Meat Packing Journal, Sep~Oct 2016, vol 3 iss 5

The international magazine for the meat and poultry industry

MEAT PACKING J O U R N A L

From stun to kill

September~October 2016 volume 3 | issue 5

P.9

P.45

tpp deal depends on lame duck

P.26

customers want real burgers

ISSN 2054-4685

slow grow means slow profits

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C o Mmen t

logo

madness

W

e’ve all seen it. We’re working for a company, it’s struggling, and the board decides to bring in Ace ‘Trouble-shooter’ Jones. The new head calls all of us flunkies in and with bated breath we sit there, waiting to hear the word from above which will keep us employed.

“After reviewing our lack of profit over the past year, I’ve decided that what we really need is a new website.”

Not improving quality, bringing out a new product line, or modernizing the plant, no, what is really needed is a new website. The room is silent except for a hundred jaws hitting the deck and we all think: “And for this she’s paid how many millions?”

Let’s face it, unless you’re Amazon or a company that does 100% of its business online – which I’m at a loss trying to think of any meat company that does except for a few small jerky companies – nobody cares what your website looks like. Chances are, unless there is a real dollar and cents reason for going there, few consumers are ever going to look up your site no matter how many bells and whistles you have.

However, for those companies who wish to push the envelop to the furthest regions of futility, they can change their logo. That’s the concrete steps that Subway and UK turkey giant Bernard Matthews have chosen to do in the face of falling profits.

“We’re on an exciting journey to meet the changing tastes of our guests,” Subway CEO Suzanne Greco said recently. “The Subway brand is recognized throughout the world, and this new look reinforces our commitment to staying fresh and forward-thinking with a design that is clear and confident without losing sight of our heritage.” Right.

Unit count at Subway fell by 145 locations last year and estimated sales per unit have decreased by at least 4.5% each of the past two years, with the chain’s system wide sales falling by more than three percent in 2015, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

“Trust me on this boss, I know we’re doing bad but a new logo, that’s the ticket to success.”

Towards the end of last year, Bernard Matthews decided to drop around £3 million pounds in rebranding its processed turkey products – and this was back when the pound was actually worth something.

“We are delighted…and proud to be revealing a completely new look that is based on what makes Bernard Matthews different and great,” said Rob Burnett, CEO at Bernard Matthews.

For Bernard Matthews this was the third rebrand over the past 10 years but, as its marketing director Rachel Copley said, those other ones were a bit too serious.

Right again. That’s what led to falling profits at Bernard Matthews, those over-seriously looking logos.

Silly me, I thought the reason could have been some pretty horrible products such as its ‘Turkey Twizzlers”

www.meatpacking.info

Editor's choice

B

acteriphages, I admit to never hearing about them until this issue. Now, phages are a solution to a major problem. Page 32 brand – singled out for being one of the worse things UK schools fed kids – or its turkey lunch meats that always leave a strange aftertaste.

Oddly enough, it seems like the New York Yankees don’t change their logo every time they have a bad season, they change the coach or players. Oscar Mayer or Hormel, they pretty much have the same logo since when I was a kid and logos were created in cuneiform on mud tablets. At Hormel I’ve never spoken to anyone who could not describe the taste of its products, and those with families have told me what types of Hormel bacon their kids prefer. Never any mention about a logo.

Some companies such as fast food giant Jack in the Box flip-flops with its logo about as often as the tide changes but, as with its most recent return to ‘Jack’, they also have taken other steps to get people eating at Jacks again such as improving quality – which seems to be working having grown 258% over the past five years.

So does your logo matter? The Wall Street Journal ran an obituary of J. Harwood Cochrane who had died at 103 after running Overnite Express trucking company for most of his life. Cochrane, who left school at 16 to deliver milk after his father died, is credited with creating the modern trucking industry. In the story it mentioned how Cochrane used to spend time on the road with his truckers as well as being in freight terminals to get to know any problems his employees were having and if Overnite was missing any opportunities. There was no mention how much time he spent worrying about logos in developing his $1 billion+ company. If all is going well with your company, then why mess with your logo. And if things are going pear-shape, I wouldn’t put ‘change logo’ at the top of your list. Trust me on this, you’ve got bigger problems.

Velo Mitrovich velo@meatpacking.info @Meat_Packing

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 3

C ONTENT S

c ontent s 50

26

52

16

76

Cover story

16 - Stunning animals in a humane and effective way. A review of what's out there in the stunning industry.

BURGERS 26 - High end burgers are taking off with chains giving customers what they want quality for their money and a genuine taste 38 - A review of some of the latest burger equipment to hit the market 'Old school' 32 - Using old pre-antibiotic technolgy to destroy salmonella in ground meat focus on Chicken 40 - Worldwide demand shows no signs of letting up. It's everyone's favourite 45 - Slow grow is no grow 48 - Better profit from chicken fat 50 - Bell & Eveans new state-of-art processing plant has been built for the future

4 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Product review: Packaging 57 - New split pack fills a huge need technology: Cooking and frying 60 - 7 tips when choosing frying equipment interview: international shipping 68 - Why you should use a global distributor back page: Jayson Lusk 78 - Why Lusk is optimistic about agriculture also in this issue 9 - News 12 - Safety news 72- Marketing news 78 - Product news 81 - Events

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Pacific deal COULD DIE I t was the deal that all the US agriculture community was hoping and praying for, but unless US President Barack Obama signs it before leaving office, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not going to happen – at least not anytime soon.

The massive free trade deal, involving the US and 11 other Pacific Rim nations – excluding China – covers 40 percent of the global economy and is the centerpiece of Obama’s proposed “pivot” to Asia.

According to the Washington Post, if the US doesn’t agree to the deal, it will leave the door wide open for Japan and China to cut a trade deal of their own, excluding the USA. However, both US presidential candidates have come out in opposition to it. The Obama administration is pressing Congress to vote on the deal after the November 2016 elections, but, even if there is support for the deal, the next president may attempt to withdraw from the agreement. In a speech titled, "Declaring American Economic Independence," Trump said, "I am going to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has not yet been ratified."

During the first Democratic debate last year, Clinton defended her decision to oppose the TPP trade deal after supporting the pact while she was secretary of state.

Turkey giant says no liquidity issues

U

K turkey group Bernard Matthews has played down claims it is facing liquidity issues that are reportedly impairing the company's ability to meet its financial obligations.

According to a report in The Telegraph, concern over Bernard Matthews' financial position has

www.meatpacking.info

Clinton said, “You know, take the trade deal…that I hoped it would be the gold standard. It was just finally negotiated last week, and in looking at it, it didn't meet my standards.”

The US agriculture community had pretty much everything to gain from the signing of the treaty.

As it is today, US poultry faces 40 percent tariffs in Malaysia, along with high tariffs in Vietnam and other Asian countries as well. Nearer to home, it would have opened up Canada to US poultry as well – but well off the mark which US producers were hoping for. US beef and pork exports would have been helped as well, but not quite as much if China was part of the trade deal as well.

While sheep and beef giants New Zealand and Australia had nothing to fear from US agriculture muscle, Canadian poultry farmers were naturally feeling vulnerable.

However, under the TPP a tsunami of poultry flowing north across the border was not to happen – a sore point for the US National Chicken Council’s President Mike Brown.

“While virtually all other commercial sectors have been able to play the NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] game for the past three decades, US poultry has been relegated to the sidelines,” he says, adding that under TPP, US poultry’s access to the Canadian

arisen because it has delayed payments to suppliers and informed staff it lacks the funds necessary to settle redundancy payments "in one sum".

A spokesperson for Bernard Matthews insisted the company is a "sound, well-run company" adding it is "business as usual" at the turkey processor. On supplier payments, the spokesperson said the group is unable to comment on "confidential"

market would only grow through small increases in quotas over a long period of time rather than truly free trade. “The TPP was the opportunity to correct a 30-year-old mistake, and very frankly, the results of this negotiation are disappointing in that regard,” says Brown.

Mari Pangestu, Indonesia's former trade minister, told CNBC she expected the TPP might proceed in the US with some renegotiations, similar to then-President Bill Clinton's renegotiation of some aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement before it was ratified.

However, Singapore’s ambassador-at-large for foreign affairs Tommy Koh was more pessimistic about those prospects, noting that it took the 12 countries five years to reach a deal, and many had already made the maximum concessions that would be politically possible.

But Koh added that while the chances for passage this year weren't good, they also weren't zero. He was holding out hope that the lame duck session of Congress after the November presidential elections, but before the new government takes power, would result in a vote to ratify the treaty. He noted that while some Republican politicians may not like President Barack Obama, they tend to love the TPP, even if their presidential candidate doesn't.

agreements.

The company has admitted, however, that it is in redundancy discussions which could impact around 30 office-based and engineering positions.

Bernard Matthews is the largest turkey brand in the UK. However, the company continues to struggles with overall softness in the sector and the highly seasonal nature of UK turkey consumption.

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 9

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Chicken producer will keep using antibiotics

I

n a new ad campaign recently released by US chicken giant Sanderson Farms, Inc., the company seeks to educate the public on common misconceptions surrounding the use of antibiotics in poultry production, while exposing marketing gimmicks designed to mislead consumers and sell products at a higher price.

“At Sanderson Farms, we have a responsibility to empower consumers to make informed decisions by debunking the myths perpetuated through the media and the unfortunate use of misleading labels,” says Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., CEO and chairman for Sanderson Farms.

“Some in the industry, by way of their labels and advertising efforts, have misled consumers to believe that only their chicken is raised cage free and is free of antibiotics and added hormones. The fact is that FDA regulations require all chicken

made available for purchase be free of antibiotic residues and the use of added hormones has been illegal since the 1950s.

“As long as scientific research indicates that antibiotics are safe and healthy, we’ll continue to make the right decision when it comes to how we raise our chickens,” he says.

Sanderson Farms’ position on the responsible use of antibiotics is supported by experts across the industry who agree with their position on the responsible use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. This includes a full range of speciallytrained veterinary scientists and nutritionists that continuously research and study the best practices for maintaining the best health and well-being of flocks raised for food.

“The truth is, we have not seen any credible scientific research to support the idea that the judicious use of antibiotics in chicken

Fast, cheap, and fresh

P

eople want fresh meat that’s cheap and cooks quickly, according to market research conducted by by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC). It showed that changing consumer preferences is a major contributory factor in purchasing patterns for fresh red meat. While the research took place in the UK, the results apply globally.

Kantar Worldpanel data shows that UK volume sales of fresh beef increased by 2.3% compared to the same period in 2015, while the overall average price declined as total spend decreased.

The same period saw some exceptions to this pattern. Volumes of fresh frying/grilling beef purchased

at retailers increased by 2.4 percent, despite an increase in the average price of the product. However, sales of roasting beef declined whilst the average price also fell.

“It is no surprise that people are spending more on cheaper fresh red meat cuts,” says John Richards, HCC’s industry information executive. “Furthermore, it isn’t a shock that consumers are willing to spend more money on cuts that can be cooked in minutes, as people are opting for quicker meal solutions due to busy lifestyles and time restrictions.

“This, together with its versatility, explains why beef mince [ground] continues to hold the largest share of the market.”

10 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance in humans,” says Dr. Phil Stayer, DVM, corporate veterinarian for Sanderson Farms.

“At Sanderson Farms, we believe we have a moral responsibility to protect the welfare of our animals, and as veterinarians, we have taken an oath to relieve the suffering of animals, particularly those under our supervision. It’s simply the humane thing to do.”

The judicious use of antibiotics is also considered an acceptable form of treatment or prevention of disease in food-producing animals by many industry organizations.

While Sanderson Farms recognizes that antibiotic resistance is an issue that must be taken seriously, many industry experts agree the issue is related to the overuse and over-prescription of antibiotics in humans, and more closely linked to medical institutions such as hospitals.

ham Job losses

C

anada’s biggest producer of pork and poultry meat products has announced it will cease ham deboning operations at the firm’s plant in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which will result in the loss of around 340 jobs.

Olymel says the company will maintain 70 positions by continuing the rendering operations for lard production at this facility, as well as frozen product storage operations.

The company says ham deboning will now be done at facilities where there are both slaughtering and butchering operations, thus improving operational efficiency.

www.meatpacking.info

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India emerges as a major beef exporter

O

n the surface it seems as likely that cow-sacred India’s chance of being the world’s largest beef exporter would be the same as Israel becoming the largest pork exporter, but it’s true, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Since the late 2000s, India has rapidly increased its beef exports – specifically water buffalo meat, also known as carabeef—narrowly overtaking Brazil as the world’s largest beef exporter in 2014.

Recent research shows that India’s beef exports grew from an average of 0.31 million tons during 19992001 to an estimated 2.1 million tons during 2013-15, or about 12 percent annually. Over the same period, India increased its share of world beef exports from just 5 percent to about 21 percent. Although the US share of global beef exports

declined from 18 percent to 11 percent during this period, the decline does not appear to stem from increased competition from India, as Indian beef suppliers serve distinctly different market segments from those targeted by U.S. exporters.

