food law, packaging and labeling requirements, business practices and trade-related laws and tariffs, potential importers and the distribution system. The US Office of Agricultural Affairs (OAA) offers guidelines on business practices and import regulations. The FAS’s Foreign Buyers List gives important information on German buyers of food, fish, and seafood products.

Purchasing by German food retailers is fragmented and competitive. Few German retailers import products directly from other countries, except for items that they purchase in large quantities. Most food retailers would rather buy from central buyers/distributors importing food and beverages. In general, these wholesalers have specialized in products or product groups and some are even experts in food products from a specific country of origin. Thus, specialized importers have an in-depth knowledge of importing requirements, such as product certification, labeling and packaging. They also typically handle shipping, customs clearance, warehousing and distribution of products within the country.

Participating in German food trade shows is a proven way to find the right distributor and facilitates the direct contact with German food brokers, importers, and wholesalers. Trade shows like ANUGA, Green Week or the BioFach show in Germany enjoy an exceptional reputation within the global food industry and these shows outreach is, in many cases, global.

selling direct

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irect sales to Germany’s leading retail companies are very difficult; however, it can be a desirable productentry approach for a foreign supplier.

Due to their wide range of distribution, central buyers are generally flooded with offers from competing suppliers and they are usually not interested in taking on added responsibility of importing products directly. This is especially the case for new-to-market products, which may not comply with German/EU import requirements, food laws, and packaging and labeling requirements.

Retail buyers may only be interested in importing products directly if they are unique, possess some specific attribute, or offer significant advantages in terms of quality, price, or financial promotional support.

Each of Germany’s leading retail groups has a different business structure, purchasing, and distribution system. Many of the leading retailers have multiple retail chains, often with various types of retail formats such as large hypermarkets, www.meatpacking.info

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Classic German meals, all based on pork.or veal

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discount and small neighborhood stores, or perhaps beverage and/or delicatessen outlets. Large retailers’ purchasing departments may also be divided by retail format and, sometimes, by region of the country.

New products on the German market may require up to 12 to 18 months of testing gaining market acceptance. Listing fees, equivalent to several thousand dollars or more per product are common and do not ensure shelf space if a profitable turnover is not achieved rather quickly.

The exception may be a retailer's desire to maintain a competitive edge by keeping a full range of products.

and migrants in the labor market. But in order to learn German in a government-subsidized integration course, they are generally required to have proper residency status. Asylum-seekers and refugees not facing deportation have the right to seek advice in a job center and be placed in the labor market, but they have no access to integration courses. This, in turn, prevents job centers from successfully placing them in the job market – in what becomes a vicious circle.

regugees - the silver lining?

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he massive influx of somewhere between 800,000 to 1.5 million refugees over the last two years has created immense challenges for the German government and society (with poor tracking and many refugees disappearing off the radar, no one knows the real figure). Many local authorities have been overwhelmed and refugee hostels, temporary housing – such as old US army quarters – and tent cities are overcrowded.

However, many in Germany see this influx providing opportunities for the German economy.

With the German population shrinking, businesses are unable to fill many jobs, and specialized workers are increasingly rare, jeopardizing the country's future prosperity.

A smaller workforce means there are fewer people paying into pension funds and health insurance schemes, fewer people consuming and producing goods, and fewer people paying taxes to pay for expenses like schools and road construction.

Fewer people also translates into a reduced potential for growth and less affluence, according a report sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

"If net immigration declines significantly, the aging of society will create intractable problems for the social security systems and the national budget," says Lutz Schneider of the Coburg University of Applied Sciences, who examined the consequences of immigration for the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Germany needs more than just highly qualified academics; it also needs trained individuals with moderate to minimal qualifications. About a million jobs have been created for foreigners in the last four years in fields requiring no formal training: food processing, agriculture, nursing care, and restaurants. The number of unfilled positions is constantly rising and was close to 600,000 in July 2015.

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Right: Syrian and other refugees have flooded into Germany

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IFFA Review

People come to buy The world’s largest meat show has closed it doors after six successful days which set new IFFA records for both visitors and exhibitors. If you’re serious about your business – either as a meat/poultry processor or an equipment seller – this is the one trade show you can’t afford to miss. MPJ reports from Frankfurt

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homas Ott, head of sales for Handtmann processing equipment, is having a short break on the last day of IFFA. The tradeshow, set in Frankfurt, Germany, takes place every third year for six days in May and is huge beyond belief in all senses: the floor space alone is equivalent to almost 25 American football playing fields. This year over 63,000 trade visitors from 143 countries attended – an increase of international visitors by 66% – and Ott’s tired face is looking like all of them have paid a visit to Handtmann’s large stand.

“The difference between this trade show and all others?” he says, repeating your question. “The difference is, people come here to buy. At other trade shows middle managers or production heads come, look around, and then go back and make suggestions to the company’s board.

“Because this show is every three years, companies save for it – every three years is a good time to buy new equipment. It’s not the middle managers who come, it’s the decision makers and they have their check books with them, ready to buy. Other shows we get enquires, at IFFA we get sales.”

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as out-and-out positive as Thomas Ott, almost all were in agreement: IFFA is the one show you have to be at. Besides exhibiting the latest in processing, slaughtering, and packaging equipment, there is also considerable attention given to food items, both fresh and value-added. Being held in Germany, sausage and ham reigned supreme at the halls dedicated to meat products. Few countries, too, celebrate and support butchers the way Germany does and IFFA also showcases the latest in butcher supplies and techniques.

For visitors who have been at other trade shows, such as those in Brussels where it seems like the entire city is out to gouge you from the second you step off the plane, Frankfurt is the complete opposite. It is a beautiful, relaxed city which takes the stream of 60,000+ visitors in stride.

According to show hosts/organizers Messe Frankfurt, the top 10 foreign visitor nations were the Russian Federation, Spain, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, China, the USA, Austria, Australia, and the Ukraine, with obviously host country German with the largest number of visitors.

High rates of growth within Europe were noted from Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania and Greece. From outside Europe, there were significantly more visitors from the Ukraine, China, the USA, Japan, and South Africa than in www.meatpacking.info

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previous years. What surprised many exhibitors were the amount of Americans at the show, and just not trade visitors but exhibitors as well.

meet & Greet

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nder the motto ‘Meet the Best!’, the entire sector came together here in Frankfurt to discover the latest innovations and tomorrow’s trends,” says Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of Messe 48 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

Frankfurt. “IFFA is and will remain the world’s leading trade fair for the meat industry. This year, it was distinguished by growth in all respects. An extraordinarily high level of internationality, the presence of all market leaders and highly innovative products and technologies speak for themselves.

“What makes IFFA unrivalled as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector is its clear focus: everything revolves around meat. The emphasis is on innovations and trends that cater for market demand and generate decisive impulses for shaping the future. The current trends were reflected by the extensive range of products and services offered by the exhibitors.

“Important subjects in the case of machines and plant for processing and packing meat and meat products are quality and the increasing demands on product safety and traceability. Additionally, there is a clear focus on improving productivity through greater energy efficiency, higher output, simple cleaning processing, increasing automation and environmentally-friendly solutions.

“In the butchers’ trade, the aim is to tap into new developments in consumer eating habits, i.e., convenience, ‘snacks to go’ and meat-substitute products. Investments in energy efficiency and the simplification of working processes are other top issues in the trade.

“In the case of companies from the ingredients www.meatpacking.info

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and additives segment, the spotlight is on food trends and the nutritional ‘zeitgeist’. ‘Clean labelling’ has been a leading trend in the meat industry for many years and reflects the demands of consumers and the trade for products with as few additives as possible. Another important subject is salt reduction with no loss of taste,” he says.

company views

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FFA was incredibly successful for us,” Ib Nykjaer, CEO of SFK LEBLANC, tells MPJ. “Being a global company, IFFA allows us to engage in conversations with companies all over the world and discuss how we can be a business partner to continue grow the meat industry through our leadership in design solutions for all red meat types; pig, cattle, and sheep.

“With an increased awareness for automation from the entire industry, IFFA proves a great platform to showcase to the world, that we have the most comprehensive range of pig/hog automated machines and robots for both the harvest and the cut floor. It underlines not only our technological leadership, but also our commitment to be the industry’s preferred supplier from A to Z, covering both animal harvesting as well cutting, deboning and packaging. www.meatpacking.info

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“Trade Shows are a great avenue for us, because it allows us to sit down and discuss current operations and/or future needs for current customers, as well as discuss how we can become a business partner to companies who may be looking to expand their operation, update their current lines, or relieve strain on their operators. Because we offer turn-key solutions, we really can be a fit for anyone,” he says.

“In regards to the crowd being one looking for new equipment or instead holding tight to their wallets, naturally we see both types,” says Nykjaer.

“In general, there is reason to be optimistic, as the industry is very much looking towards the benefits of automation.

“What is interesting is that it is no longer just mature markets and the large corporations that are requesting automated solutions. Medium sized meat packers and developing countries are also looking towards automation as a driver to remain competitive in the increasingly global market place for red meat.

“The best example of this was at our ‘New Product’ corner, where we displayed a broad range of pig/hog automated machines and robots.

Here we attracted a lot of attention for our new harvest floor robots, as well as our unique cut floor concepts to such a degree it opened discussion for adaption in new geographical markets and for the July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 49

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possibilities for use outside the equipment’s original design scope,” he says.