The rapid expansion in India’s beef exports has been driven by three main factors. First, global demand for India’s relatively lowcost water buffalo meat is strong, particularly among low and middleincome countries in Asia and the Middle East. The United States and most other developed-country beef exporters primarily supply higher cost beef products that target higher income markets and consumers. The relatively low price of Indian beef reflects perceived quality differences: it is buffalo rather than cattle meat, it is produced primarily from culled dairy animals, and it can-

not meet the stricter sanitary and phytosanitary standards common in more advanced markets.

Second is the size of India’s water buffalo herd which is, by far, the world’s largest. The herd is prized for dairy production but is mostly underexploited for meat production because of low domestic consumer preference for beef by a majority of Indian consumers. Third, the development of private, export-oriented slaughter and packing firms in several Indian States is enabling the successful transport and processing of animals and marketing of products to the specifications of a diverse set of export markets. While exports of cattle beef are banned for religious reasons, buffalo do not hold the same religious significance to most Indians, and buffalo slaughter is legal throughout India.

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September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 11

S A F ET Y

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Metal causes recall USA: ConAgra Foods of the USA is recalling 3,806 pounds of frozen chicken and beef entrée products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. The metal fragments range in size between 2 and 9 millimeters in diameter, and are curled, malleable and shiny. The metal fragments may be embedded in the sauce contained within the frozen entrée products.

Flour with E coli USA: Simmons Prepared Foods has recalled 5,850 pounds of frozen, heat treated, not ready-to-eat (NRTE) chicken products that may be contaminated with E. coli O121, announced FSIS. The problem was discovered on July 7, 2016, when Simmons Prepared Foods received notice from a supplier that flour sold to Simmons was recalled by General Mills. The firm used the recalled flour to bread the chicken fritters affected by this recall action.

Can seaweed replace salt?

P

rocessed foods in many countries are now coming with a red warning on the label due to the high amount of salt (sodium chloride) used for flavor or to help with preserving.

However, new research from Fraunhofer IVV of Germany has shown how seaweed, which has a naturally salty taste, has the potential to replace salt.

“Salt acts as a natural flavor enhancer, has a conserving effect and is essential for the human organism,” says Dominic Wimmer, a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV. "However, these positive effects are lost if we eat too much salt. Adding salt at the table isn’t the issue; around 77 percent of our salt intake comes from industrially processed foods."

In the EU-funded TASTE project, Fraunhofer IVV researchers have been working with other partners to investigate whether seaweed could be a good substitute for salt. Saltwater algae taste naturally salty and contain minerals such as potassium and magnesium, as well as trace elements. The researchers conclude

that brown algae could be used as a salt substitute and help to reduce the salt content of industrially processed foods.

TASTE’s research focused on three large saltwater algae: Ascophyllum nodosum, Saccharina latissima and Fucus vesiculosus. Native to Europe, these types of brown algae can be cultivated in coastal regions or harvested wild. The goal was to come up with an algae product that can be processed industrially as a salt substitute, without odor-intensive substances.

But how salty do bread, cold meats, and so on taste when they are made using seaweed? Does it change the consistency and appearance of the products? The experts took a look at white bread – one of the biggest culprits of excessive salt intake. Their conclusion: the brownish-green color of the seaweed powder is still apparent after baking and the salty taste is not as strong as with salt. But it’s easy to process and can help to reduce the salt content. “Salt can’t be replaced entirely: as a functional baking ingredient, there’s nothing quite like it,” Wimmer says.

Survey shows strong commitment to food safety

T

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 restau-

12 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

rants 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 of the illnesses occur in a recognized outbreak. However, data collected during investigations provide insights into the pathogens and foods that cause illness. www.meatpacking.info

S A F ET Y

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Decline in Resistant Salmonella

I

t its annual reporting on antibiotic resistance in salmonella found in US retail poultry and meat, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said resistant strains are down but also noted worrisome findings, such as the country's first detection of a certain class of resistance gene, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

The report focuses only on antimicrobial resistance in salmonella from raw retail poultry and meat samples collected through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Agriculture to monitor antibiotic resistance in foodborne bacteria for drugs that are crucial for human health.

The FDA said the data reflect

improvements since 2011 on several fronts. For example, salmonella prevalence in retail poultry sank to its lowest level since testing began in 2002. Detections in ground turkey dropped from a high of 19% in 2008 to 6% in 2014, and, over the same period, positive results in retail chicken fell from 15% to 9%.

When the FDA looked at resistance to ceftriaxone, an antibiotic used for treating seriously ill patients, in salmonella from retail chicken investigators noted a steady decline, from a high of 38% in 2009 to 18% in 2014, with a further decline to 5% for the first half of 2015. In ground turkey, ceftriaxone resistance was found in 7% of salmonella samples in 2014, with the level declining to 4% for the first half of 2015, progress that reflects an 80% decline from the 2011 peak of 22%.

Multidrug salmonella resistance continued to drop in chicken and turkey from 2011 levels of 45% and 50%, respectively, to 20% and 36% in June 2015.

The worrisome findings were fewer but included a ceftriaxoneresistant chicken isolate from 2014 that had the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) gene blaCTXM6-5, the first such detection in the United States.

Though testing turned up only three salmonella serotype Dublin isolates in 2014, they were extensively resistant, as seen in the past.

The samples showed resistance to nine to 12 of 14 drugs tested.

"Despite these findings, salmonella largely remained susceptible to ciprofloxacin and other first line human clinical therapies, including azithromycin, during 2014 and the first half of 2015," the FDA said.

Micro-evolution key to Salmonella’s success

S

tudies led by Dr Rob Kingsley from the UK’s Institute of Food Research has shown how salmonella rapidly “micro-evolves” during an epidemic.

It highlights how whole genome sequencing is important in tracking pathogenic bacteria.

Salmonella are one of the most common causes of bacterial disease in humans and animals. Part of their success comes from their ability to adapt to environmental changes. To better understand how this happens, the researchers looked at how the genomes of salmonella associated with an epidemic that emerged in 2005 to find clues as to what made this epidemic successful, and also understand the drivers of this “micro-evolution.”

They found that the salmonella related to the epidemic had acquired genes increasing its resistance to heavy metals such as zinc and copwww.meatpacking.info

per. Heavy metals are used as a livestock feed supplement to promote growth and as an antimicrobial, as an alternative to antibiotics, whose use for this purpose was banned in 2005.

“The acquisition of genes involved in resistance mechanisms may help this form of salmonella outcompete other bacteria in environments containing heavy metals,” says Kingsley.

But this wasn’t the only trick salmonella had up its sleeve. Between 2005 and 2012, the epidemic-associated clones further evolved other adaptations to help them maintain a foothold in their animal host population – amassing a surprising amount of variation in a short time.

Many strains lost genes needed for the flagella, the hair-like appendages used for movement.

The strains also picked up a significant weapon – a gene called

sopE that allows the bacteria to make a toxin it can inject into host cells to help it invade. This also triggers diarrhea, which helps salmonella transmit from host to host in humans and other mammals.

This remarkable ability to rapidly adapt, or micro-evolve, is important to consider for surveillance of these bacteria in the food chain and in the environment. The adaptations, which are likely to have contributed to the success of the epidemic, are only picked up when the whole genome is sequenced.

“Relying on the tracking of a single characteristic, such as the flagella, isn’t a reliable to way to keep tabs on these resourceful pathogens. And by understanding this microevolution, we can be better placed to combat the specific threats and help keep these dangerous bacteria out of the food chain,” says Kingsley.

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 13

S A F ET Y

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Whole hog problems USA: FSIS is issuing a public health alert to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:that may be associated with use and consumption of whole hog roasters prepared for barbeque.

Washington State health officials found a cluster of people suffering from salmonella and believe the illness was caused by roaster hogs from Kapowsin Meats.

High nitrate USA: House of Smoke of Colorado is recalling 4,692 pounds of Wild Boar Brotwurst products due to nitrite levels in excess of the regulatory limit, says FSIS. The problem was discovered by FSIS personnel during a routine label verification task. FSIS discovered that the establishment’s formulation for the use of sodium nitrite, a restricted ingredient, exceeded the regulatory limit.

More flour problems USa: Kabob's Acquisition of Georgia is recalling 44,850 pounds of raw intact and heat treated, not ready-to-eat meat and poultry hors d’oeuvres products that may be adulterated with E. coli O121, announced FSIS. The problem was discovered when a supplier notified Kabob’s that flour sold to the it was recalled by General Mills due to possible association with a multi-state Escherichia coli O121 illness outbreak.

Listeria in dogs USa: Bar S recalls chicken and pork products including franks and corn dogs. The Altus, Oklahoma-based Bar-S Foods Company is recalling 372,684 pounds of chicken, pork hot dogs and corn dog products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to FSIS.

Canned food causes exposure to hormone-disrupting chemical

N

ew research at Stanford University has resolved the debate on the link between canned food and exposure to the hormone-disrupting chemical known as Bisphenol A, or BPA, reports Stanford News.

The study by researchers at Stanford and Johns Hopkins universities puts to rest any lingering doubt about whether eating canned food increases exposure to a chemical linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other health effects.

The research, a first-of-its-kind national sample, also highlights specific canned foods linked to higher levels of the chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA. The new study highlights the challenges consumers face in trying to limit their exposure to the hormone-disrupting chemical BPA, a compound used to make, among other things, resins that coat the inside of food cans and jar lids.

This study, published in Environmental Research, highlights the challenges consumers face in trying to limit their exposure to BPA, a compound used to make, among other things, resins that coat the inside of food cans and jar lids. Different foods have different amounts of BPA contamination.

“I could eat three cans of peaches, and you could eat one can of cream of mushroom soup and have a greater exposure to BPA,” says lead author Jennifer Hartle, a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.

Previous research has focused on analyzing levels of BPA in canned products and measuring BPA exposure within groups of fewer than 75 people. Evaluating both dietary sources of BPA contamination and BPA levels in the urine of people who recently consumed canned food, the new analysis assessed thousands of people of various ages, and geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Hartle and her colleagues found

14 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

that canned food was associated with higher urinary BPA concentrations, and the more canned food consumed, the higher the BPA. The result confirms canned food’s outsized influence on exposure to BPA. The researchers also found that particular kinds of canned food were associated with higher urinary BPA concentrations. The worst offenders (in descending order): canned soup, canned pasta, and canned vegetables and fruit.

A previous study led by Hartle found that children, who are especially susceptible to hormone disruption from BPA, are at risk from school meals that often come from cans and other packaging. This uptick in packaging is a result of schools’ efforts to streamline food preparation and meet federal nutrition standards while keeping costs low.

“The FDA no longer allows BPA to be used in baby bottles, sippy cups and liquid infant formula canned linings, and many food and beverage companies are moving away from the use of BPA,” Hartle said. “However, we do not know if synthetic BPA replacements are safe either.”

The researchers suggest that federal regulators expand testing beyond BPA to other chemicals used as BPA replacements in food packaging, none of which are included in national monitoring studies.

www.meatpacking.info

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Global stunning review Most consumers make no correlation between cattle in a field and steaks on a barbeque. They don’t realize that for milk on their cereal or cheese on their mac, dairy cows and goats need to be bred on a regular basis, leaving a surplus of males that no farmer can afford to keep. Turning chickens into broilers, pigs into pork, it all starts with a person and a stunner. MPJ’s Technical Editor James Chappelow reports on the latest developments in the field of stunning

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arm animals become meat products at the slaughterhouse.

This truism is mirrored by another: consumers prefer not to know about this process. The strength of the childhood image of farming, so easily subject to anthropomorphism from Larry the Lamb to Shaun the Sheep, has a lasting impact. The journey from farmyard to shop has become a taboo zone in the brain. Occasional qualms about animal welfare are eclipsed by the smell of bacon for breakfast or the prospect of roast beef for Sunday lunch.

Meat eating, be it for simple food in the pot or for extravagant celebrations, is at the core of many cultures around the world. Increasing urbanization and population growth have had an obvious impact on the demand for food of all types. The complete disconnect between town and country has led to growing ignorance about the production of food.

It is no surprise to find that many children have no idea how bread is produced and think that fish fingers are made from chicken. The frequent 16 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

campaigns about animal welfare by a loudly vocal minorities continue to have only fleeting impacts on consumer choice and demand.

The attitude of the general public towards meat production was demonstrated in a 2015 survey by the European Commission. The “Study on information to consumers on the stunning of animals” was based on a sample of 500 respondents from each of the 27 EU countries. It was found that the main purchase criteria that were used were quality, presentation, durability, and price. Only 2% cited meat production methods as the most important criteria – 1% for religious reasons and 1% for animal welfare reasons. It was stated that “no respondents spontaneously mentioned animal welfare at slaughter as a purchase criteria” . Only when prompted did consumers show an interest in knowing about stunning at the point of slaughter with 48% saying that they would read the labels if they were added to products.

This survey also elicited responses from those who run slaughterhouses across Europe. There was general agreement that details about methods of www.meatpacking.info

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stunning were only of concern “for a small number of relatively vocal consumers.” These stakeholders universally agreed that consumers have little notion as to the details of the slaughter process.

Yet this does not mean that there would not be concern about the activities of the slaughterhouse.

There is thought to be a high level of expectation that animal welfare is a major concern at slaughterhouses and consumers trust that the rules are kept to – without enquiring about the specific details of such rules. The stakeholders believe that “consumers frequently conflate religious slaughter with un-stunned slaughter, a misunderstanding not helped by the presentation of this issue in the media.”

The lack of public interest in the processes of slaughterhouses has not meant that they ignore the challenges of a changing world and the demands of ever tighter regulation. They are an integral part of the meat industry and are serviced by many well established companies that have an interest in the development of new and improved technologies. Over the past few years there has been a trend towards the survival of larger businesses at the expense of the smaller and ‘traditional’ slaughterhouses. Alongside this has been the steady expansion of regulations that are minimum standards across the globe as well as greater regulation and higher expectations within individual countries.

Slaughterhouses are big business. The slaughter totals in the USA in 2015 are staggering: over 29 million head of cattle, 115 million hogs, 2 million sheep and lambs and nearly 9 billion chickens.

There are similarly high figures for the EU and other large meat producing countries. Given these large totals, it is not surprising that examples may be found that support the view that animal welfare issues do arise. Yet other priorities also need to be addressed. As in any other business, costs need to be taken into account as do the safety and conditions for work of the many thousands of employees in the industry. New equipment and new systems for efficient production need to be balanced with better, frequent and certified training for operatives. Similarly, the growing need to assimilate religious requirements for animal slaughter must be seen in the context of questions of animal welfare.

One significant motor for change has been the debate about stunning before slaughter. To some this is a straightforward matter of finding the most efficient and effective way to process animals in the slaughterhouse. It introduces questions about design, lairage, and the treatment of animals prior to slaughter as well as practical issues of safety and timing. Requirements for good record keeping at the point of stunning have been widely introduced and backed by legislation. Key animal welfare considerations have underpinned the 18 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

development so that in many countries including Australia, New Zealand and (within the EU) Sweden, Denmark, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Lithuania killing without stunning has become illegal. A total of 11 EU countries did not perform slaughter without stunning in 2012. In the USA the Humane Slaughter Act requires that all larger animals are stunned before killing.

rotating pens

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oth the kosher and halal traditions (which are fully discussed in “Answer to a Higher Authority” in MPJ for January – February 2015 – Volume 2 Issue 1) are at odds with pre-slaughter stunning. It has become common to grant special exemptions from the law for the production of kosher meat, as in the UK the USA and Australia. Although in 2003 the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council (an independent advisory body) came out in favor of pre-stunning before slaughter the UK government decided in 2005 to allow the continuation of slaughter pre-stunning for Jewish and Muslim groups. In fact, Muslims have in some circumstances allowed stunning to be used provided it is reversible, and this solution has been widely applied – although not without religious dissent and debate. The concept of reversible stunning – a stun from which the animal will recover if not killed in an appropriate religious manner before that happens – has given companies the incentive to develop methods of stunning that would be deemed suitable.

A recent European Commission report “On systems restraining bovine animals by inversion or any unnatural position” (the BoRest study) investigated the prevalence of bovine slaughter without stunning in the EU. It found that of the 25 million bovine animals slaughtered in the EU in 2012 2.1 million (8.5%) were slaughtered without stunning. The BoRest study is largely a comparative investigation of the merits of upright restraining systems (Cincinnati pens) and rotating systems (the Weinberg pen). In 80% of cases, the rotating pens are used, none of which are in the UK, where they are not allowed.

In terms of religious requirements, Jewish communities were found always to prefer the inverted position provided by the rotated pens while Muslims found the upright position also to be acceptable. In terms of animal welfare, BoRest reported that the three major manufacturers of rotating pens, of the type produced by companies such as BANSS, had made many improvements to the design since the 2004 report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This meant that, “from the animal welfare point of view there are no conclusive findings that one system is better than the other.” www.meatpacking.info

cas

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Above: Birds stunned by controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) Right: Marel CAS SmoothFlow

In addition, the BoRest enquiry on restraint was set in the context of the whole process of slaughter.

It was evident that the principle causes of variation in slaughterhouse practice was not the equipment -which is upgraded and renewed over time – but the elements of cost and human behavior.

While in many respects the picture is positive, with more training and better information from manufacturers, examples were still found where electric goads were used too frequently and more could be done to establish an atmosphere of calm.

The European Commission has also published a report, “On the various stunning methods for poultry”. In the EU two methods are well established: the multiple bird water-bath which stuns using electric current and Controlled Atmosphere Stunning (CAS) in an atmosphere chamber where birds are exposed to gas mixtures.

In 2012 80% of broilers were stunned in a waterbath and 20% by CAS. Some problems with waterbath stunning were identified.

Inversion and shackling of birds is painful The amount of current delivered to each bird varies and cannot be controlled.

Slaughterhouse operators tend to lower the current because of meat quality concerns.

ESFA has insisted that “water-bath stunning delivers up to 96% effective stunning” but it is also admitted that greater inspection is required. Overall, www.meatpacking.info

water-bath stunning is cheaper except when the throughput is high when the cost of CAS is relatively lower. Variations in costing are dependent on differing labor costs across the EU. Research and development has led to steady improvements in CAS systems as at Marel Poultry which has been working on CO2 poultry stunning successfully for two decades.

low-cost water bath

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here is now a global market for chicken meat and products with Brazil leading the way. Around 75% of poultry imported to the EU comes from Brazil where water-bath is the main method for stunning September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 19

dutch vision solutions

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Above and left: Dutch Vision Solution's Head-Only Stunner

and competitiveness is maintained (as is the case with Thailand) through much lower wage costs as well as the availability of cheaper feed. The USA is unable to export to the EU because of the use of antimicrobial treatments but the USA also has lower costs than the EU and is a significant competitor in the global market. In these circumstances EU producers have sought to use methods that ensure higher quality, premium cuts for he market and consistency in color, with no blood splashes. The 20 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

slaughter process should also minimize losses through trimming.

EU meat producers also demand products that meet specific animal welfare or religious requirements. For kosher poultry, no stunning is allowed. Jewish butchers claim that by the very nature of the cut that is made the bird will instantly be rendered insensible. For halal poultry, reversible stunning is required which rules out the use of CAS. Water-baths may be set up within parameters that allow for reversible stunning but this can lower the percentage of animals that are properly stunned.

There is less agreement about the further steps in the process, however, as the use of mechanical knives to cut the necks of the birds may not be halal. The finer points of Muslim theology are brought into this ongoing debate.

Head-only electrical stunning for poultry has now become a commercial possibility as it is possible to stun between 9,000 and 14,000 chickens per hour. This system has been developed

by Dutch Vision Solutions and validated by Wangeningen University Livestock Research Department, which stated that “Head-Only Electrical Stunning is the best possible means of stunning to date�. The whole process is in line with www.meatpacking.info

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Head only stunning efficiency at 13500bph totals

the EU1099 legislation on stunning. The system uses an exact amount of current which is logged for each bird. The system is very compact, especially when compared with the equivalent CAS systems.

The whole unit, with some extra space for in and out feed, will fit into 16 square meters.

Dutch Vision Solutions has also invented an ingenious device – the Kill Line Shackle Splitter – that deals with the problem of birds that are not stunned by the legal amount of current because of weight variation. These birds are automatically transferred to a water-bath for immediate stunning.

This water-bath also acts as the required backup stunner should there be a problem with the Head-Only Stunner. Using this duel process, the Head-Only Stunner has a 99.4% accuracy in applied stuns. The Head-Only Stunner is very slightly more expensive than the water-bath method and significantly cheaper than CAS systems. It can be set up to provide reversible stuns so is open for use in Halal chicken production.

Another method for processing poultry, Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) was at a very early stage of development when the European Commission report was compiled and was only in use in the USA. This system has been designed by a US company, TechnoCatch, and has been used successfully by OK Foods of Arkansas for several years. Instead of immersion in a controlled gas environment the system induces hypoxia (lack of oxygen) through a reduction in air pressure.

TechnoCatch points to particular advantages of the www.meatpacking.info

Water bath stunning efficiency at 13500bph totals

LAPS system: LAPS achieves stunning without the addition of gas or the use of electrical shock.

LAPS is no only humane but also improves the economics of stunning and meat tenderness LAPS is compact and includes continuous monitoring.

LAPS holds each bird in the same atmosphere ensuring uniformity of process.

LAPS provides improved conditions for both the birds and humans.

All these points were backed up in a review of the system by the Humane Slaughter Association in London in 2013. It concluded that, “LAPS appears to offer significant advantages over other commercial methods of slaughter for broilers, from animal welfare. Operational and economical perspectives.” OK Foods have pioneered the use of LAPS in the meat production industry and confirm the benefits and advantages of the system. It is a stun and kill system which, therefore, would not meet the requirements of kosher and halal chicken production. The system is currently not accepted by the EU but this situation is under review.

halal market

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he work of the Jarvis Products Corporation provides a fine example of adaptation, innovation and development within the meat industry. Jarvis has a global

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 21

technocatch

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reputation for servicing the slaughterhouse sector.

It would be unusual to find a slaughterhouse that does not make use of at least some Jarvis products.

The company prides itself on being ahead of the market and responding positively to the many challenges within the meat industry.

Jarvis sees the halal meat market as a fast growing sector with many opportunities. These arise partly in the developed world where there are growing numbers of Muslims who demand halal meats but also in many developing world Muslim countries where there is a need for modernization. These countries are showing greater interest in new technologies, improved productivity and better product quality. Jarvis has established contact with Muslim authorities such as Halal-Europe to ensure that religious constraints are fully understood. It is important that the right equipment is used properly so that halal certification is guaranteed. Along side this, Jarvis ensures that its high standards in humane animal slaughter are maintained. The company Right: Jarvis stunners can be found worldwide

22 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Above: TechnoCatch LAPS stunner in Arkansas

has established a global network for the sale of equipment for halal meat processing.

Within New Zealand all slaughter must be preceded by stunning. All New Zealand lambs and cattle are processed in a way that is acceptable for the halal market. This is clearly significant for a country that exports so much of its meat produce and means that the stunning must be reversible, which happens in almost all cases with Jarvis equipment, either in automatic systems or with manual stunners. The Jarvis USSS-2A is a non penetrating mushroom head stunner with a unique design that renders the stunned animal insensitive to pain without penetrating the skull.

Hundreds of these units are being used around the world for humane stunning within the halal code. Jarvis is currently looking to the poultry industries of South East Asia – Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines – to expand its sales of poultry tools.

Along side the development of already proven products comes the emergence of brand new technology – as provided by Dutch Vision and TechnoCatch, mentioned above. The German Freund Company has made significant advances in electrical stunning as is shown in the STUN-E6.

This stun system has many noteworthy features: www.meatpacking.info

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It is the world's first electric stunner with connection to the Cloud.

This allows for clear and comprehensive documentation that is easy to access but is also secure.

Stunning programs can be set up for different types and sizes of animals and in different operating modes.

It can be used for head anesthesia or heart anesthesia.

It works within the requirements of animal welfare legislation (in the EU).

A good meat quality is achieved with less blood spots and bone fractures.

As the user of the STUN-E6 sets their own parameters for stunning it is likely that the machine would be adaptable for applying reversible stunning acceptable for the production of Halal meat products.

The slaughter of pigs and hogs does not cause religious controversy, of course, and has been less discussed. This does not mean that there have not been equally significant developments in this field.

The BANSS CO2 stunning plant which has the series name SOMNIA serves as just one example of this trend. This improved design “combines essential benefits regarding animal welfare, operational reliability and economic efficiency�. It has a stunning capacity of up to 1200 pigs per hour. It fulfils the requirements of animal welfare as well www.meatpacking.info

jarvis

Above: Jarvis head grip holds the animal still for a humane stun Right: Jarvis stunner in action

as those of large scale production. Best of all, it produces meat of a high quality.

It is the quality of the product which, finally, matters. Consumers will continue to try not to think where their food has come from. It is heartening to find, however, that within the meat industry so much is being done to secure the supply of quality meat at reasonable prices and within the context of animal welfare. In a global market, religious sensibilities have to be respected but the industry is meeting this challenge in inventive and flexible ways. Governments too are playing their part in framing regulations that encourage education and training in slaughter houses.