Giuseppe Allais, Industry Segment Manager Food, sales & service team, Ammeraal Beltech Holding BV, says the trade show was good in terms of international and quality of visitors, with most focused on new technology and equipment.

“While it is good to touch base with existing customers, we are particularly out to find new potential customers,” says Allais. “We had inquires from new ones fro Saudi Arabia, China, and Australia.

“The lasting impression I will take away from IFFA 2016 is a confirmation that the IFFA is again the reference worldwide show for the meat and poultry industry.”

Torsten Giese of Ishida, noted for not mincing his words, says the show was “excellent” and that visitor numbers from Australia, Canada, Israel, and Russia were better than expected. “But Africa – outside of South Africa – was disappointing.”

Giese echoed what the majority surveyed by MPJ said in regards to the showing being held only every three years.

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“Every three years is fine and correct from an investment perspective. Due to Interpack and Anuga Foodtech taking place in the other years we cannot both financially nor by resource afford more than one large German food/ packaging show per year,” adding that the show could be cut to five days and finish then on a Wednesday.

Will he be back at the next IFFA? “Definitely!” he says.

POSS meat separators had a stand at IFFA that, while off the main beaten path, showed that having a prime location filled with equipment is not always a prerequisite to drawing customers. Ray Cheeks, POSS director of business development, says the show “was surprisingly positive”.

“There were more serious inquiries than we expected – this exceeded my expectations. We had three folks manning the booth and at times, there were visitors waiting on one of us to to finish our discussions with another visitor,” (which is what MPJ experienced every time they tried to visit POSS).

“Overall, it appeared that companies are cautious but willing to invest if there is a reasonable

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Karl Keller, CEO of Handtmann, says: “For Handtmann, IFFA 2016 was simply overwhelming! Compared to 2013, we had a double-digit increase in the number of visitors.

And our new products, especially the new VF 800 vacuum-filling series, met with enormous interest on the part of both regular and new customers.

Once again, it was evident that innovative technology can speed-up pending investments.”

Multivac’s Valeska Haux, senior director corporate marketing, says: “For us, the fair was very good. We received lots of positive feedback from our visitors and, with our exhibits, were able to present numerous answers to our customers’ demands.”

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I return on investment,” says Cheeks, adding that eastern Europe seems to be the area of the world aggressively investing in food processing.

POSS, unlike many other companies, sees an advantage of having the show more often.

“I would prefer every other year; with the velocity of projects in the current environment, especially in developing countries, every three years is not often enough,” says Cheeks, “but it should only run for five days at most. A schedule of Sunday through Thursday would be ideal.”

MPS says that while they were satisfied with the amount of visitors, they were expecting more from certain countries. They will be back at the next IFFA but probably in smaller scale due due to other good shows such as Anuga.

Bizerba celebrated its 150th anniversary of the founding of the company at IFFA. Andreas Kraut, managing partner and CEO, says: “This year, IFFA once again gave impressive confirmation of its position as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector. At our exhibition stand, we were able to welcome visitors from all over the world and discuss subjects of topical importance, such as automation, food safety and Industry 4.0.” www.meatpacking.info

b Nykjaer, CEO of SFK LEBLANC, says this if you’re planning on attending in 2019.

“Plan, plan and plan. IFFA is by far the largest international fair within our industry. It is only every third year and is rather expensive, so it is important that resources are allocated to make the most of it.

“One thing that is striking is the amount of money companies spend on floor rental and booth construction – no expenses spared here. Most also have large monitors to display their products and solutions. It is the second best thing to demonstrate your concepts after inviting them on a reference visit to an actual running plant.

“So besides the planning advice, I strongly recommend to invest in securing videos that are up to date, meaning minimum HD quality. Showing 10-year-old videos in 4:3 format does not leave visitors with a great impression, regardless of how fancy of a stand you set-up for the occasion.”

Ray Cheeks from POSS says: “Have adequate staffing to man your booth, develop a systematic process to document the inquiries so that effective follow up can be executed, and have a process to let your customers know you plan to attend.”

And MPJ adds, be aware at just how much floor space is at the exhibition center. From the ‘official’ entrance (there are numerous entrances) to one of the back halls, it is easily a 20 to 25-minute walk if not longer. While there are shuttle buses going from each of the halls, they can be overflowing at times and you might have to wait to catch another.

Wear the most comfortable shows you have and bring water. One thing the organizers have to up their game with and that is to increase the amount of restaurants, and food carts at the center – ice cream is not a meal. MPJ has to wonder, however, if due to the amount of samples given out in the food hall ranging from slices of steak to freshly baked pretzels to dried-roasted insects, if outside caterers find it difficult to compete against free.

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show standouts Exhibitors go all out to impress at IFFA. These products caught our eyes

Low-cost tools show value Jarvis Products Corporation displayed four, low cost tools at IFFA 2016 that is says will greatly assist butcher shops and small to mid-sized processing facilities in lowering production costs and increasing productivity.

A new line of Jarvis Model PAS (Power Actuated Stunner) Types C and P stunners, in both .22 and .25 calibers, were showcased at the Jarvis booth. These new hand held stunners are rugged; made to withstand demanding stunning requirements, yet easy and quick to clean. Both stunners provide low cost, powerful stunning of bulls, cattle, hogs, sows, sheep, or other types of livestock. Jarvis PAS stunners offer users a humane process for quick, efficient and high capacity stunning procedures. A wide variety of .22 and .25 caliber cartridge choices and different power loads are available for both types of stunners.

According to the company, its new, lightweight and easy handling SER-04 electrically powered Reciprocating Breaking Saw is perfect for breaking and general purpose usage on beef, hogs, sheep and veal. It also is equipped with a double insulated electric motor to provide better operational performance. Common applications for the SER-04 include cutting forequarters, shank bones, primal cuts, aitch bones, brisket opening and splitting. To handle specific production needs, several blade and support packages are available.

Jarvis’ new, reduced price, SEC 180-4 electrically powered circular breaking saw has many applications, including pork ribbing, ham

and shoulder marking, and removing contaminated back bones. It is lightweight and flexible; suitable for rail or table. Equipped with a blade stop brake, it also has a double insulated electric motor for ultimate performance. For operators, single trigger, with dual handles makes the SEC 180-4 saw easy to control.

Introduced at the trade show was Jarvis’ new JHS-1 Hand Skinner; providing low cost skinning of boars and sows with uniform removal of skin and fat. Besides increasing productivity and product quality, this tool also reduces labor costs. An operator, using the JHS-1, can process carcasses faster than laborers doing old fashioned hand-trimming.

Massive production line displayed Seydelmann went all out at this year’s IFFA trade show, displaying more than 50 of its cutters, mixers, grinders, and emulsifiers, along with three production lines.

The company says it is intensively driving forward the automation of the meat industry, and integration into an interlinked and automated production is possible for all of its machines.

Its newly developed automatic mixer-grinder AMR 1800 has an 1,800 liter hopper capacity and a mixing capacity between 400 and 1,200 kg, depending on the processed product.

With two mixing speeds – optionally four and steplessly pre-programmable – any product can be mixed gently and homogeneously.

The versatile Universal Grinder AU 200 U is deployable independently of the material temperature. The machine

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“effortlessly” reduces fresh meat, entire frozen meat blocks down to -25 deg C, cooked meat, and other materials independently of consistency and temperature, simultaneously or separately.

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New vacuum filler series for IFFA There was no missing Handtmann’s new VF 800 vacuum filler series for the premium vacuum filling technology segment. The machine, made to the highest German design and manufacturing standards, was getting the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ normally reserved for the latest Mercedes.

While it’s hard getting excited about a vacuum filler, the VF 800 series state-of-the-art and future-proof technology, coupled with quality down to the very last detail, was evident to anyone at the show.

The company says its VF 800 models are for medium-scale and industrial producers, as part of Handtmann’s new vacuum filler series. A modern design reflects the forward-looking machine concept and a new hygienic design facilitates top hygiene conditions, coupled with highly-refined, practical advantages in terms of handling and ergonomics.

Flexibility and high performance for every requirement are provided, as an unbeatably long service life and extremely robust design ensure long-term stable portioning accuracy thanks to reduced wear.

Numerous new additional functions and modules support the exceptionally effective and economical operation of the new

vacuum filler. The TÜV-tested and certified top-level energy efficiency combines cost reduction with sustainable, resourceconserving production.

A new, flexible configuration of the performance rating and modularity of the new vacuum fillers is based on adapting the systems in line with today's production requirements: flexible and quick performance alignment minimises the time needed to respond to production conditions and parameters which have to be changed at short notice.

Vacuum packing for all applications Komet’s newly designed Powervac 200 is a mobile double chamber vacuum packing machine made for equally small or large pieces.

Available since November, it is a follow-up model to its double chamber machines SD 320 and SD 520.

The company says that is Powervac models are technically refined in a way that they will comply with the future requirements of the industry; the chamber sizes were optimized for more flexibility and larger pieces. Even more robust than previous models, the Powervac 200 is easy to maintain and clean, says Komet.

Software for smart meat factory CSB presented at IFFA software, image processing, and automation solutions for the production work of the future, which will all come together thanks to CSB’s managed digital transformation.

The ERP system, which will also be available from the cloud, will take over a key function. Being a data management system, it not only administrates master data and transaction data, but also product date, machine data, and process date without any redundancies.

This facilitates the consistent use of the data in all applications throughout the entire order processing flow, for example in customer relationship management, production planning, picking, or business intelligence.