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 23

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stunning tech for German processor

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ermany is about the most stringent market in the world when it comes to compliance with regulations – it even has a name: Gründlichkeit. For the poultry processing company Borgmeier it is therefore second nature to respect all the strict requirements concerning hygiene, animal welfare and quality. Marel Stork Poultry Processing solutions help achieve this, as shown by its latest project, the advanced CAS SmoothFlow stunner.

H. Borgmeier Gmbh & Co Kg is located in Delbrück near Paderborn, still on the same piece of land originally bought by Heinrich Borgmeier in 1903. His son took over in 1948 and built the first processing plant in 1959, which reached a capacity of 3,000 broilers per day in the seventies.

24 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Since 1980 grandsons Heiner and Werner Borgmeier have been running the business. “In 1998 we bought our first Marel Stork equipment, a GP container system," says Heiner Borgmeier. "We still remember the times that capacities higher than 10,000 bph were unthinkable. And now our current plant is running at 13,000 bph and able to handle higher line speeds in the future.”

Controlled Atmosphere Stunning has widely gained acceptance as being animal-friendly.

“Regulations, animal welfare organizations and consumers all require an explicit description of how the broilers are stunned. It’s becoming an extremely important issue, so we do not want any arguments about this process. We can now tell our customers that we’re using the best technical solution in the market, the Stork CAS SmoothFlow, to respond to the animal welfare demands," says Borgmeier. www.meatpacking.info

Red Meat Slaughtering | CO2 Stunning | Blood Collection | Innovation Carcass Splitting | Cutting & De-boning | Food Logistic Systems Industrial Waste Water Treatment | Service & Spares | 24/7 Service & Helpdesk

Company Head Office: MPS Albert Schweitzerstraat 33 P.O. Box 160 7130 AD Lichtenvoorde The Netherlands T: +31 544 390500 info@mps-group.nl MPS Worldwide: Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, UK/Ireland and USA.

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Poultry Vision far beyond EC1099

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When fully atomated > 99% efficiency Tested by the Wageningen University Improved product quality Only 16m2 + 9000bph

www.dutchvisionsolutions.com | michel@dutchvisionsolutions.com | +31(0) 645 984 199

burger s

26 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

www.meatpacking.info

burger s

Burger mania is unstoppable From Tokyo to Paris, New York City to Sydney, consumers are doing just that, consuming burgers in larger and larger numbers with many willing to pay more for a quality burger. From farmers to grinders to restaurant owners, it’s a great time to be in the business. MPJ reports

www.meatpacking.info

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 27

burger s

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merican has spoken. By a landslide victory, burgers have been declared good food and the rest of the world agrees – even France.

What this means for all involved in the industry that the time is right to upgrade and improve production and quality. While some have been sounding the death knell of the gourmet burger and chains in general, the facts speak louder.

Burgers are not going away; at least not on MPJ’s watch.

While consumption of beef is down over the past decade, burgers endure as a mainstay of the modern diet and are worth in North America around $100 billion. Indeed, if all the burgers eaten last year by Americans were laid out bun to bun, they would go around the world 32 times. The scary thing is with that figure no one ever factors in the number of burgers eaten at home. If the 2015 value of US hamburger and hotdog buns – $854 million – is anything to go by, that is a lot of burgers being grilled on the home barbeque and a lot more circles around the globe.

Regardless as to how they’re counted, new research from Mintel Global Market Research reveals that not only do 82 percent of US consumers agree that burgers are a good source of nutrients, but another 80 percent would pay more for burgers made with premium ingredients. With three in five (62 percent) consumers saying that they love burgers, there’s no denying their popularity.

This is far from being an American phenomenon.

While UK motorists and truck drivers continue to pull off the motorways and dine on questionable burgers slapped together at portable roadside stands flying the Union Jack, more and more premium burger joints are opening. During the last five years, Shake Shack, Five Guys, Byron, Honest Burger, Dirty Burger, and Smash Burger have opened. Gourmet Burger Kitchen, opened by three transplanted New Zealanders, is now the leading gourmet burger restaurant in the UK with over 65 joints – this is despite its signature Kiwi burger which combines beef, beetroot, a fried egg, pineapple, mature cheddar cheese, mayo, relish, lettuce and tomato.

In France, that bastion of gourmet dining, they can scream sacre bleu until they’re red in the face, but 75 percent of French restaurants now sell le burger with 80 percent of these restaurants saying that burgers are their biggest seller, according to a study. “Burger mania is unstoppable,” says Bernard Boutboul, head of Gira Conseil, the food consultancy behind the research.

What Vincent Vega was aware of in Pulp Fiction, McDonalds are huge in France and according to the Telegraph, France is McDonald’s biggest market outside of the USA and was one of the few nations 28 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

where the chain posted a rise in sales last year.

However, according to Boutboul, only a third of France’s 1.10 billion burgers were sold at McDonald’s, Burger King, or French fast-food chain Quick; the majority were eaten at sit-down restaurants, with some of these very up-market.

While the Japanese like their burgers, and fast food consumption continues on a sharp rise, this can be a hard country for outsiders to figure out, let alone run a successful marketing campaign. For example, 7-11 – the mini market most of us in our youth went to for a Slurpee – is the Japanese leader in fast food, with some stores even having stools and counters for customers. What most people don’t realize is that 7-11 is a Japanese company, after a buyout in the 1990s, and the country has nearly 17,000 stores that all serve quality meals.

To compete, foreign fast food chains often have to offer products that are available only in Japan to keep their customers happy. According to the Financial Times, last year for April Fools’ Day, Burger King created a perfume with the scent of the patties of their Whopper burger with a catchphrase: “No Whopper, No Life. Wear it & Have it.” The limited bottle of perfume called Flame Grilled Flagrance was sold for Y5,000 ($42) with a Whopper burger for one day only.

The perfume followed a burger last year wrapped in black buns and cheese colored with bamboo charcoal, and topped with squid ink ketchup.

And in Australia, either your average Aussie eats more burgers per week than anywhere else in the world or close to it, depending on whose statistics you look believe. Either way, they’re eating “heaps” of burgers. Are they good, however, that’s the question.

While traveling Down Under, New York City chef David Chang of Momofuku fame was not impressed by what they were doing with one of the world’s simplest meals.

“You know who ***** up burgers more than anyone else in the world? Australians. Australia has no idea what a burger is. They put a fried egg on their burger. They put canned beetroot on it, like a wedge of it – I’m not joking,” says the unimpressed chef.

premiumization

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ccording to Technomic’s 2016 report on burgers, consumers are relying now more than ever on restaurants to provide value in hamburgers through what it calls “premiumization.” Well over half of consumers say that they would be willing to pay more for burgers made with premium toppings.

Part of this trend is for consumers to try spicy, ethnic, or exotic seasonings on their burgers such as jalapenos, chipotle, sriracha sauce, and ghost www.meatpacking.info

BURGER KING

burger s

Above: Japanese like unique burgers and you can't get more different than black bamboo charcoal and tomato powder dyed buns

peppers.

The report – which was based on more than 2,250 online surveys of US and Canadian consumers – states that “burgers are one of the hottest trends on today’s dining scene.” Of those surveyed, 91 percent said they eat a burger at least once a month and 75 percent said they consume burgers at least once a week.

The study points out that 27 percent of restaurant customers said they prefer to purchase burgers made with Angus beef, compared to 20 percent in 2007, while 19 percent of consumers reported they would prefer to purchase sirloin burgers, up from 13 percent in 2007; and nearly half of consumers said they think restaurants should offer a variety of burger sizes, ranging from mini burgers to half-pound burgers.

Restaurants continue to re-imagine burgers in order to keep consumers interested in the menu staple, proven by the mere 20 percent of burger eaters who say that burgers are a boring choice when eating out. Such innovation is supported by research from Mintel Menu Insights, which finds that the menu incidence of “cheeseburger” decreased by 15 percent and “burger” decreased by 6 percent from 2012 to 2015. However, more descriptive items such as “bacon burger” (85 percent) and “Southwest burger” (34 percent) saw significant growth on menus.

In line with the 47 percent of consumers who www.meatpacking.info

want more premium burger buns at restaurants, Mintel Menu Insights reveals significant growth of pretzel (97 percent), kaiser (93 percent) and brioche (59 percent) buns on menus from Q4 2012 to Q4 2015. Similarly, half of consumers want more variety of cheeses for burgers, and restaurants are calling out specific cheeses on menus more often.

While unspecified “cheese” as a topping for burgers fell by 11 percent, mozzarella (29 percent) and pepper jack cheese (13 percent) have grown more popular on menus from Q4 2012 to Q4 2015.

“While burgers are a favorite for many Americans, restaurants must work hard to make their burgers stand out. Consumers are interested in new burger formulations, allowing restaurants to take chances with their menu. This gives restaurants the opportunity to branch out with multiple ingredient options and toppings to separate themselves from competitors, and can be accomplished by offering high quality buns and cheeses, as consumers are willing to pay more for premium ingredients for a food they love,” says Caleb Bryant, Foodservice Analyst at Mintel.

Still, can you offer customers too many choices and is sometimes taking the opposite tack the better approach?

MPJ has noticed some restaurants have pushed beyond the offer of Angus or grass-fed beef and are creating burgers made with a variety of different cuts of meat such as standard ground beef mixed September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 29

burger s

the other burger

impossible foods

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Above: The Impossible Burger is 100 percent animal free

with brisket and short ribs. Some will grind in the fat from 45-day aged beef as well into the mixture.

At the back of everyone’s mind, however, should be Burgers International and Pizzeria which opened in Tacoma, Washington, in 2009. Besides offering customers burgers made with standard beef, turkey, chicken or pork, it also had burgers made with llama, alligator, bear, and ostrich. Were there too many choices for consumers, or a poor location, or too much food waste from some of the exotics not selling; with the restaurant closing a year later in 2010 answers are not forthcoming.

Pal’s Sudden Service takes a very different approach. Although practically unknown outside its Tennessee/Virginia territory, its 23 boxy doubledrive through restaurants bring in nearly $2 million average unit sales, only topped by McDonald’s.

Amazingly, its service is drive-through only and Pal’s menu is limited to a few burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fries and drinks.

In an interview with BurgerBusiness.com, Pal’s CEO Thom Crosby says the Pal’s is focused on a limited menu.

“That’s important because we don’t want to confuse anybody about what the brand is about or what we’re supposed to excel at. When we first opened up we used to have signs on the outside of the drive lane. We’d have photos of fried chicken and pizza and all the other things you can get at QSR [quick service restaurant] operations. Nice luscious photos but with a big red theta symbol through them,” says Crosby. You can’t get them at Pal’s.

30 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

owever, as beef faces negative health perceptions, consumers show interest in a wide array of non-beef burger alternatives. In fact, nearly half of consumers would like to see more chicken burgers (46 percent) on menus and two in five (42 percent) are interested in more turkey burgers. Another one third (34 percent) of Americans are interested in seeing bison/buffalo as a burger option on more menus, according to Mintel.

Interest in non-beef burger offerings is highest among Millennials who are the most likely generation to agree that healthiness of menu items is the most important factor when choosing a restaurant (64 percent).

Indeed, three in five (58 percent) Millennials would like more chicken burgers and half (52 percent) would like more turkey options on menus.

Overall, Millennials are more interested than any other generation in every non-beef burger Mintel surveyed.

“While the majority of Americans view burgers as a good source of nutrients, this is more indicative of health concerns being a non-factor as opposed to seeing burgers as a healthy choice. Further, we find that the decreasing consumption of beef is not affecting consumption of burgers, driven by Americans seeking more non-beef burger options,” says Bryant.

“Non-beef burgers appeal to diners for a number of reasons. Beyond offering less fatty, more nutritious alternatives, non-beef burgers tend to have a ‘wow’ factor as they are new and different to many consumers. Having a line-up of non-beef burgers can help a restaurant’s menu stand out from other restaurants’ burger offerings.”

As healthy dining trends are driving innovation in non-beef burgers, Mintel research indicates that grass-fed beef burgers are also piquing interest.

Four in five (79 percent) burger eaters believe that grass-fed beef is higher quality than regular beef.

This is motivating 43 percent of consumers to want more grass-fed burgers on restaurant menus.

Further, knowing the origins of their food is increasingly important to consumers, and this is especially true among burger eaters. Three in five (59 percent) consumers agree that they want to know the origin of beef in burgers, including 68 percent of Millennials.

“With its purported superior taste, healthfulness claims and ‘feel good’ connotations, burgers made with grass-fed beef are an especially important foodservice trend right now. Diners today are interested not only in food that is good for them, they also want food that makes them feel good.

This is magnified for food that comes with a ‘story,’ as consumers increasingly want to know where www.meatpacking.info

Prayintno

burger s

Above: A beautiful tray of burger 'sliders'

their food was made and how it was prepared and produced. This presents an opportunity for restaurants to better compete with retail packaged beef, which often times does not provide such information to consumers,” says Bryant.

the 'other' other burger

I

mpossible Foods of California has introduced its plant-based Impossible Burger at Chef David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in Manhattan. This is the first time the Impossible Foods “animal-free” burger will be regularly featured on a restaurant menu, and marks the commercial introduction of a new generation of plant-based foods that “promises to revolutionize the world’s food system” – or so says Impossible Foods.

“Impossible Foods is honored to have a chef of David Chang’s talent and vision as our anchor chef in New York,” says Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO of Impossible Foods. “Under David’s skilled hand, the Impossible Burger is moving to the next level of taste.”

The Impossible Burger looks, cooks, smells, www.meatpacking.info

sizzles, and tastes like conventional ground beef but is made entirely from plants. It even looks like it has red blood in it when a bite is taken.

Among the breakthroughs that make the Impossible Burger unique, claims the company, is the discovery that a molecule called "heme" that contributes to the look and taste of meat.

While heme is exceptionally abundant in meat, it is also a basic molecular building block for plants.

Impossible Foods uses a plant-based heme protein to give the Impossible Burger a meaty taste.

The Impossible Burger's ingredients include: water, textured wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein and natural flavors, as well as 2 percent or less of: leghemoglobin (heme protein), yeast extract, salt, soy protein isolate, konjac gum, xanthan gum, thiamin (Vitamin B1), zinc, niacin, Vitamin B6, riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12.

“Two factors have made the Impossible Burger as good as it is,” says food author Harold McGee. “One is Impossible Foods’s ambition to make a plant-based burger that’s just as delicious as a beef burger, with the same satisfying flavors and textures. The other is its pursuit of a deeper scientific understanding of meat itself and how cooking makes it delicious.”

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 31

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Using old-school to destroy salmonella in ground meat

A

n old technology that uses natural bacteria predators, called bacteriophages, is the focus of new research at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The technique is being used to reduce salmonella bacteria

in meat products.

Assistant Professor Amilton de Mello, from the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources at the University of Nevada, Reno, presented his research at the recent international American Meat Science Association's conference in Texas.

"We were able to reduce salmonella by as much as 90 percent in ground poultry, ground pork and ground beef," de Mello reports. "We're excited to be able to show such good results.

Food safety is an important part of our work and salmonella is one of the most prevalent bacteria in the nation's food supply."

Salmonella affects tens of millions each year around the world, according to the WHO. The bacteria can cause diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. What is worrying researchers is since the 1990s salmonella strains have begun to be resistant to a range of antimicrobials.

In people with weaker immune systems, or in young children and the elderly, it can be fatal.

In the USA, it is estimated to cause one million foodborne illnesses every year, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

De Mello's research treated meat products infected with four types of salmonella by applying Myoviridae bacteriophages during mixing. Bacteriophages are commonly found in our environment; they are viruses that can only harm specific bacterial cells and are harmless to humans, animals and plants.

In the experiments, the salmonella bacteria was inoculated on refrigerated meat and poultry trim, then the treatment was applied to the meat before grinding. The bacteriophages invaded the cells of the bacteria and destroyed them.

32 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

"On the final ground meat products, there was a 10-fold decrease of salmonella," says de Mello.

"The results are very encouraging and we're hoping this can be adopted by the meat industry to increase food safety."

De Mello was invited to speak about his research at the 69th Annual AMSA Reciprocal Meat Conference in San Angelo, Texas. Overall, his research focuses on positively impacting meat industry operations, production costs, meat quality attributes and animal welfare.

His broad research program approaches important "from farm-to-table" steps such as animal welfare, meat quality and food safety.

De Mello's current research is related to preslaughter physical conditions, value-added products, pre- and post-harvest food safety interventions, effects of physiologic parameters on muscle-to-meat transformation, beef nutritional values and control of salmonella and E. coli during processing.

The meat science program at the University was invigorated with the hiring of de Mello in December 2015 and the opening of his new meat research lab. In addition to his research, he teaches about the meat industry, food safety and quality systems and advanced meat science in the University's Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Veterinary Sciences.

"We are creating a very broad meat science program," he says. "We have meat-quality projects. We have experiments involving animal welfare and food safety. We offer students research and teaching experiences by using our main meat lab and three collaborating ones here on campus. Students can go to our Nevada Agriculture Experiment Station in the morning, follow animal harvest activities in our USDAinspected meat processing plant, learn about animal welfare practices and spend the afternoon in the lab developing research."

The University's experiment station houses the meat processing plant, feedlot facilities, cattle working areas and 650 acres of irrigated pasture, all just 15 minutes from the main campus in downtown Reno.

www.meatpacking.info

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What are bacteriophages?

In the 1920s and 1930s, before widespread use of antibiotics, physicians successfully treated a variety of infections with bacteriophages, or phages for short. These natural viral predators, which target bacteria but leave mammalian and plant cells unscathed, were sold by pharmaceutical companies including Eli Lilly & Company, according to the journal Environmental Health Perspective.

Scientists of the day did not understand exactly how phages killed bacteria, and their crude therapies – mostly in the Soviet Union – performed inconsistently. Research, too, by Soviet and Georgian doctors was written up in Soviet medical journals which seldom were translated into western languages. With the mass production of antibiotics in the 1940s and 1950s, interest in phages largely waned, even in the USSR. However, with antibiotics beginning to lose their luster, researchers are looking back to the pre-antibiotic era with the goal of resurrecting phages as antidotes for antibiotic resistance and solving medical, agricultural, and environmental problems.

www.meatpacking.info

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 33

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Health Canada wants irradiated ground beef

F

ollowing a review of the largest recall of beef products in Canadian history, an independent expert advisory panel in Canada has recommended that the irradiation of fresh and frozen ground beef be permitted to enhance food safety.

In keeping with this recommendation, Health Canada will propose regulatory changes to the Food and Drug Regulations in September, which will allow the sale of irradiated ground beef in Canada. Health Canada says that this follows a thorough safety review, which has determined that ground beef treated with irradiation is safe to eat and retains its nutritional value, taste, texture and appearance.

However, Canada might find – like other countries have – that just because the process is allowed, industry and consumers might not want it.

In Canada itself, irradiation is not a new process.

It is already approved in Canada to treat potatoes, onions, wheat, flour, spices, and seasoning preparations. Irradiation has also been used as a sterilization technique for medical supplies, food packaging materials, and cosmetic ingredients for many years.

Health and safety authorities in over 60 countries have approved irradiation of a combined total of 40 different food classes which include spices, grain, boneless chicken, red meats, fruits and vegetables. Mexico and the US, for example, permit irradiation of a wider range of foods than Canada, while the EU has allowed only limited use of irradiation. Where ever it’s done, all irradiated foods must be clearly labeled. Packages must display both a written description as well as the Radura symbol.

In the USA, irradiation has been approved for over 50 years, but the only major growth area for the commercial sale of irradiated foods for human consumption is fruits and vegetables that are irradiated to kill insects for the purpose of quarantine. According to The New York Times, in the early 2000s irradiated meat was common at some US grocery stores, but because of lack of consumer demand it is no longer common.

Reducing the spoilage between manufacture and consumer purchase and reducing the risk of food borne illness is currently not sufficient incentive for most manufactures to supplement their process 34 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Above: Radura symbol which shows food as been irradiated

XL Foods massive recall In 2012 the largest beef recall in Canadian history happened because a massive Alberta producer regularly failed to clean its equipment properly, reacted too slowly once it realized it was shipping contaminated meat, and on-site government inspectors failed to notice key problems at the plant.

In the end, 3.96 million lbs of beef had to be recalled and 18 consumers became sick.

The XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alberta, accounted for 35 percent of Canada’s beef processing. An independent panel led by three doctors found long-standing problems with cleanliness and proper inspection practices.

Their report states that the root cause of the problem was likely an animal that was heavily contaminated with E. coli-157:H7.

“As the contaminated carcass moved through the plant, the bacteria became lodged in or on a piece of equipment within the establishment,” the report states. “It seems likely that sanitation was inadequate.”

www.meatpacking.info

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with irradiation.

In addition, it is widely believed that consumer perception of foods treated with irradiation is more negative than those processed by other means, although some industry studies indicate the number of consumers concerned about the safety of irradiated food has decreased in the last 10 years to levels comparable to those of people concerned about food additives and preservatives.

the process

I

rradiation is a process in which food is exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation, which can come from gamma rays, electron beams, or x-rays, that kills bacteria, molds, parasites, and insects by damaging their DNA. This can have several benefits to food safety, including reducing the level of bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and Campylobacter. It can also prevent premature spoilage and increase a food’s shelf life.

It is an optional tool that can be used by the food industry on certain foods to enhance their safety. Irradiation is meant to complement – not replace – existing food safety processing standards and practices, such as appropriate handling, sanitation and storage. This factor is what some who oppose irradiation have jumped on, believing

Paper is a BIG part of your quality product.

that irradiation will become the prime tool of food safety, allowing processors to lower their standards.

Irradiation involves passing foods through a machine that sends out low doses of ionizing radiation to kill off unwanted organisms. The rays pass through food like microwaves in a microwave oven, but do not heat the food significantly. The process is enough though to disrupt the DNA and kill pathogens, bacteria, and insects that can make people ill.

Again, comparing irradiation machines to household microwave ovens, irradiation energy disappears from the food immediately, like how heat leaves microwaved food. Despite what many pseudo-health and food safety groups might say, the food does not become radioactive in any way.

According to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) which is supporting the process, it estimates that it will take a year for the approval process to be complete.

“The ability of irradiation to reduce E.coli O157 and other pathogenic E.coli is well established,” says the CCA. “When combined with food safety interventions already in use, irradiation could essentially eliminate E.coli related illness associated with ground beef. We believe this is reason enough to support making this choice available to Canadians that wish to purchase irradiated food product..

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Burger products ‘Homemade quality’ burgers The new Handtmann RF 440 round former is the perfect response of small and medium-scale producers to the strongly increasing trend for a wide variety of convenience products.

Just one system for a wide variety of products and shapes – always with excellent product quality, says Handtmann. The RF 440 round former guarantees high production output (up to 150 portions/minute with a diameter of 10-94mm) and a maximum degree of weight accuracy. Impressive form accuracy is ensured by a diaphragm with perfectly-fitting contours. Three different texturing rollers for versatile perforation of the surface provide additional options for product design.

The modular system technology ensures a wide variety of products: 446 conveyor belt for downstream process steps such as roasting, deep frying, packaging etc. or 446-30 flattening belt for burgers with homemade quality

3600 burgers an hour It’s not enough for your patty making equipment to make the standard size, more and more restaurant and pub/bar customers are wanting frozen burgers looking ‘home style’.

Spain-based Gesame is a manufacturer of food forming equipment for the small-to medium scale processor. The MH Super 114 is a food forming machine designed for processors wanting to speed up their food forming activities. Able to form up to 3600 ‘home style’ patties or 6,000 meatballs per hour, this highly versatile machine can also make meatballs, cannelloni, croquettes and any other shape.

The thickness is adjusted on the plate and then the portions are rolled flat letting customers get any size/weight they want without having to commit to purchase several moulds. The result is a patty with rounded, creviced edges and a tender bite.

Gesame’s MH Super 114 comes equipped with a speed controller on the forming machine and one on the belt. Tank capacity is 24 litres with an optional hopper available for continuous filling. It is NSF approved and CE certified.

Patty paper for bulk systems Although in many usages wax paper has had its day, the burger industry as yet to find a product which works so well in keep frozen burger patties apart. Framarx/Waxstar is one of the leading US suppliers of patty paper or wax paper rolls. “Whether you are food service distributor or a restaurant needing patty paper for hamburgers and sandwiches, or wax paper rolls for use for freezers, we can meet your business product specifications,” says the company. Framarx/Waxstar offers patty paper sheets or rolls for tear-pin. systems, roll feed systems or vacuum feed systems. Its paper grades are available in various strengths from economically weights to wet weight strength papers and two-ply freezer papers.

Framarx/Waxstar specializes in converting waxed and coated paper for poultry, beef, bacon, and much more. “We emphasize quality and stress customer service.”

36 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

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Are your poultry patty sales just as flat as the patties themselves? Then you need our Vemag FM250 Patty Forming Machine. The high-speed FM250 produces the lightest, fluffiest, VEMAG FM250 juiciest, and most tender poultry patty you’ll ever sink your teeth into.

Unlike conventional patty forming machines that use high-pressure to compress meat into flat, rubbery “pucks”, the FM250 uses a gentle, lowpressure system to form patties that look homemade and have a tender bite that no other machine can produce. Meat fibers are not crushed or destroyed on the FM250 – instead they retain their natural alignment so that the finished patty has the superior bite, texture and eating quality of a hand-made product.

Connected to a Vemag HP-E filler with an in-line grinder, the FM250 provides high output and exact weight portions. An easy-to-change forming nozzle allows quick product changeovers.