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11,000 lbs of products an hour Marel introduced at IFFA its newly developed V-Pump. This V-shaped piston pump produces – together with Marel’s RevoPortioner 700 – over 11,000 pounds of high quality red meat convenience products an hour.

Core of the new technology are two alternating belt-wide pistons, delivering a uniform pressure to the forming unit, moving the meat mass over a small distance with a minimum of pressure.

This retains the original meat structure and texture as much as possible.

Traditional pumping of meat with an auger, via piping and/or using vacuum and higher pressures, leads to more shear and friction, and more ‘damage’ to the natural meat structure, says Marel. In the V-Pump meat mass is gathered by gravity only, right on top of the RevoPortioner. The distance it travels under pressure into the smoothly rotating drum of the RevoPortioner is very short: only 11 inches (30cm).

“The meat passageway is completely auger-free. The width of the piston is as wide as the forming drum. Meat does not have to be spread horizontally in a manifold and vacuum is not needed.

Friction and shear are avoided. The pressure applied is low; all these features help retain the original meat structure,” says Henri Janssen of Marel.

A production process including the V-Pump and RevoPortioner is very stable, clean and consistent; there is virtually no loss of

raw product (less than 0,3%), no downgrades, and no rework, according to Marel. All valuable raw materials are used, reducing waste.

The new pump was awarded with the “Best Innovation in Food Processing Technology” at the Frankfurt trade show.

Reduced costs for greater profit At IFFA, SEALPAC showed off the latest in traysealing technology.

Its SEALPAC A6 traysealer is a true all-rounder, says SEALPSC, characterized by a high output and maximum flexibility on minimum floor space. The modular-built machine is suitable for a wide range of applications. Fully automatically it seals up to 90 trays per minute, and can handle a variety of tray shapes and sizes, as well as sealable materials.

With the SEALPAC A6, a wide range of packaging systems can be achieved, such as the reclosable EasyLid system, the TenderPac post-maturation pack, and the attractive TraySkin solution. It is extremely strong in production processes that require regular format and product changes.

Due to its quick exchange system with integrated connections, changes to a new product or tray format are achieved in the shortest possible time, claims the company. This makes the A6 extremely suitable for small to medium-sized manufacturers with a wide product range and small production runs. The SEALPAC A6 is made entirely of stainless steel. Its hygienic design allows for quick and easy cleaning. The machine is easily integrated into existing production lines, or combined with peripheral equipment.

TraySkin packs, available for products with up to 90 mm protrusion, clearly extend the shelf life of fresh meat products.

The top film fits the product like a second skin, hence preventing drip-loss. In addition, the system provides strong fixation of the product inside the tray, therefore enabling an attractive hanging or standing presentation in retail markets.

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Nearly $3,000 a day in savings with X-ray fat analysis FOSS’s new MeatMaster II C is a new compact version of the MeatMaster II analyzer, which will make X-ray fat analysis and foreign object detection available to a broader group of meat producers.

Measuring just 1.5 metres in length (about 5ft), the MeatMaster II C sets a new standard for X-ray analysis, says FOSS, making it easier to integrate into production plants where space may be tight. It delivers the same accuracy as the MeatMaster II with fat content measured to within 0.8% or better, and bone detection down to 5mm and metal detection to 2mm. Meat in boxes and trays – including blocks of frozen meat – can be measured.

Installation can be completed in few days using a supplied calibration and with local support from FOSS experts. New software options supplied as standard include multi-language interfaces and process control software for fully automated control of batches.

The IP69K unit is robust and designed for easy cleaning and maintenance. It is supplied with a cleaning rack for holding all loose items such as the conveyor belt. This ensures effective routine cleaning at the end of production shifts.

FOSS meat market manager Poul Erik Simonsen says: “Around 90 percent of the major meat producers in the world are now using MeatMaster and this new smaller, high performance unit makes X-ray analysis more accessible than ever to others who want the power of controlling fat content and check for foreign objects in individual boxes or entire batches of trimmings.”

The MeatMaster II offers meat producers a complete picture of all the meat passing through production. With a capacity of up to 38 tons per hour for analysis of raw meat, the MeatMaster II can

Baader soft separation at IFFA The Baader Group developed specialized technology for the separation of meat from sinews and cartilage more than 40 years

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measure fat content, determine the weight, and scan for foreign objects.

X-ray technology gives a 100% scanning of all meat, regardless of the size of the pieces and whether they are fresh or frozen or packed in sealed plastic or cardboard boxes.

According to FOSS, typical payback time has been found to be less than a year and case studies show savings of at least around €2500 per day ($2,830). The savings are made through the more rational use of raw materials with the continuous X-ray test results helping producers to get exactly the right fat/lean mix in their products. This leads both to improved yield and more consistent quality.

ago. Over time, the product range has been extended, and now includes soft separators with a wide range of capacities for meat and poultry, and to depack food products.

Soft separator technology gently separates soft material from any hard. This process utilizes a stainless perforated drum and belt and operates at low pressure. The resulting product is of very high quality with a natural texture as the cell structure of the product remains intact.

This system also can greatly contribute to a processing line’s food safety as it excludes any hard materials and foreign objects. Lastly, the separator can also de-package those products, that have gone out of date, mislabeled or are wrongly formulated.

According to Baadar, its soft separator can produce an excellent product quality with a course ground meat apparance that is free of sinews, cartilage, and bones. There is good balance of yield to quality, only a maximum temperatuer increase of of 2 deg C during production, and a calcium level under 30mg per 100 grams.

“The revaluation of lower quality meat and/or ‘waste products’ is an economic and profitable process,” Stephen Willoughby of Baader tells MPJ. “Some processors have reported a payback on investment of six months or less! Separation has also proved itself to be a very efficient process that makes time-consuming manual labor unnecessary.”

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Swiss-made Dorit pickling machines Dorit butchery/processing machines, made by Retus of Switzerland, presented at IFFA its pickle (brine) injectors which it says gives bone in/out meat an even brine distribution thanks to an ideal needle pattern. Appropriate injection and brine filtering systems ensure injection success with all kinds of brine of different viscosities.

In addition, a selection of vacuum tumblers were also on display.

“Due to our long history of production in this field, we are able to supply a complete range of vacuum tumblers with a capacity from 20 to 10,000 liters,” says the company.

Further technological alternatives available to our customers are our vacuum pressure and cooling tumblers, which work either together as a version with a double jacket using glycol, or as units, injecting liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

With our general agents in Switzerland and Germany the machines are distributed worldwide, today with the brand DORIT. Erwin Suter AG quarantees you for all Original Dorit by Retus machines and spare parts .

New meat-bone separators French company Lima announced at IFFA the extension of its range of models by two additional sizes of machines which help meat processors removing sinews from poultry, beef, or pork.

The Lima RM 20 DD/DDS is specifically designed for customers willing to start on a small scale. Its capacity is 220-440 lbs an hour for chicken trimmings; 440-660 lbs/hr for chicken carcasses.

Lima’s RM 2000 S is now the biggest meat-bone separator available on the market with a capacity of up to 44,000 lbs/hr.

A team of representatives and associated companies, markets and services the separators in more than 100 countries. More than 90 percent of Lima’s machines are exported outside of France.

Extends shelf life of pre-packed meat At IFFA 2016 Maria Soell High Technology Films presented a new type of shrink film for thermoforming machines: Eichelsdorfer Shrink-Shape that combines deep draw technology and shrink film.

According to MS, the film is ideal in view of materials savings, performance and sustainability within the packaging process. Its top web and bottom web provide extremely high seal strength and a skin-tight wrap around the food to be protected: meat, cold cuts, poultry, and cheese. The food is wrapped by machine, meeting maximum hygiene requirements and ensuring a considerably extended shelf life.

Innovative material structures limit blood and juice loss of the vacuum sealed meat. Apart from its attractive presentation, the film slows bacteria growth and extends the shelf life of the packed food. A specifically designed film layer has been introduced to

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reduce the odor customers often find disagreeable when opening meat packages.

“Shrink-Shape promotes your sales thanks to its high transparency and minimum seal contamination and affords a clear view of your appetizing products. The film can be printed in up to eight colors,” says Stefan Steinmeier, managing owner.

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New system can detect red and white plastics Norwegian company TOMRA Sorting Food showed off its new meat foreign material detection technology which it claims is able to identify a greater range of contaminants than any other system currently available. TOMRA’s demo system has the ability to detect foreign materials including metal, wood, paper, and plastic.

In order to help increase customer safety and reduce waste, TOMRA features its groundbreaking and award-winning Biometric Signature Identification (BSI) technology. This technology is successfully deployed on over 100 TOMRA systems throughout the food processing industry.

This technology enables the machine to detect foreign materials by identifying chemical and molecular differences rather than relying on color differentiation. In addition, it has the ability to scan fresh or frozen ground meat or small trimmings.

Thorsten Niermeyer, business unit manager process analytics, says: “This is the world’s first comprehensive foreign material detection technology for meat processors. Previous technologies could only identify part of the foreign material spectrum, such as metal and bone. However, the biggest occurrences in the industry are plastic, paper as well as wood from various different sources, and this technology identifies all of these materials.

“Today, most processors invest in manual effort when inspecting meat for contaminants. In Europe, the dominant plastics in the meat industry are red and white, most problematic for the human eye to detect in meat. We are detecting these contaminants based on their chemical properties and can reliably distinguish them from same colored meat. The system will be introduced after the first processing stage, in order to detect the foreign objects as early as possible and avoid contamination of further product downstream.

“When foreign material is detected, we automatically stop the conveyor belt. The graphical user interface then indicates which contaminant is contained in the meat and thus identifies which portion of the product needs to be separated,” he says.

Space saving multifunctional unit The weighing and inspection specialist OCS Checkweighers introduced a world first at this year's IFFA exhibit – a combination X-ray detector and optical product controls.

Model SC-V combines the proven top quality x-ray technology from OCS with additional optical control systems in one space saving unit. This enables a scanner, in addition to the proven and reliable foreign body detection, to record barcodes, nutritional values, or expiration dates from multiple directions. Both inspection units are easily and conveniently controlled via one single HMI. The integration of both quality control aspects in one stainless steel, uncurtained variant represents the latest pioneering contribution by OCS Checkweighers in a compact design.

Give your burgers some variety Indasia showed at its IFFA stand how burger makers can give consumers some tasty variations by using spices. This means you can make burgers with specific country flavors, i.e., giving your burgers an Indian taste. In addition, Indasia showed off its selection of spices for sausages.

Founded in 1949, Indasia is known for producing high-quality spices and ingredients, that way enriches several dishes each day.

Indasia has always attached great importance to comprehensive, on-demand consulting, and service quality.

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www.meatpacking.info

IFFA

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Demand by consumers transforms industry Automation, individualization, safety, hygiene, and energy efficiency were the main topics of Bizerba’s presence at this year’s IFFA. The company, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, demonstrated software and machines impacting the entire value chain from production to the retail store. In two show kitchens, Bizerba illustrates how meat processing in industrial companies and craft businesses is transformed by the demand for individualized food.

Industry 4.0 becomes more and more important in food production. Using a miniature model presented at IFFA, Bizerba demonstrated the process steps in meat processing operations that can benefit from new working methods and technologies— from goods delivery and initial weighing to software-based batch identification and tracing, to weight control before and after packaging.

These processes are increasingly automated. Connected machines also play a pivotal role for packaging, labeling, filling-weight checking and the final inspection for contaminants or faulty seal seams, and their improved communication capabilities lead to better effectiveness, quality and production flexibility.

To increase the effectiveness of their production flows, companies can evaluate the data of specific process steps in order to draw

conclusions about the processing operation. Using the BRAIN2 industrial software it is now possible to analyze the overall equipment effectiveness including performance, quality and availability.

Labels and consumables, which play an important role in industrial companies and craft businesses, were in the center of Bizerba’s booth. The company can produce high-quality labels in small batches or large volumes for industrial use. Products range from specialized papers and films with thermo-reactive materials to linerless labels without carrier material.

Integrating labeling and software Nowadays the connection of weigh price labeling and inspection machines to the internal ERP system is inalienable for most of the production plants, says Espera, which adds that a high level of flexibility and integration between these systems comes from using its Esprom NG software.

Via three different integration levels the connection of the machine infrastructure to the internal ERP system is realized upon the requirements of the plant. The basic integration level realizes a temporary interface to the ERP system. In this way, product information data are transmitted on-demand, directly to the machines. The medium and highest integration level transfer relevant product information data as well as order data continuously by a real-time connection in between the local ERP system and the machines. With this solution the operator can run the process always with the latest data. Esprom NG is fully compatible with all on the market available software applications.

Beside an optimal software-integration also the visualization of

Hajek’s new thermoform German companies GPS Reisacher and Hajek shared a booth at IFFA, presenting end-to-end solutions throughout the entire value-added chain.

The VSM 30 thermoform packaging machine is a new

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production process capacities and bottlenecks are more and more a hot topic for improving the productivity - with the allover target to reach the highest level of machine efficiency.

development from Hajek. The outstanding features of the VSM 30 are its built-in hygiene, user-friendliness and ease of maintenance. The modular design of the machine is an advantage in that the VSM 30 can be supplied for use with soft, semi-rigid and skin film up to a maximum width of 560 mm and a cut-off length of up to 600 mm.

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Time to reassess your cold chain You produce a quality product but does the buyer see this quality or something much less when your meat/poultry finally arrives? While it is too easy to say that the majority of the shipping process is out of your control, the reality is it’s not. If you want happy customers, then it starts with training your staff. Holly Mockus, product line manager for Alchemy Systems, explores

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he old saying about a chain being only as strong as the weakest link certainly has some truth to it. The transportation of meat and poultry products requires a special, unbroken handling chain to ensure the safety of those products – a 'cold chain'. The linkage between each individual handler/stakeholder in this particular chain must be unbroken, with each handler consciously www.meatpacking.info

alchemy systems

Cold chains depend on all workers understanding their role

maintaining prescribed temperatures at every juncture. A strong-as-steel cold chain requires ongoing assessment and interactive communication between all transportation stakeholders. Necessary equipment, sanitary design, structured training, and proper logistics all play crucial roles.

When determining methods for transporting meat and poultry products, the first requirement is that equipment must have fully functioning refrigeration capabilities. Precooling is an absolute necessity during most months of the year. Shippers July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 61

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alchemy systems

Do the drivers transporting your product understand its transport requirements?

must provide temperature ranges and protocols in writing. Carriers can then reinforce their link in the chain using these protocols and adequately manage food safety risks.

Sanitary design and conditions are also major considerations. Nothing causes headaches quicker than having a trailer show up at the dock with holes in the roof, exposed insulation, a malfunctioning refrigeration unit, debris from a previous load, signs of insect or rodent infestation, broken glass, or any one of a number of issues that may arise with sanitation and equipment design.

Carriers must have vigorous procedures in place to ensure transportation equipment is cleaned, maintained, stored, and functioning properly to mitigate cold chain food safety issues. Shippers should always ask to review carrier procedures and records. It is imperative that all stakeholders be able to show proof of compliance to keep the cold chain intact.

Product staged for shipping on a refrigerated dock allows for a slightly more forgiving pre-stage process. But when the dock is not refrigerated for meat and poultry products, the time spent outside of temperature controlled conditions must be kept to an absolute minimum. Pre-stage procedures should include specific guidelines and procedures for time and temperature monitoring, especially if product is to be held outside of required temperatures.

Consistent reassessment of these practices due to product mix, seasonality, packaging, and time of year is an industry leading practice. Documentation of the amount of time any product spends outside of required temperature will keep food safety top of mind for handlers while maintaining historical records of product handling when evaluating the cold chain.

Training is the most cost-effective, proactive investment a cold transporter can make. Train all 62 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

warehouse and loading personnel on food safety requirements. Frontline workers must know what to look for, how to document, and what procedures to follow if requirements are not met. Unsanitary loading and transportation equipment will almost always result in rejection by the receiver, leading to product return, re-inspection, reloading, or possibly even disposal of the product. This type of situation is obviously detrimental to meat and poultry products with short shelf lives and equally obviously entails increased cost due to delays, additional handling, or disposal. Knowledgeable, well-trained warehouse personnel and loaders who unfailingly conduct thorough trailer inspections is key to a strong cold chain. According to Dr. Donna Garren, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at American Frozen Foods Institute, “Many of today’s refrigerated and frozen food companies put stringent processes in place in order to achieve high levels of food safety standards. This includes having a robust training program.” The investment in a well-trained frontline workforce will pay off in the not-so-long run by dramatically cutting waste and saving the expense of delays and extra handling.

Although not specific to the cold chain, pallet quality and condition is critical for food transportation. The condition and integrity of pallets is becoming a larger focus for shippers, loaders, carriers, and receivers throughout the food industry—not to mention customers and regulators.

Pallets stored outside can harbor insects and other pests. If necessity requires outside storage, procedures must be in place for cleaning and inspection of these pallets prior to use.

Both wooden and plastic pallets must be strong enough to support the weight of the product they are conveying, and they must be maintained in good condition. Pallets splintered from fork lift damage or missing stringers will inevitably result in damage to the product. Damaged pallets can www.meatpacking.info

Extreme temperatures can make pallet loads unsaleable

result in foreign material contamination from wood particles, nails, and/or splinters. Product exposed to the environment in transit is typically rendered unsaleable. Pallet suppliers must also have a clear understanding of their role in keeping the food supply chain safe.

Forklift drivers and operators of other rolling stock must also be held accountable for handling product in a manner that minimizes risk of damage to both product and pallets. Excessive speed and carelessness is not only dangerous to the operator and to other employees, but it can take a chunk out of the bottom line when product is lost. Training on loss prevention techniques as well as safe driving are invaluable. Gentle handling may take a few more minutes, but it will ultimately result in less damage and loss. Training that is reinforced and employees who are recognized for exemplary performance will strengthen the cold chain as well as the food safety culture in general.

Once product is loaded, the responsibility for ensuring the cold chain is strong and intact lies with the truck driver. By driving safely and following all transportation regulations, drivers can ensure that sensitive products get from point A to point B unadulterated and on time. Drivers must now have a basic understanding of food safety principles as it applies to cold chain products.

Laura McMillan, Vice President of Training at Instructional Technologies Inc. (ITI) suggests, "An efficient approach is to assign drivers an online training lesson providing the essentials on maintaining the integrity of the cold chain.

Consider ITI and Alchemy where you’ll find over www.meatpacking.info

70 online courses. Following the online lesson, a hands-on session with drivers to review equipment and temperature control requirements will reinforce the concepts.”

Bottom line – don’t leave drivers in the cold.