Available with an interleaver and/or stacker, as well as a high-speed shuttle to load freezer and oven belts. A Vemag ProcessCheck check weigher can also be added inline to automatically monitor individual patty weights and adjust the filler – ensuring uniform weights and reduced giveaway.

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Q& Mark Evenson talks grinders A

M

ark Evenson, director of sales and marketing at Rome Ltd grinders is a familiar face at trade shows in the USA and now Europe. A graduated from the University of Wisconsin – MPJ asks the proud Midwesterner for his take on the grinding industry.

How many days are you on the road?

I think all of them, so how many is that? On average I travel to accounts about 90% of every month. I actually struggle to sleep in my own bed as the sheets aren’t always tucked in like they are painted on the bed, plus my house seldom has fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

Are you seeing more companies grinding meat or are there fewer companies grinding more?

This is a tough one to answer. The major players in the market seem to be acquiring companies to further their portfolios as any business would do.

However, I feel we get requested from small niche companies to assist them with their production needs.

Do USA beef grinding companies seem to have a problem getting beef?

From the reports that I see and read, it appears the herds are growing and increasing. I have not heard from anyone that it is tough to get raw materials to keep their lines going.

When it comes to grinders, is bigger, better, and faster always the best bet?

It’s generally not an issue regarding grinder 38 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

speed. It can be an issue, however, of how you get product to the grinder and get it away. If the feeding system cannot bring product quick enough, the grinder will run empty. If the grinder is fed at a proper rate (this is dependent on a number of variables), the next step in production needs to be able to handle the rate of product coming to it.

It is – and has always seemed to be – a tight wire act to make sure the process/production stream isn’t starving or caught with excessive product.

Sometimes bigger is better, but most times bigger causes issues. Companies keep asking us for bigger and faster grinders and we're making them, running our factory on a 24 hour a day schedule. Like I said though, can the rest of your line keep up? You have to remember: your line is only as fast as its slowest link.

With successful grinding companies, what are the things that they’re doing to create their success?

Cost control and preventative maintenance schedules are the keys to success. Understanding the normal wear and tear on the machines and how to properly take care of them will keep any company grinding with a profit and meeting their production requirements. The issues that arise, if meat is coming out of the end of the grinder, little to nothing is given to the maintenance team on how to repair, adjust or fix a machine. The production team has requirements that need to be met and they want to meet their daily goals. To keep a company running at peak performance, they need to have good communication with their team allowing all equipment to run to the manufacturer’s specifications.

What are the biggest mistakes you see companies doing?

The opposite of what the successful companies are doing. Not making preventative maintenance www.meatpacking.info

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a priority is a big one; it costs you little to keep up with it, or it will cost you a lot if you let it go. When we install new equipment we go over with the customer a PM schedule and a course we have spare parts on hand to ship out right away if anything goes wrong. Other things I see are companies having poor communication between the team – someone usually knows when a piece of equipment needs to be serviced or repaired, but do they pass this information along? Does the production side talk to the maintenance side?

You were seen at the recent IFFA trade show in Frankfurt. Do you think it’s easier for a foreign company to enter the US market or the other way around?

I think it is tough regardless of what direction you are going. When it comes to the agreements that have been made with countries for importing/ exporting and the strength of the US dollar compared to the market space you’re wanting to sell to dictates if you can make the sale.

Are there any areas of the world where you see a future demand for grinders?

I am seeing a demand for us in the Middle East.

We have only begun to tap this region and it has been rather exciting from my perspective to watch this area grow in the current state of the region.

You’re Midwest born, raised, and educated – a region of the USA that the coastal States refer to as the ‘fly-over-States’. What is the appeal of the Midwest?

The folks from NYC and LA aren’t here – that’s a big appeal. I’ve done both and prefer the “fly over States.” It’s a different pace of life in our area that suits us well. We seem to be a little more simple and relaxed with a kick ass work ethic producing some of the greatest products in the world; we are even-keel and we like it that way. If you aren’t from here, you often wonder when we got electricity or flush toilets, just as I wonder when will those folks living on the coasts will realize that this is the best part of what this country has to offer.

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Nothing can upset the chicken applecart It remains a good time to be in the chicken business globally, with consumption rising everywhere, especially in the USA. However, if you’re a producer and hoping that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will make you ever richer, think again. MPJ reports

40 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

www.meatpacking.info

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C

hicken remains a world favorite with few obstacles on the horizon to change this trend until at least 2025, says FAO. It’s not that FAO is anticipating a downturn then, it’s just when its projection ends.

Global production is forecast to increase one percent to a record 89.7 million tons on expansion by most major traders, says USDA’s FAS. Brazil is expected to continue expanding on higher exports. Reduced supplies of imported breeding stock, driven by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) related trade restrictions, will put downward pressure on production in China. Russian production will continue expanding but at a slower pace due to a struggling economy and rising production costs.

Exports by major traders are forecast to rebound 5 percent to a record 10.8 million tons. Shipments will increase by the top two suppliers, Brazil and the United States, which account for two-thirds of world trade. Poultry exports will be driven by increased market access, partial removal of trade restrictions on US poultry from the 2015 HPAI outbreak, robust Chinese demand, and a continued weak Brazilian real.

In the States, chicken consumption is at a 3-year high right now with nine in 10 (92 percent) consumers saying they purchase chicken on a regular basis – ranging from every couple of months to daily – surpassing levels set in 2014 and 2015. This is according to a new survey commissioned by the National Chicken Council (NCC), with funding provided by Elanco and WATT Global Media.

The demand for chicken in the US shows no signs of slowing down as consumers anticipate eating more chicken from supermarkets and food service establishments (21 percent and 14 percent, respectively) over the next 12 months.

"People are buying more chicken than last year and plan to buy more next year. Chicken tops the list of protein being consumed most often per week," says Tom Super, NCC senior vice president of communications. "And while retail sales continue to be strong, the survey shows that more people are eating chicken away from home, which is good news for chicken producers, food service establishments and the overall economy.”

Key drivers of purchase regardless of channel are freshness, taste and price. Across the board, consumers are satisfied with freshness and taste.

Satisfaction with price differs by channel with food service establishments experiencing moderate satisfaction levels while satisfaction with price at supermarkets is quite low.

By retail channel, 87 percent of consumers ate a chicken meal or snack purchased from a supermarket and 72 percent ate a chicken meal or www.meatpacking.info

snack from a food service establishment within the two weeks prior to the study being conducted in 2016. Though the level of consumption of chicken from supermarkets remains nearly even with that of the previous year, consumption of chicken from food service establishments rose 7.5 percent from 2015.

Slightly more that half of those surveyed said it was important that the chicken they purchased had no antibiotics ever/antibiotic free. However, the survey report did not mention if by “antibiotics” it meant those also used by humans. When it was specific to animal-only antibiotics used, only around a quarter said that this could influence them buying chicken.

Half of those surveyed said it was important that their chicken was locally raised and 46 percent said it was important to have Country of Origin on the label. Despite various groups and companies in the USA raising concern about the time it takes to grow a chicken maturity (see Slow growth = Slow profits in this same issue), only a very small minority of seven percent said they were extremely concerned about this perceived problem.

While ‘price’ was asked in the survey if this was a factor when buying chicken at a supermarket (30 percent said yes), the survey did not ask if survey participants were willing to pay more for chicken which checked off all of their concerns such as the birds being raised in an environmentally sustainable manner, reduced carbon footprint for production method, etc.

In one surprising part of the survey, it showed that the USDA and other government agencies was the preferred method of finding out about chicken.

Celebrity chefs and celebrity health experts were way down at the bottom of the list.

Confusion remains regarding the meaning of phrases such as “sustainably raised chickens”.

While approximately half associate the phrase with environmental impact, nearly one-third associate the phrase with no hormones, no antibiotics or chickens being treated humanely.

Chicken Restaurants

C

hicken brands are among the fastest growing of all US restaurant chains, according to a new report from Technomic.

Last year-to-year chicken industry sales climbed eight percent and Technomic predicts that the chicken industry will sustain that growth rate for 2016. Consumers are visiting these chickentheme restaurants looking for “better-for-you takes on an American favorite” ranging from neverfrozen chicken tenders to marinated grilled chicken, says Technomic.

Of special mention Technomic cites three limited-service chains which are doing outstanding September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 41

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through either innovative menu items or what it refers to as “eclectic ambiance.” Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers was noted for its simple, approachable menu offering fresh food in a familyfriendly atmosphere with sales up 26 percent in 2015 compared with 2014.

The PDQ chain is expanding from its southern base into the north and western US, having posted year-over-year sales growth of 61 percent. Nando’s also reported a 33-percent sales increase as it continued to expand its peri-peri (a South African hot pepper) chicken restaurants in more US states, primarily in the East coast, and in Canada and Australia.

South African-based Nando’s is one of the UK’s leading restaurant chains. Many are wondering if it will be able to duplicate its success in the States.

trade deal on hold

W

hat was so close for US poultry producers that they could taste it was a trade deal involving 12 Pacific Rim nations. However, with both US presidential candidates coming out not in favor of the deal, it seems unlikely to be ratified during the final months of President Barack Obama’s administration.

According to the USDA, US exports of poultry to the TPP countries (Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam) face tariffs as high as 240 percent.

Under the deal, tariffs across the TPP region would be cut, offering new market access opportunities to US poultry producers and exporters. In 2014 the United States exported almost $3 billion of poultry and poultry products to the TPP region. While this sounds like great business, without the TPP agreement US poultry exporter will face a growing competitive disadvantage because Australia, New Zealand, and the ASEAN countries are able to export poultry and poultry products to Vietnam at lower tariff rates due to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.

For more on the TPP, read this issue’s News.

42 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

www.meatpacking.info

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www.meatpacking.info

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 43

YOUR CHALLENGES OUR SOLUTIONS The world population continues to grow and the level of prosperity in upcoming markets is increasing rapidly.

Global demand for animal protein is expected to grow accordingly. More mouths to feed means major market opportunities for your business, but it also brings serious challenges. How can you feed the world responsibly without jeopardizing your competitive edge and business continuity?

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Slow growth slow profits After years of breeding chickens for quick growth and weight, there is a trend now to produce slow-grow chicken. But if you’re tempted to jump on the bandwagon, think again, warns MPJ

F

rom a pure business perspective, it sounds like a no-brainer. You can either grow broilers that mature in about 42 to 45 days and are extremely popular with retailers, consumers, and restaurant chains. Or, you can produce slow-growing chicken – reaching maturity in 55 to 90+ days depending on breed – which will consume more feed and water, produce more waste, have a greater chance of becoming diseased or injured, be more difficult to process, and will cost consumers more, limiting sales to highend markets.

While the correct choice seems obvious, there are still some producers who are beginning to take a serious look a slow-growth birds.

While this is far from being a new idea – France’s Label Rouge has been promoting slow-grow poultry since 1965 – Right: A Hubbard Classic fast-grow bird

www.meatpacking.info

there has been over the past several years a growing demand for slow-growth raised animals coming from well-healed consumers who believe animals raised in such a fashion tend to be grown in a more humane, natural manner, and their flesh tastes better.

Companies jumping onboard include Whole Foods Markets, Starbucks, and Bon Appetit Management who are pushing suppliers to the limit in providing slowgrow chickens.

And it’s just not the USA or Europe experiencing this demand. In Australia, slowgrow chicken breeder Michael Sommerlad birds can sell for up to AU$25 a kilo ($19), or about AU$50 ($38) a bird. By comparison, chicken sold at Australian chain Cole’s is about AU$4.70 ($3.60) a kilo.

Sommerlad told The Australian that while the industry plays to the low-price market, not everyone wants a low-price bird.

He says that there are people who primarily want the culinary experience, others are interested in the traceability and connection with their food, and some who are passionately concerned about the welfare of the animals they eat.

In a taste test conducted by MPJ, an oven September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 45

sasso

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Above: A Sasso Label Rouge slow-grow chicken and (R) a Sasso T44 slow-grow bird

roasted slow-growth organic chicken did have more flavor than a leading supermarket’s ‘economyrange’ chicken cooked in a similar manner. In addition, its flesh was less watery, it seemed to have less fat, and the flesh was firmer – bordering on tough – when it came to the breasts.

However, the slow-raised bird cost just shy of four times as much as the economy model, and the way most consumers cook chicken, the fact that this bird was ideal for a Sunday roast means little.

Throughout the western world few families eat around a dinner table every night, and even fewer families have a member at home who can dedicated two or more hours to watch over a roasting chicken.

As any trip to the supermarket will show you, consumers in North America, western Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Japan buy chicken parts for use in recipes which cook very quickly and are then heavily smothered in sauces, such as various Indian, Mexican, or Chinese. A chicken bred and raised for taste goes to waste with these dishes.

Eating chicken out is similar, with most chicken coming to the restaurant table as parts covered in sauce. Even supermarket rotisserie whole chickens are most times dependent on their marinade for flavor.