Provide them with the knowledge and procedures needed to do their jobs well in maintaining proper cold chain controls for sensitive meat and poultry products.

In general, the receiving process has always included robust cold chain procedures. Receivers are typically sensitive to ensuring that meat and poultry products received are in good condition for financial reasons. Typical inspection procedures look for sealed trailers, product integrity, container damage, proper labeling, trailer condition, and signs of temperature abuse. In the United States the new Sanitary Transport Rule recently finalized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes requirements covering products that need temperature control for safety. Full documentation will be a ‘must-have’ to demonstrate that each link in the cold chain was strong and effective.

Strong cold chains require strong links through stakeholder communication and interaction, robust (and fully implemented) procedures, well-trained and knowledgeable employees who receive consistent reinforcement, and complete documentation. Cold chain food safety is not just about making sure the refrigeration unit is turned on before meat or poultry products leave your facility. There can’t be any breaks in the chain.

Don’t let your operation be the weakest link.

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LOGI S TI C S

I

t’s 17 October, 1989, 5pm local time, and the two San Francisco Bay Area baseball teams are getting ready to play Game Three of the World Series. Over 62,000 fans are seated in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, and millions more around the Bay Area are at home or in bars to watch the Oakland Athletics battle the San Francisco Giants. Traffic – for once – is light and this will be a saving grace.

Four minutes later and a severe 6.9 earthquake strikes. In Oakland an elevated freeway system collapses on top of cars killing 42 – out of the total 63 dead and nearly 5,000 injured. A section of the Oakland Bay Bridge falls onto the lower deck, closing the bridge for a month, and thousands of homes and commercial buildings are damaged.

You’re brought in to help with the clean-up and one thing strikes you right away; for a major metropolitan area built right on top of the San

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Andreas fault system, few seem prepared – or even willing to accept it could happen. Those companies that did have a disaster plan focused mostly on keeping employees safe during the actual quake – and rightly so – but not how to keep their business operational during weeks of broken infrastructure.

While the Loma Prieta earthquake took place nearly 30-years ago, natural disasters happen on a regular basis by the hundreds each year throughout the world. Each time businesses are left wishing they had spent more time in preparing a disaster plan and doing all they could have done to lessen damage.

What makes creating such a plan even tougher for the meat/poultry industry is that your customers can be located thousands of miles away from your processing plant: a lot can go wrong in a thousand miles. However, the time spent in creating a practical plan could prove invaluable to your company’s survival. www.meatpacking.info

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Keep product moving in the face of disaster Natural disasters happen every year and throughout the world but each time they occur; businesses seem ill prepared. Have you thought how your logistics chain can keep working if the world around you is shaking, flooding, or burning? MPJ reports

Engineering and construction firm, Stellar has written extensively about emergency response.

Below, we review their experts’ recommendations, found on its food industry blog, Food for Thought.

three ps of preparation

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lanning for a natural disaster has to be strategic and should include partners from your local emergency response teams, vendors, and designated employees. Your emergency response plan should begin with the three P’s: Plan: A generic emergency response plan is not sufficient. Your plan must be specific to your location and your product. Begin by looking at what natural disasters are likely to occur in your region of the country, whether it’s a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, fire or flood. Then, examine www.meatpacking.info

the possible implications of that disaster not only on your physical building, but on your product and its supply and transport chain, as well. Chart out what areas of your plant will be impacted by a power outage, what processes may shut down due to the loss of rooftop equipment and what key areas should be protected from water damage.

The purpose of an emergency response plan is to protect your assets—especially your employees.

It’s important to appoint a response team who understands all of your plant’s systems and how those systems can be safely shut down in the event of a disaster.

In case of a fire, how will you secure your ammonia or refrigeration systems to prevent a release? Who will be responsible for safely engaging the system shutdown and shutoff valve? What’s your plan to evacuate the building immediately and efficiently? How will you account for all employees?

Industry groups and government regulatory July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 65

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Damage from natural disasters can be minimized by planning

agencies are a great resource and provide requirements and recommendations your plant can follow in developing a plan.

Partner: Identify local partners who can quickly respond to your specific needs based on the natural disasters probable in your region.

If you lose power, don’t rely solely on the local power company for restoration. Remember, they must serve the needs of the entire community. Have your own plan in place with partners and your local utility.

Build your own response team by reaching out to local partners and vendors. Choose partners who have the knowledge base, expertise, and network of suppliers who can respond quickly with necessary parts and equipment.

Know where you can obtain industrial generators and how they will be transported to your facility.

Identify equipment suppliers who can quickly replace lost rooftop equipment necessary for production. You should also have construction partners who can readily obtain materials and repair any building damage.

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The collapse of the Oakland Bay Bridge in 1989 led to massive road disruption

Prioritize: Following a natural disaster, you’ll need to prioritize which areas of your facility need attention first.

Do freezers need to be restored ASAP to avoid loss of product? For example, poultry plants may rely on automatic feeding systems that need to be restored to protect the supply chain. Don’t discount the need to get utilities restored quickly to heat water for sanitation.

One important step that many plants neglect is keeping copies of your emergency plan and contact information for all partners off-site.

Chances are, you won’t be able to return to the building to access this information. Ensure you have this response information stored off-site and in smartphones.

Determining which emergency plan is right for your plant Food processing plants can do everything within their power to prevent an ammonia leak, from conducting proper maintenance and inspections to having the appropriate safety systems in place such as alarms, shutoffs and overrides. www.meatpacking.info

stellar

joe lewis

LOG i s t i cs

However, accidental leaks and spills can occur, so it’s important to prepare your facility with an emergency response plan.

Emergency response plans are not only required by regulatory agencies, but serve to protect the plant and its employees. But the plan is only effective if every employee is included in the plan, understands his or her role and can properly implement the plan when needed.

For example, each department should have a preferred means of reporting – who is authorized to pull the alarm, who can shut down the production lines, who will pull the ammonia shut-off switch?

These lines of authority are crucial to implementing the plan in an emergency.

five step emergency response

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ou’ve conducted the required emergency response training with your employees — but are they truly prepared for an incident? Recognizing that government-mandated training is often not enough, many food processing safety managers are going above and beyond mandated requirements and are customizing training to ensure employees are prepared for a range of unexpected scenarios.

Below are five key steps you can take to ensure your employees are prepared for any emergency: One: Identify leaders among your employees who have the authority and skills to direct others during an emergency. Emergency leaders should be high-performing employees who are confident and adequately cross-trained across your divisions.

Two: Use interactive training methods to ensure your employees truly absorb the information.

Employees can benefit from a variety of teaching methods, including instructor-led and online, selfpaced training. They can also attend safety classes at a local university.

Three: Incorporate unexpected situations into drills to prevent employees from simply going through the motions and note how they will react.

Host debriefings afterward to discuss what worked and how the response could be more effective.

Solicit ideas and input from your team.

Four: Ensure access to safety equipment— something critical to emergency response. Again, plan for the unexpected. Can employees easily locate and access emergency equipment in the dark? Is it accessible along evacuation routes? Does your safety supply include face shields, respirators, safety glasses, hard hats, earplugs and personal protective equipment for each employee? Do you audit your supply to ensure the personal protective equipment will be available when needed?

Five: Engage partners as part of your plant’s training program, as they’ll most likely be onsite immediately following an emergency. www.meatpacking.info

Invite first responders from your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) as well as vendors and service providers to participate in drills and safety meetings.

Earthquake building rating

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n November 2015, the United States Resiliency Council (USRC) launched the USRC Earthquake Building Rating System: a first-ofits-kind performance rating system for seismic hazards. This system is the first reliable, consistent method to determine how susceptible buildings may be to earthquakes, providing facility owners, insurance providers, and engineers with a better understanding of how to prevent losses.

The USRC’s rating system allows food processors who own or plan to own properties in states susceptible to earthquakes, such as California, Nevada, and Washington, to obtain reliable, consistent information about a building’s expected performance during an earthquake. As a result, they can mitigate losses and downtime due to earthquakes, which is crucial in the food processing industry.

The basis for these ratings was determined using decades of research and data collection on factors like Ground shaking intensity expected to occur an average of once every 475 years Frequency of seismic activity in the area The distance from the epicenter of the earthquake to the building The USRC’s rating system is based on three performance measures: One: Safety - The safety rating concerns personnel inside the building and the potential life loss that could result from an earthquake.

Two: Damage - The damage rating illustrates the estimated cost to repair the building after an event as a percentage of the building’s overall replacement cost.

Three: Recovery - The recovery rating considers the estimated time until the building may be used for basic functions after an earthquake.

The USRC plans on expanding its resilience rating systems to include other natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.

More information can be found on Stellar’s food industry blog, Food for Thought, stellarfoodforthought.net. Stellar is a fully integrated design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm that provides the industry’s most comprehensive range of self-performed services, including planning, design, preconstruction, construction, refrigeration, mechanical and utility, building envelope, and total operations and maintenance services. Visit Stellar’s website at stellar.net.

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logistics Easy to stack While Icelandic Sæplast containers and pallets are extremely well known in the fishing and aquaculture industry, the worldwide company is not as well known in the meat and poultry. This the company is hoping to overcome after being at both IPPE and IFFA this year.

Primarily, Sæplast focuses in the seafood and protein industries working with customers to ensure a ‘Food Safety Peace of Mind’.