Whole Foods Market – also referred to as ‘Whole Paycheck’ due to its high prices – expects its transition to selling slower growing chicken breeds exclusively in its fresh poultry aisle will take around eight years, with the hold-up blamed on a lack of suppliers. These chickens will be raised to the Global 46 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Animal Partnership (GAP) 5-Step Rating Program’s comprehensive farm animal welfare standards.

“At GAP, our goal is to improve the welfare of farm animals,” says Anne Malleau, executive director for GAP. “By addressing fast growth, we will be getting to the root of the welfare problem facing chickens today, implementing this transition will require significant work, but we are confident we can get there.”

According to GAP, 98 percent of all chicken breeds in the USA today are of fast-growth varieties. But its 5-Step plan will “dramatically improve chicken welfare and specifically address the many issues resulting from fast-growing breeds by: Lowering maximum stocking density: equal to or less than 6 lbs/sq. ft (roughly 25 percent more space than conventional chickens Requiring slower growing birds: genetic potential growth rate equal to less than 50g per day averaged over the growth cycle (around 23 percent slower than conventional chickens) Improving existing enrichment provisions to include natural light, straw bales, perches, and pecking substrates – all denied to conventionally raised broilers.

GAP claims that more than 600 chicken farms currently use its standards, affecting the lives of 277 million chickens annually. “Whole Foods Market’s quality standards for meat have been guiding us in providing high quality meat to our customers for years,” says Theo Weening, global www.meatpacking.info

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Table 1. I Grow Fast Chicken Breed

Live bird weight

Cobb 500

6.3 lb (2857g)

Ross 308

6.2 lb (2809g)

Ross 798

5.9 lb (2678g)

Hubbard Classic

5.8 lb (2652g)

Source: Aviagen, Hubbard, Cobb-Vantress

Table 2. I Grow Slow Chicken Breed

Live bird weight

CobbSasso

3.7 lb (1686g)

Sasso T88

2.8 lb (1290g)

Rowen Ranger

2.3 lb (1045g)

Sasso T44

2.0 lb (895g)

Source: Aviagen, Cobb-Vantress

meat buyer for Whole Foods. “Since 2011, we have used Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step animal welfare rating to provide our customers with additional standards around animal welfare for the meat they buy which affects freshness, quality, and flavor.”

If this still seems like a brilliant idea to you, consider this. Going by restaurant sales alone – which outside of a few bright stars are either flatlining or dropping – the USA, UK, and other parts of Europe could be heading towards a recession, caused in part by uncertainties surrounding the US national election and the UK voting to leave the EU. Unless you revel in being a maverick, it’s the wrong time to be producing expensive chicken.

Still interested? Whole Foods Market continues to be hit by a sales slowdown and has just experienced another quarter of weak sales amid stiff competition and declining food prices in the USA. According to the Wall Street Journal, the grocer has slashed prices, offered discounts, and launched a pilot loyalty rewards program that is one of the standards of traditional supermarkets. It’s even coming out with a new series of stores called ‘365’ which will be smaller and offer products at more affordable prices than its flagship markets.

While Whole Foods is not the only player in town that sells high-end ‘natural’ products, the fact that it’s not doing as well as expected should put caution in investors looking for the next big thing.

MPJ’s advice is this: before you go into slow-grow animal protein of any kind, do your homework and make sure your market can sustain another chicken being sold for 25 bucks. This just might be a market where it’s better not to rush to be on the ground floor but, instead take a waitand-see attitude. www.meatpacking.info

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More profit from poultry rendered oil

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aniel Sabo, Ph.D., is an expert in the synthesis, characterization, and application of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). A research scientist with the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP), Sabo is improving the quality and shelf life of rendered oil by using MNPs to capture and separate troublesome free fatty acids (FFAs) from oil systems.

He recently discussed his ongoing research in a Q&A with ATRP’s PoultryTech newsletter.

What is the goal of the project?

Rendered oil from poultry byproducts is typically used for animal feed. Secondary protein nutrients (SPN), also called dissolved air floatation (DAF) skimmings, have a high oil content, but also contain large amounts of free fatty acids (FFAs), particularly after rendering. This limits the usefulness of SPN as a raw material for the range of products typically supplied. Hexane is often used to extract residual oil, but the method does not separate the oil from the FFAs. The goal of the project is to develop a low-cost and efficient method to remove FFAs from the oil using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs).

How does the method work?

The MNPs remove the FFAs from oil based on a chemisorption principle. Chemisorption produces a chemical reaction between a surface and any substance on the surface.

In this case, the MNPs collect the FFAs in the oil.

Specifically, the surface of the MNPs is known to

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exhibit a high affinity for carboxylic acids, including fatty acids. This high affinity is the property that is exploited to remove FFAs from oil systems. All FFAs include a specific property that will chemisorb to the particle surface. Once the particles are removed from the oil using a magnet, the FFAs attached to the surface will also be removed, thus lowering the FFA level in the oil.

What are the advantages of the method?

We use MNPs that are synthesized under very controlled conditions to capture FFAs efficiently from oil systems. By controlling the synthesis of the MNPs a higher surface area-to-volume ratio is achieved, resulting in higher FFA removal. The magnetic response of the nanoparticles allows for faster capture from the oil.

An added benefit is that it is easy to regenerate the surface of the MNPs, and the chemical stability of the nanoparticles allows the MNPs to be reused more times before replacement MNPs are required.

Another advantage of this method is the ability to remove FFAs from oil systems without the use of harsh chemicals, which eliminates traditional waste streams. Since FFAs have intrinsic value themselves, the ability to strip them from the nanoparticles and use them in other industries is beneficial.

What are the initial testing results?

We have tested the MNPs with a variety of oils including olive oil, a low-FFA fat, and brown grease. In each, we were able to improve the percentage of FFAs removed by using the MNPs. For poultry processing, in particular, the brown grease FFA level was reduced from an unacceptable level of 5% to a desired level of 3.6% with only a 4% weight loading of MNPs. We were able to reduce the FFA level even more with a 10% weight www.meatpacking.info

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loading of MNPs, resulting in a 55% FFA removal rate (5% down to 2.3%). The industry standard states FFA content has to be below 4% for stabilized pet food poultry fat. The lower the FFA, the better for shelf life and oil quality.

We are excited that our initial tests showed successful removal of FFA from poultry oil, demonstrating that it is possible to take a lowquality product and turn it into a higher value product using MNPs. In fact, we have filed an invention disclosure on the method.

What are the project’s next steps?

We just recently discovered that heating the oil system almost doubled its FFA removal capacity, so we plan to test the effect of temperature on system optimization. We also plan to test the effect of particle size on the adsorption capacity of the MNP system and finalize the optimization process. www.meatpacking.info

Lastly, we hope to scale up the testing and begin prototype development of a FFA removal system using MNPs. What are the potential benefits for industry?

The ability to remove problematic FFAs from rendered oil and DAF skimmings would provide renderers more product mix flexibility. The processors would, in turn, receive better quality animal feed while also having a byproduct material with a higher value.

The extraction of FFAs would provide a significant benefit, particularly for the poultry and allied industries. Notably, from 2011-2014, the average price of poultry oil decreased from $990 per metric ton to $660. It would be a benefit to the renderer to be able to have more options regarding markets for the rendered oil.

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leasons from Bell & Evans’ new plant Lessons from state-of-the-art chicken packaging, further processing and storage facility, reports Kevin Keen of Stellar engineering

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amily-owned premium poultry processor Bell & Evans has remained at the front of its industry’s flock by prioritizing high quality from all angles – from its antibiotic-free chicken to the materials and processes within its facilities. The most recent example of this commitment? A 160,000-square-foot, stateof-the-art chicken packaging, further processing, par-fry and storage plant in its hometown of Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania.

Stellar was the design-builder for the poultry plant project and found it to be unlike any other project we’ve been a part of. This new facility is infused with cutting edge innovation and durability inside and out, from its materials and finishes to its packaging process.

First, let’s examine the history of some of Bell & Evans’ poultry innovations. The company nabbed Food Engineering’s 2005 “Plant of the Year” thanks to an evolutionary, multi-phase air chill system which allows Bell & Evans to utilize interval-based enhanced air flow rather than a traditional water bath.

Most processors submerge their chicken in a water bath including chlorine and other chemical additives to decrease the temperature as fast as possible. However, the chicken generally retains up to 15 percent of the water it’s soaked in, resulting in added water weight and lower quality chicken.

Due to this retainage, most processors’ poultry packaging includes a ‘diaper’ to absorb any leakage that may occur. The diaper looks like a piece of white cotton placed under the chicken’s 50 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Styrofoam platter. However, Bell & Evans never uses a diaper since in this new facility, complex Multivac packaging lines produce a proprietary poultry package that has absolutely no water leakage.

five lessons for processors

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he need for this chicken packaging, further processing, and storage facility spurred from Bell & Evans’ commitment to growing its business among its existing customer base: an elite group including Whole Foods and Wegmans, among others. Bell & Evans would expand its packaging and storage operations by building this plant. There are some key lessons processors can take away from this particular project, outlined below: Invest in your business’ future by focusing on durability Bell & Evans is a family-owned business. Because owner Scott Sechler’s children are in the food processing business and the fact Sechler is committed to running Bell & Evans as a family business for years to come, he wanted this plant to look new for the next 50 years — or at least close to it.

Most food plants nowadays begin to look aged in less than a decade’s time whether it’s due to faded floors or worn fixtures. Not here.

Bell & Evans opted for the highest quality equipment and finishes to withstand the test of time, including: www.meatpacking.info

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Acid brick flooring is installed throughout the processing areas for its durability against corrosion Freezer floors are insulated with six inches of extruded polystyrene beneath the concrete to prevent frost heave EMS personnel doors sourced from Pansorf, Germany have a frame that, if the jamb becomes damaged, can be replaced while leaving the entire door intact (versus a typical door, which would require complete replacement).

Sanitation systems and procedures employ hot water and hand scrubbing rather than caustic chemicals to be gentler on equipment Exterior walls constructed of Thermomass precast concrete increase the longevity of the building, utilizing an installation technique that ensure the integrity of the building envelope and maintain superior thermal rating

conventions, such as Anuga FoodTec in Cologne, Germany, IFFA in Frankfurt, Interpack in Düsseldorf and the SIAL food innovation show in Paris.

Through such extensive exposure to European innovations, Sechler realized that some of the best quality food processing equipment can be found abroad. And for this new plant, quality was the priority. As a result, Sechler sourced equipment and materials from countries all over the world, including: Multivac lines, EMS doors and KUKA robots from Germany Rotary scales from Japan An automated case-erecting, case-packing, case-sealing, case-delivery and palletizing system from Spain Packaging films from Italy

Expand your horizons by looking to overseas innovations

Often, improvement begins by looking inward.

Before setting out to gather the pieces for their new plant, Bell & Evans examined its existing plant to see what was working and what was not.

Pinpointing areas for improvement allowed them to determine exactly what kind of innovations they needed before the search even began.

Sechler began taking trips to Europe when he was a teenager – he estimates he’s made the trek across the Atlantic 40 to 50 times. What’s he doing over there so often? Attending food trade shows and www.meatpacking.info

Learn from your existing facilities

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Bell & Evans found that the personnel doors in its existing facility presented room for the most improvement. Too often, these doors weren’t closing properly, or were left ajar so that employees could move about the facility more quickly. The solution to this? EMS doors from Germany, which are not only easier to open and close, but also create a tighter seal to prevent air leakage between spaces.

The forklift doors also exhibited issues in an older facility: they were bruised and battered from not being able to open fast enough. For the new plant, the team selected stainless steel Enviro IXP doors that open 66 inches-per-second faster than typical forklift doors.

However, as important as it is to fix what isn’t working, it’s also beneficial to continue what is. In this case, it was the existing plant’s acid brick floors. Bell & Evans realized the value in their durability, hygiene and low-maintenance advantages. Thus, acid brick flooring was installed throughout the new plant’s processing areas.

Design an environment that makes your employees want to come to work every day Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania is a small township, home to a population less than 1,000. Needless to say, Bell & Evans is a big part of it, which is why Sechler wanted to make the new plant something both the community and his employees could enjoy.

From the outside in, the building doesn’t look like a typical food processing plant. The front of the facility is brimmed with a large-entrance canopy overhanging an employee courtyard area. Yellow metal columns are spiked beneath the canopy, while a mix of yellow and white shadow boxes adorn the front-facing glass windows, which are dipped in a blue glaze. An immaculate wing wall (an aesthetic addition) breaks up the courtyard and the employee cafeteria located inside the building.