It carries two lines of containers, the Sæplast PUR containers which are designed for temperature control and the Sæplast PE containers which the company claims are the most rugged and hygienic plastic containers in the market today. All Sæplast containers are manufactured using 100% food grade polyethylene (PE). Due to the one-piece Sæplast design, its containers are easy to clean, maintain, and repair.

Sæplast containers have been used in distribution centers for many years for safe transportation to grocery stores. Each container can be labelled for a specific store and many packaged items, either boxed or bagged, can be put into the container. An optional lid can be put onto the box in order to contain the items inside and provide

security.

The containers have a built in pallet base and the containers are available in multiple heights that help with ergonomics. Due to the one-piece construction there is no need for wood or plastic pallets or excessive pallet wrapping, so savings can be seen quickly.

Finally, where equipment exists, multiple boxes can be stacked safely with or without lids in order to free up floor space.This software allows the measurement data collected by the data logger to be analyzed in real time.

Determine container weights by pallets Amendments to the SOLAS regulations require that as of July 2016 the Verified Gross Mass (VGA) of containers must be made known to the carrier before loading them onto a ship.

Determining the container weight can be done by either weighing the packed containers or by weighing the individual items in the container. In what sounds like the fastest and easiest way of abiding by SOLAS requirements is through attaching Ravas’ iForks onto your forklift. This way every pallet lifted is immediately weighed, without taking the goods out of the process.

Then, using the Ravas SOLAS App, total container weights are easily computed and communicated with all stakeholders in the supply chain, including the carrier company. iForks is the successful wireless mobile scale for forklift trucks from Ravas. With iForks on the truck, every load lifted is immediately weighed. iForks provide a highly accurate weight read-out in 1 kg steps on a display in the cabin, and are available in legal for trade version OIML III. Extended scale functions include registering of ID codes with every weight recorded. iForks also communicates bi-directionally with WMS or ERP systems, via Bluetooth or Wifi connection. They can be installed on any counterbalanced or reach truck in a matter of minutes.

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For efficient computing of container weights, Ravasoffers its SOLAS App. The App can be installed on a PDA, iPad or iPhone.

After identifying the container by its number and registering its tare weight, the App allows the user to identify individual pallets or shipments and register their weight, communicated by iForks.

Total container weight is computed and registered on the PDA, and can be downloaded to a PC via USB cable as a CSV file. If the App is used on an iPad or iPhone, the information can be e-mailed to the shipping line straight from the App. Ravas is the leading manufacturer of mobile weighing systems worldwide. Its products can be found under many different OEM liveries and private labels, as well as under the RAVAS brand. In 2013 RAVAS produced 27.000 mobile weighing systems distributed throughout the world.

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Avoid losses in cold chain The concept of an uninterrupted cold chain in the food industry consists of two main pillars which are transport and storage.

Perishable foods must be carried from the place of production, i. e. farm, food producer’s site, etc., to the sales location which is a market or supermarket on most occasions, and to the consumer.

During the complete transportation process, the food must be refrigerated to make sure no dangerous germs and bacteria evolve as these can cause the consumer serious health problems. Also, proper refrigeration ensures stable food quality and a long shelf life.

Ensuring an uninterrupted cold chain might be a challenging and, in some cases, costly task but is definitely one of the most crucial requirements when it comes to food quality. One of the challenges is the continuous monitoring of the temperature in vehicles for refrigerated transport, cool boxes, refrigerated warehouses and fridges. However, there is a relatively easy solution to this issue, says PCE Instruments, and that’s by using a data logger.

A data logger is an electronic device that stores data. PCE Instruments’ data logger products are digital processor-controlled storage devices that capture and record measurement data over time using built-in or external sensors. They are compact and are very easy to use, giving reliable and accurate measurement results provided that a high-quality meter has been selected. Some data

logging instruments can be mounted to walls, etc. for continuous measurement of the air temperature and relative humidity, e. g. in refrigerated warehouses where the food quality is highly dependent on the environmental conditions.

Each data logger is usually battery operated, equipped with large internal storage for up to 2,000,000 readings, and possesses an RS 232 interface for data transfer to a computer. Some data loggers have a slot for an SD memory card. In these data logging devices, data is saved as a Microsoft Excel-compatible .xls file, allowing for quick and easy data transfer from the SD card to a computer for tabular analysis and graphing. PCE Instruments also offers Windows-based software for a number of data logger devices.

This software allows the measurement data collected by the data logger to be analyzed in real time.

Corrugated stacks up in meat industry Innovation and versatility make corrugated packaging a tried and tested transit solution for many brand owners and food manufacturers, and now the UK Corrugated Industry is confirming its position as a viable contender in the meat sector.

One of Europe’s leading food processing companies has transformed the distribution of its meat products by adopting an automated corrugated packaging solution that was originally the industry standard for shipping fresh fruit and vegetables.

Acting on an initiative from one of its corrugated suppliers, Dawn Meats, whose beef and lamb products go into leading retail and food service sectors in 40 countries, switched from manually assembling standard base trays and separate pre-printed lids, to a turnkey solution supported by an automated tray erecting system at three production sites in Ireland.

“Although machine erected corrugated transit packaging trays are well-established in the fresh fruit and vegetables sector, this is a novel application of the technology for meat products,” says Andy Barnetson, Director of Packaging Affairs at the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI).

The automated solution saves time and resources by delivering ready-to-fill trays rather than bundles of flat packaging that have to be manually opened and erected prior to the filling stage, meaning that staff can be redeployed on more productive tasks.

Dawn Meats’ Group Operations Manager, Philip Talon, says: “As

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well as the reduction in costs, one obvious advantage is an almost total elimination of the risk of damage in transit. The uniformity in construction we’re now assured of is enabling us to pelletize more efficiently.” It’s not just the distribution of beef and lamb products that is being transformed by corrugated’s adaptability. The UK’s leading producer of pork products for the retail and food service sectors needed a packaging redesign after being awarded a multimillion-pound contract to supply the China market.

Tulip Ltd, part of the Danish Crown Group, supplies fresh pork, bacon, sausages, gammon, cooked and canned meats as well as savory products. The company required a solution that could withstand the rigors of a lengthy sea journey to the Far East and an often indefinite period in storage post disembarkation.

Following a thorough supply chain review in close consultation with Tulip’s transit packaging supplier, a high-performance corrugated solution – designed to ensure appropriate levels of water resistance during and after the freezing process – was successfully developed within six weeks.

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UK celebrity-backed campaign falls short A

new campaign launched by the UK animal rights group ‘Farms not Factories’ does not seem to be drawing the publicity it had hoped for, due in part to the general public suffering from celebrity burn-out.

Since the beginning of the year UK celebrities have been promoting heavily why the the BBC’s high salaries should continue, why the UK should stay in the EU, and why more Syrian and other refugees should be allowed into the UK. Indeed, some have even harangued their audiences after West End shows, expressing political views and distain on anyone walking out before their rant is over.

The ‘Turn Your Nose Up’ campaign highlights pig farms – factories – which Farms not Factories claim are “cramming pigs into such horrendous conditions that they need to be routinely dosed with antibiotics just to keep them alive”.

To help raise awareness of the campaign and encourage people to only buy high-welfare pork, the video asks the public to show their support by posting a selfie turning their nose up on social media with the hashtag #TurnYourNoseUp, using the example of numerous celebrities who were eager to lend their noses to the campaign.

Aristocrat's wife Tracy Worcester, founder of Farms Not Factories,

says: “Our message is simple: we want to help bring an end to this dangerous, inhumane system and encourage the public to only buy pork from high-welfare farms. Vote for real farming over factory farming by buying pork with the labels RSPCA Assured, Outdoor Bred, Free Range or best of all, organic.”

Lady Worcester, daughter-in-law of the Duke of Beaufort from the Badminton Estate in south Gloucestershire [sorry but we're not making this up] is having her campaign supported by Friends of the Earth, Antibiotic Action, and Alliance to Save our Antibiotics.

Bacon sign causes offense

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regional Australian butcher has apologized for a sign outside his meat shop saying eating two slices of bacon for breakfast reduced your chance of becoming a suicide bomber by 100 percent.

The sign was picked up by the

Narooma Times in Narooma, New South Wales, where the Rapley’s Midtown Quality Meat is located.

Jeff Rapley, owner and butcher of the store, told the Narooma Times no offence was intended and that it hadn’t mentioned any particular race. “I’m definitely not a racist and

didn’t mean for it to cause offence,” he says.

The incident has since extended across multiple media sites in Australia, and reached the UK, with British publication The Telegraph dedicating an article to it.

McDonald’s begins fresh beef trial

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he world’s largest hamburger chain is starting to get fresh with its beef in a trial in Dallas, Texas, where 14 of its restaurants will be selling burgers made with fresh beef, not frozen.

The fresh-beef trial in Dallas is limited to the patties on the chain’s quarter-pounder burg-

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ers. Company spokeswoman Lisa McComb said it was “premature” to draw any conclusions from this test.

Over the last few years, McDonald’s has lost ground to smaller rivals such as In-N-Out and Shake Shack, which boasts fresher ingredients and appeal to an increasingly health-con-

scious consumer base.

To counter this threat, McDonald’s has introduced healthier options, such as breakfast bowls with egg whites, kale and turkey sausage, and an allday breakfast menu, which the company credits with boosting first-quarter same-store sales 5.4% over last year's.

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M a rk e t in g

Chick-fil-A app setting records

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Chick-fil-a

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ore than one million US customers have joined Chick-fil-A One, the restaurant company’s new app that allows customers to customize their orders, pay in advance, and skip the line at the register.

The surge quickly boosted Chickfil-A One to the number one spot in the iTunes App Store only a few hours after the app was announced on 1 June. It remained in the top position for free apps for days, with six registrations taking place every second. Chick-fil-A One has also been installed on more than 450,000 Android devices since the launch.

“The app was developed based on customer feedback, so it’s especially rewarding to see the interest around Chick-fil-A One,” says Michael Lage, senior manager of digital experience for Chick-fil-A. What helped drive these numbers was the company giving any customer who downloaded the app during a set period in June a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich.

Chick-fil-A One, which replaces the restaurant chain’s previous app, features a membership program that will “surprise customers with their favorite food for free, based on their preferences and previous orders”, says the company. As users order or purchase through Chick-fil-A One, they get closer to their next free offering and can track their progress in the app.

Chick-fil-A launched the first version of its app in 2012. The company began piloting mobile ordering in 2013. All Chick-fil-A One users also have full access to the app’s other features, including nutrition and allergen information and a restaurant locator.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in

1964 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,000 restaurants in 43 states and Washington, D.C. Chick-fil-A system sales exceeded $6 billion in 2015, which marks 48 consecutive years of sales growth.

It ranked first for customer satisfaction in the Limited Service Restaurants industry according to the 2015 American Customer Satisfaction Index and received the highest ACSI score ever in the industry.

However, the company is not

without its controversies.

In 2012 Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy came out against gay marriage and in support of the “biblical definition of the family unit”.

Gay rights activists staged protests at locations around the country – including kiss-in’s – and some even called for a boycott of the brand.

However, these protests inspired backlash from more conservative customers. Soon after the height of the controversy, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee dubbed (via a Facebook posting) August 1 Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, leading to record sales throughout the chain.

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we at her

USA extremes While the upper Midwest states in the USA experienced a late spring frost which damaged some corn, California’s Central Valley region saw temperatures hitting just shy of 100 deg F (38C) during the same time frame. This will cause an early melt-off of the Sierra Nevada snowpack which is the last thing the state needs as it recovers from a record drought. Cattle ranchers, however, in Texas and Oklahoma are experiencing very favorable pasture and range conditions.

world in

Baseball-sized hail US corn growers in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois are assessing their damage after hail storms ravaged the area, with hail ranging in size from a small marble to baseball size. In Oklahoma, corn is far enough along in the growing process that replanting might not be an option, no matter how severe the damage.

Farmers in Missouri might see less severed yield losses since their plants were generally smaller. Many in hail-stricken areas took to Twitter to share what they were seeing. In some photos, the hail balls completely covered a person’s palm.

Fields flooded Inundating rain flooded corn and soybean fields in central Argentina, disrupting harvesting and reportedly resulting in losses to unharvested summer crops. In contrast, unseasonable dryness persisted in central Brazil, reducing moisture for normal development of second-crop corn.

72 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

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we at her

weather Africa emergency The governments of Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland have declared states of emergency, and massive crop losses have caused food prices to explode in South Africa. Particularly hard stricken are the countries in the southern part of the continent as well as around the Horn of Africa, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and especially Ethiopia. Nomads are either having to sell their cattle – at greatly reduced prices – or watch them die.

Meteorologists believe the natural disaster is linked to El Niño.

Heatwave deaths Soaring temperatures in India have broken records reaching just shy of 124 deg F (51 deg C). The persistent drought and searing temperatures have caused deaths, crop failures, water shortages, and excessive debt, prompting hundreds of rural families to flee small farms and take shelter in cities. As much as onequarter of the country — 330 million people — could be affected by the water shortages, the government has said. After two or three successive drought seasons, taps have run dry in many farming areas, causing panic and forcing officials to deploy security forces to guard some reservoirs.

Locust worsens

Ever optimistic Despite farmers in South Africa needing as much as $1.1 billion in feed subsidizes and grants to see them through to next March, around 70 percent of growers are confident about increasing investment in their companies. South Africa, which produces around a fifth of the continent’s meat and corn, has been suffering the worse drought since records began in 1904, damaging crops and herds and raising food prices. There are around 35,000 commercial farmers in the country, with at least 2,000 in severe financial distress. In South Africa yellow corn is used as animal feed – with much coming from the USA – while white corn is used to make a staple porridge. Farmers able to produce white corn will make a lot of money, says Omri van Zyl, the CEO of a farmers’ lobby group. www.meatpacking.info

The Desert Locust situation has worsened in Yemen as adult groups and a few small swarms formed on the southern coast in early April and moved into the interior where widespread rains led to rapid maturation and egg laying. The extent and scale of the current breeding are not well known due to the difficulties of undertaking surveys in the interior of Yemen. However, infestations are likely to be scattered throughout a large, remote and insecure area where control operations cannot be easily carried out.

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 73

P ro d u c t s

product news Line monitoring control panel Cantrell has developed a Line Monitoring Control Panel that tracks vital information for a processing plant’s picking and evisceration overhead conveyor systems. The system can be fully customized for each individual plant’s needs.

The Panel monitors up to 16 individual stop circuits per line for picking and evisceration overhead lines. It can check up to four evisceration lines and up to two picking lines for a total of 96 monitored points.

The maintenance screens allow individual monitoring of inputs/ outputs (I/O) on the controller. By naming each station, operators can easily identify what each output or input relates to on the plant floor. On the evisceration lines, the system conserves water by allowing the turning on and off of water valves to be staggered.

Plump birds naturally GPI (Gum Products International) of Canada offers an extensive variety of carrageenan blends for all types of poultry products; from frozen chicken to fried chicken wings. Across the board, they bind free water and moisture, which increases pre-cook and post-yield with excellent texture. They eliminate gel packets and striping formation, and extend shelf life by reducing purge storage.

Fresh whole chicken, breast or leg quarters can be enhanced with the injection of a marinade made from carrageenan and without the use of phosphates. This permits the “All Natural” labeling where allowed by regulation. Significant cost savings and improved consumer sensory scores can be simultaneously achieved. Specific types of carrageenan blends have functional properties for specialized poultry formulations and processes such as low-sodium poultry products, retorted chicken, and low shear brine-mixing operations.

Feed belt vacuum chamber Using patent-pending technology, ULMA has developed a simple but brilliant solution for in its Flow-Vac equipment to automate the feeding of a belt vacuum chamber on both sealing bars, says the company. Packages are sealed only on one end and prepared to be transferred to the buffering belt of the vacuum chamber with the open end facing both seal bars on the vacuum chamber.

A 90 degree transfer system pairs the packages to the buffering belt of the vacuum chamber so that both seal bars can be utilized.

If the products are not small enough to be paired, an auto-detect system will load the product as a single item. This automated system increases productivity and reduces labor costs. The packaging system is ideal for the meat industry, says Ulma.

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p ro d u c t

Contaminant-free meat German company Sesotec GmbH has launched its new Varicon+ and Unicon+ metal detection systems with its new Intuity metal detector and newly designed Raycon D product inspection system.

With multi-simultaneous-frequency technology Intuity reaches a scanning sensitivity that is up to 50 percent higher than in other systems on the market. Since this coil operates with multiple frequencies in parallel, highest product purity is ensured also in demanding applications with a high product effect.

With the Varicon+ and Unicon+ metal detection systems both packed products and meat that is transported in E1/E2 boxes (fresh or frozen) can be inspected for accidental metal contaminations. The systems even detect smallest metal particles in products and thus ensure that meat and sausage products are free from metallic contaminations.

Super strong boxes Strong as they come and easy to move. Material containers from US-based MH Boxes are the strongest in the country with options to make them tougher, more efficient, and personalized to your business.

ArmorBins: Specially designed to stack two high and densest smoothly with a seamless lip keeping contents from sticking near the top. They're engineered to resist wear on pallets and forklifts, and an optional color resin boosts their strength by 50%.

ArcticBins: Constructed with polyethylene and insulated with polyurethane, all approved by the USDA, FDA, CFIA, and Health Canada, with an architecture designed to stack neatly and deflect forks on impact.

All containers can be equipped with RFID chip systems and customized with a company's branding and colors.

Tray sealer for deep packs Heat sealing specialists Proseal has launched the world’s first semi-automatic tray sealer for skin deep packs.

The new Proseal GTR-E is able to seal products that sit up to 100mm above the edge of the tray, making it ideal for large pieces of meat and joints. As with all types of skin packs, the film wraps tightly around the meat to extend the shelf life of the product without the need for gas flushing, and provides enhanced presentation.

This new model also incorporates Proseal’s innovative, in-house developed E-seal technology, a high precision, high force electric seal system that creates a very tight and reliable seal each time, while reducing compressed air usage by over 90 percent, thus delivering important energy and cost savings.

www.meatpacking.info

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 75

B ac k page

Q& Brian Bianchetti A rian Bianchetti of Los Angele’s People’s Choice Beef Jerky is the fourth generation of his family to make jerky.

Embracing America’s foundagain love for the high protein snack, the southern Californian is at the right place, time, and business to ride the wave. MPJ found time to catch up with Brian when was wasn’t too busy eating the profits.

B

base. Mainstream media heralds the explosion of dried meat snacks with articles peppered with sensationalist headlines: “The Hottest Snack in America Right Now,” “Protein Popularity: Meat Snacks Poised for Growth,” “The Jerky Revolution.”

The Hershey Company’s recent purchase of industry firm Krave Pure Foods for a reported $300 million dollars serves as the ultimate validation – signaling opportunity for economic profit and still nascent potential. Put simply, we are living in a jerky renaissance.

Your great grandfather and People’s was known for sausage. At what point was the decision made to go solely with beef jerky?

Quite a few of the new jerky companies say that they are making artisanal jerky – you included.

What makes jerky fall into this category?

While People’s Choice Beef Jerky boasts a rich heritage in the production of a variety of meat products, the specialization in dried meat snacks can be directly traced to a more recent shift. When started in 1929 by John Bianchetti (my greatgrandfather), it served as a neighborhood butcher shop, producing and distributing meats such as sausage, chorizo, and beef jerky to local. Under my grandfather, Paul Bianchetti, the scope of the business expanded to the restaurant trade with a focus on wholesale supply and distribution. But my dad, Mark Bianchetti, over the last 15 years or so noticed the market was changing and we had to do something – the writing was on the wall. He says some friends told him about the explosion of snack foods. People’s made very good large slabs of beef jerky, but we were selling it in bulk packages for market showcases. My dad decided we ought to package it and sell it by the piece, targeting the snack product industry ourselves.

The term ‘artisanal’ certainly has been bandied about quite a bit in recent years. You see some of the industry’s largest firms capitalizing on the growing equity of this, but I think they’re missing the point. To us, the term artisanal is a reflection of our small-batch products and handmade process.

We have been able to retain the handmade element at each step of our process from slicing, marinating, laying, cooking, and packaging

You mentioned a ‘jerky renaissance’ taking place, could you please explain this?

The dried meat snack industry has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years and sales have shot through the roof. New entrants and incumbent firms have embraced these trends to drive category growth through product innovation – introducing new flavors and textures that have expanded the traditional consumer

78 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

In looking at as many jerky review sites I could find, people rate you consistently at a four or five, with mostly fives. Does this surprise you at all?

Yes and no. It does not surprise me because I truly believe in the product that we are putting into the marketplace. We have made great strides to deliver jerky that is nutritious, wholesome and flavorful – all the while staying true to our core identity as a company. First and foremost, I am a consumer of our product and that’s the way we approach our product development. The first question we ask ourselves when developing a new product is: would we buy and consume that product? Only then do we analyze the market potential for it – my Dad makes fun of me saying I eat half our profits.

On the other hand, that statement does surprise me because one of the things that Dad always says and I’ve come to truly believe, is that for a business, and especially a small business, to be successful you cannot be all things to all people. In other words, www.meatpacking.info

People's Choice

b ac k page

there will always be people who do not like your product. Sometimes, we’ll hear that our product is “too dry” or “too tough.” I’ve come to respect this feedback because it serves as confirmation that we are staying true to our mission of delivering an oldfashioned style jerky. We do not add any additives or copious amounts of sugar to sweeten or soften our jerky. We are committed to created a tried and true, honest interpretation of jerky.

Above: Jerky masters Brian (L) and Mark Bianchetti of People's Choice

We utilize our Tasting Kitchen to launch and test new flavors. We will soon be launching our Sweet Chili Habanero, Orange Honey Teriyaki, and Montreal Peppercorn. The size of our firm and production flexibility allows us to take inspiration from the world and develop new recipes. The speed in which we can take a concept and launch it into commerce has increased tremendously and is a source of competitive advantage.

Are online sales taking over conventional?

Do you see People’s expanding?

The growth of our online sales in recent years has been tremendous across both our company e-commerce platform and Amazon. One of the primary advantages of selling all of our products online has been the expansion of the market to the entire United States. We are able to sell and ship product to all 50 US states. Consumers are able to discover, engage with, and purchase our product from the comfort of their very own home or workplace.

I see People’s Choice expanding, but expanding in a thoughtful, controllable, and profitable way. Ultimately, I think the key to our success will be the diligent and strategic stewardship of our management team — my Dad and myself – in pursuing initiatives that fortify competitive advantage while passing on opportunities that do not. This has been the cornerstone of the firm’s success and will continue to guide the firm into the future. As my role in the firm continues to grow as the fourth generation, we will continue our specialization in the dried meat snack space, continuing to explore opportunities of growth.

Do you have a plan to come out with X-amount of new flavors a year? www.meatpacking.info

July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 79

D ire c t o ry

Directory Accles & Shelvoke

Jarvis Products Corporation

Stork Poultry Processing

Services: Slaughter and stunning Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.acclesandshelvoke.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 121 313 4567 Email: info@acclesandshelvoke.co.uk

Services: Processing, Slaughter Species: Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.jarvisproducts.com Tel: +1 860 347 7271 Email: sales@jarvisproducts.com

Banss America

MPS meat processing systems

Services: Food safety and hygiene, Logistics and handling, Processing, Slaughter Species: Pork, Red Meat Region: North America Web: www.banssamerica.com Tel: +1 407 930 3554 Email: gpolitis@banss.de

Services: Slaughter, Processing, Further processing, Weighing and portioning,, Waste treatment, logistics Species: Pork, Red Meat, Region: Worldwide Web: www.mps-group.nl Tel: +31 544 390500 Email: info@mps-group.nl

Services: Further Processing, IT solutions, Labeling and packaging, Logistics and handling, Other services, Processing, Refrigeration, Slaughter, Weighing and portioning Species: Poultry Region: Worldwide Web: www.marel.com/poultry Tel: +31 (0) 485 586 111 Email: info.poultry@marel.com

Dohmeyer Services: Cooling and refrigeration; further processing Species: Pork, Poultry, Red meat, Other Region: Worldwide Web: www.dohmeyer.com Tel: +48 17 788 98 17 Email: info@dohmeyer.com

Multisorb

FRC Systems International

Prime Equipment Group

Services: Waste management Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.frcsystems.com Tel: +1 770 534 3681 Email: info@frcsystems.com

Services: Processing, Slaughter Species: Poultry, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.primeequipmentgroup.com Tel: +1 614 253 8590 Fax: +1 614 253 6966 Email: Sales@PrimeEquipmentGroup.com

Handtmann

Services: Packaging Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.multisorb.com Tel: +1 716 824 8900 Email: info@multisorb.com

Services: Processing, Further processing, Weighing and portioning Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.handtmann.de Tel: +49 7351 45 0 Email: info.machines@handtmann.de

Provisur Technologies

Hyde Industrial Blade Solutions

Reiser

Services: Further Processing, Processing, Slaughter Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.hydeblades.com Tel: +1 (508) 764-4344 Email: sales@hydeblades.com

Services: Further Processing, Labeling and packaging, Processing Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Europe, North America Web: www.reiser.com Tel: +1 614 253 8590 Email: sales@reiser.com

Services: Further Processing, Processing Species: Poultry, Pork, Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.provisur.com Tel: +1 312 204 6042 Email: info@provisur.com

Scott Technology Services: Further Processing, Logistics and handling, Processing, Refrigeration Species: Red Meat Region: Worldwide Web: www.scott.co.nz Tel: +1 614 253 8590 Email: sales@scott.co.nz

Get your company listed in print and online

sales@meatpacking.info

80 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

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e v en t s

2016 6-8 September VIV CHINA 2016 Beijing www.vivchina.nl 5-8 November IRAN MEATEX Tehran www.iranmeatex.com/en 7-9 November GULFOOD MANUFACTURING Dubai www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com 8-9 November WORLD MEAT CONGRESS Punta del Este, Uruguay www.worldmeatcongress2016.com 8-9 November MEAT CHINA 2016 Shanghai www.fhcchina.com com 28-30 November EFFOST International Conference Shanghai www.effostconference.com 5-7 December EAST AFRIPACK 2016 Nairobi www.fppe-ke.com 15-17 March 2017 VIV ASIA 2017 Bangkok www.vivasia.nl 23-25 May VIV RUSSIA Moscow www.vivrussia.nl 06-08 July VIV TURKEY 2017 Istanbul www.vivturkey.com

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July~August 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 81

C O n tac t s

Velo Mitrovich

Rhian Owen

Editorial

Sales

Velo Mitrovich

Jim Robertson

Editor +44 1442 780 591 velo@meatpacking.info

James Chappelow

Technical Editor james@meatpacking.info

Jack Young

Head of Sales +44 1442 780 593 jim@rebymedia.com

Randolf Krings

European Sales +49 611 5324 416 randy@rebymedia.com

Jim Robertson

SUBscriptions Meat Packing Journal is a bimonthly magazine mailed every January, March, May, July, September and November. Subscriptions can be purchased for six or 12 issues. Prices for single issue subscriptions or back issues can be obtained by emailing: subscriptions@meatpacking.info One year: US$49, two year: US$89

Executive

reby media

Jack Young

Reby House

Publisher jack@rebymedia.com

Rhian Owen

Group Editor +44 1442 780 592 rhian@meatpacking.info

42 Crouchfield Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP1 1PA Great Britain info@rebymedia.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

Meat Packing Journal ISSN 2054-4677 is published bimonthly by Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. Subscription records are maintained at Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. Meat Packing Journal and its Editorial Board accept no responsibility for the accuracy of statements or opinion given within the Journal that is not the expressly designated opinion of the Journal or its Editorial Board. Those opinions expressed in areas other than editorial comment may not be taken as being the opinion of the Journal or its staff, and the aforementioned accept no responsibility or liability for actions that arise therefrom.

82 | Meat Packing Journal | July~August 2016

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Editorial advisory board Meat Packing Journal is advised and guided by an editorial advisory board formed of leading professionals and researchers

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