Features in the plant’s main entrance and lobby set the tone for the enjoyable environment Sechler wants associated with Bell & Evans: The lobby’s walls are adorned with oversized porcelain tile, rather than plain drywall The floors are painted with a customized epoxy paint chip mix featuring the company colors A frosted glass partition is situated in the grand, first-floor employee conference room, separating the large space into smaller areas for employee training The bathrooms are designed with high-end fixtures, including granite trough sinks 8×8-feet windows overlooking the plant processing area give the offices a modern, artistic flare An outside courtyard area is designated for employees taking breaks or who wish to enjoy their lunches in the great outdoors www.meatpacking.info

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Reduce downtime through automation and sanitation planning Every food plant is focused on efficiency – and Bell & Evans’ latest endeavor was no exception.

Bell & Evans processes and packages both organic and raised-without-antibiotics (RWA) poultry. Separating the two in this plant is done rather easily, thanks to the variability of the Multivacs. The same Mutlivac line can be used for both RWA and organic poultry without bearing the risk of cross-contamination. Earlier shifts are dedicated to organic product, while later shifts are dedicated to RWA, allowing the two to be completely separated, while maintaining an efficient production process easily managed by plant supervisors.

Another example of efficiency is seen in the plant’s secondary packaging. For Bell & Evans’ secondary packaging, Bell & Evans turned to Tavil, a Barcelona-based manufacturer, to create a 75-percent automated case-erecting, case-packing and case-sealing system. Due to it’s complexity, the system took more than a year to design, and more than two months to install – but the wait was worth it. The system is equipped with two modules that can produce four different box types automatically down the line. It runs continuously without the need for user interface thanks to Tavil’s proprietary software coded from scratch.

After the packaged product is put into secondary packaging, state-of-the-art subarctic, graded robots (from KUKA, a company located in Germany) palletize the finished cases in the cooler: an especially unique feature. This method is more efficient and is better for product integrity because it keeps the product temperatures as cool as possible for as long as possible.

From floor to ceiling, and everything in between, Bell & Evans’ new packaging, storage and further processing plant is as innovative as they come.

As a showcase facility that virtually redefines quality, it offers plenty of useful insight for poultry processors.

Using cutting edge equipment and materials from all over the world, Bell & Evans ensured their new plant would not only be of the highest-quality today, but that it would remain so for decades to come.

More information can be found on Stellar’s found 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 selfperformed services, including planning, design, preconstruction, construction, refrigeration, mechanical and utility, building envelop, and total operations and maintenance services. Visit Stellar’s website at stellar.net.

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www.meatpacking.info

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Split pack reduces wastes and saves time

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ere is the reality: in the west family sizes are getting smaller. There are many singles living alone or couples choosing to either delay or permanently put off having children. Yet most supermarket packaging as yet to catch on to this and in particular, chicken pieces.

One leading supermarket chain is only offering boneless/skinless thighs in packs of eight; packs of chicken legs look like they came off a millipede, and even breasts are sold to feed a family of eight.

Due to a variety of reasons, fresh chicken packs do not come in an easy open/ close option, leaving consumers with the choice of either decanting the pack into smaller parcels and freezing what they’re not going to eat at that meal, or what happens in the majority of the time, the uncooked chicken stays in the now opened pack in the fridge and by the end of the week finds itself in the garbage can.

With the first method, its easy for Campylobacter bacteria to spread as raw chicken is moved from package to package; with the second, more waste enters landfills.

Now in the UK supermarket chain Tesco, in working with poultry suppler Cargill and packaging suppler Linpac, is using a new style of packaging which is two packs connected by a tear seal between them. This gives customers an easy storage solution by either freezing or refrigerating the stillwww.meatpacking.info

sealed second portion.

“We’ve redeveloped our chicken fillet packaging to help our customers keep food fresher for longer and by doing so, assist in reducing food waste,” says Matt Simister, Tesco’s commercial director for fresh food and commodities. “Our 300 gram (about 10.5oz) two-portion chicken fillets will come in a packet that has a separate compartment for each fillet, with a tear seal between the two. This will enable customers to ‘eat one and keep one’ which we hope will help them reduce food waste at home.

“By eating one and keeping one, we are allowing our customers to retain a fully sealed pack in the fridge which keeps the product fresher. This provides an easier storage solution for people to either freeze or refrigerate the other.”

Ben Elkingston from LInpac believes that this is an excellent product development and shows what can happen when the user, provider, and supplier work together. He says that Linpac received a brief from Tesco which got the whole development started.

“For a processor wishing to use this packaging there are no real modifications which have to be made to existing packaging equipment except for the sealing head,” says Elkingston.

Tesco’s is the first retailer in the UK to launch this pack. It says it will not be charging a premium to its customers for the pack, compared to existing packaging. “Tesco will be absorbing the extra production costs because we want to help our customers reduce food waste without asking them to pay more,” says Simister.

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Think new to drive demand Packaging has a tendency to be very matter-of-fact, lacking a certain degree of excitement, but a new way the leading British supermarket chain is presenting chicken hits the excitement button with a mallet. MPJ reports on the latest developments in packaging.

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nnovation in poultry packaging is driving change in the sector as packers and retailers look for more sustainable and novel solutions to maximize sales, according to Alan Davey, innovation director, at fresh food packaging manufacturer, Linpac.

Traditionally, polypropylene (PP) has been the material of choice for poultry packaging in several parts of Europe, but limitations in terms of its environmental credentials, barrier performance and shelf appeal have resulted in increased demand for Rfresh PET packaging.

“Changing consumer lifestyles and heightened awareness of environmental issues, such as food and packaging waste, are behind this shift from PP to Rfresh PET packaging,” says Davey.

“PET has been a popular choice for poultry packaging for some time but the full range of benefits that the material has over PP are only just beginning to be recognized by packers and retailers.

Beyond the aesthetic benefits given by PET’s clarity and sparkle, lie environmental credentials and much better gas barrier performance. But PET also introduces greater production efficiencies to packing lines.”

Trays manufactured using rPET laminated to PE can be sealed at reduced temperatures in comparison to PP trays and as a result use less energy. For example, to seal 70 million PP trays at 200°C requires 196,000kWh of energy compared to 131,000kWh to seal the same number of rPET/PE trays at 150°C. Environmentally, rPET fulfils the criteria for creating a circular economy by conserving resources and reducing waste. At Linpac, a wide range of PET/PE and rPET/PE poultry trays are manufactured that are fully compatible with existing packing and sealing lines and available with complementary lidding films.

PET is more suited to the demands of a global supply chain, offering a significantly improved gas barrier compared to PP, enhancing the shelf life of poultry contained within and helping to minimize food waste both in-store and at the consumer level.

“Barrier performance is increased by up to 50 times when using PET packaging,” says

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Davey. “While consumers may be shopping more frequently, the supply chain is becoming more complex so it is imperative that packaging helps to retain product freshness so that poultry looks appealing once it reaches the supermarket shelf.”

Research has shown that consumers spend three times longer choosing their meat and poultry in store, in order to assess its freshness, compared to other food items. PET aides purchasing decisions by offering crystal clear tray presentation compared to the cloudy appearance of PP. However, this clarity can also present a challenge for retailers as poultry isn’t always attractive in its raw state.

“As a result, innovation in poultry packaging is currently very much focused on improving on-shelf appearance through the use of high quality graphics, novel shapes and sizes, as well as encouraging purchasing by promoting convenience and ease of use. Generally, consumers dislike handling raw meat, particularly poultry, so any type of packaging which promotes a ‘happy chicken story’ and minimizes handling in the kitchen is liked by shoppers, particularly in view of the latest Campylobacter scares,” says Davy.

New technologies and innovations for the poultry market include ‘straight-to-oven’ bags, flexible flow packs, vacuum skin packaging (VSP), packs complete with complementary sauces, laminated back boards or trays which offer traditional designs helping to present poultry as farm fresh or organic.

For example, the Linpac range of Rfresh rPET ‘split packs’ help to reduce food waste and tap into the consumer need for convenience. The packs allow contents to be divided into separate portionsize compartments so that consumers can store food in the fridge for longer without compromising food safety (see Split pack reduces wastes and saves time’ in same feature).

Davey says: “The drive towards sustainable packaging is already changing the poultry packaging sector – the move from PP to PET is evidence of that – but as retailers look beyond environmental credentials to boost sales of poultry products it appears that innovative pack design, on-pack graphics and added value packaging that offers increased convenience will be critical factors.

www.meatpacking.info

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Packaging Tough trays Novipax, a leading US producer of absorbent pads and trays, says its processor trays have the strength to withstand the most rigorous, high-speed packaging demands in the industry today.

“Novipax processor trays feature the durability and safety for protecting your product – an ideal solution for poultry processing applications– while providing increased consumer appeal,” says the company. Available pre-padded with Novipax absorbent pads, its processor trays offer “superior machinability to reduce downtime and improve efficiency,” according to the company.

Novipax says its processor trays enable processed packaged food products to maintain visual, textural and nutritional appeal while also helping to extend the shelf life of food products without the need to add chemical preservatives and stabilizers.

These processor trays are available in a variety of colors, sizes and absorbency ranges to meet any specific need. With end-to-end packaging and support services, Novipax serves more than 150 food processors, supermarkets and food-packaging distributors.

Proseal extends reach Leading heat sealing specialist Proseal has further extended its global footprint with the appointment of new agents in Spain, the Middle East, South Africa, and Thailand. This expansion adds to the company's existing worldwide representation, which includes subsidiary companies in the USA, Australia, and agents in Holland, Chile, Poland, Turkey and Ireland, giving it a presence on every continent except Antarctica.

Proseal says its drive into overseas markets reflects the continuing growth in demand for convenience foods and the resulting requirement for fast and efficient packing solutions.

“Our unrivalled knowledge of markets and our extensive product portfolio mean we are ideally placed to help businesses worldwide make the most of the growing opportunities in the convenience sector,” explains Tony Burgess, head of sales and control systems at Proseal. “A key focus for all these applications is on food quality and safety, and delivering extended shelf life.”

www.meatpacking.info

Packaging for Campy A new poultry cooking bag created by Ulma Packaging is reducing the incidents of consumers getting ill from Campylobacter.

Retailers and poultry suppliers are under increasing pressure to reduce the risk of harmful bacteria to consumers following concerns over Campylobacter – the most common cause of food poisoning affecting – usually found on raw or undercooked poultry. .

One solution for countering the campylobacter bug is cookin-the-bag packaging for whole birds which eliminates the need for the raw product to be handled. It is also extremely convenient for the consumer as the whole chicken can go straight into the oven from the shelf.

Ulma Packaging was engaged by a major supplier of fresh chicken to deliver flow wrapping and tray sealing equipment for the new oven usable packs required by a major high street supermarket for a variety of products.

Simon Millar, Ulma’s business manager machine sales, says: “The bottom line is that consumers don’t have to touch the product, which reduces the risk of campylobacter. You literally put the bird into the packaging machine for sealing and the material wrapped around the chicken has a receptive element to it for the consumer to cook it in the bag.”

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Seven steps to selecting frying equipment

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Frying is one of the fastest heat transfer methods available for cooking a wide variety of applications including meat, poultry, and snack foods. In today’s market, however, consumer demand is becoming much more discerning and refined – consumers not only look for food that’s readily available, they want products that taste great, and exhibit a desirable color, texture and smell for a complete sensory experience. Joseph Mistretta, general manager at Foodesign, reports

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mplementing the right frying and processing equipment is an effective way to achieve what consumers want and this can add considerable value to food products. For example, frying processes can give foods a crisp and firm outer coating, while keeping the inside tender and juicy, a texture combination that appeals to consumers. Intense flavors can also be obtained via frying due to the caramelization of the sugars present in food.

The selection of frying machinery, however, is a multi-faceted decision and manufacturers must make sure they identify the frying system that best suits their needs. This will encompass functional and operational requirements, marketing and consumer needs, as well as legislative regulations regarding food safety and hygiene. Specifying a production line should also be considered in the context of developments in the market, since the machinery must be able to contend with or adapt to ever changing consumer demands.

focus on the product

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inding the best solution for the product or product range that is going to be processed is essential. The type of product, its sensory qualities and physical dimensions all have to be considered when selecting a frying system. Depending on the type of food category, there may be special considerations as each type of product has its own set of attributes, unique structure, weight, surface texture, and topography which will determine the processing requirements. Snack foods, like potato chips and tortilla chips, for example, will have entirely different processing requirements from more complex products, such as battered or breaded meats. As such, flexibility in design is key when it comes to catering for different cooking profiles.

While frying and processing equipment must be suitable for handling the special types of food products, it should also be customized to fulfill requirements for taste, texture and visual appeal.

However, the level of customization will depend on the desired attributes of the end product. www.meatpacking.info

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Continuous frying, for example, is more suitable for regular potato chips which are typically light in color, crispy and finely textured. These attributes come from the potato chips being continually processed, for a short amount of time at very high temperatures.

In contrast, the batch frying process cooks thicker potato slices or other root vegetables for a longer period of time at lower temperatures, producing high quality chips that are crunchier and darker in appearance. In both continuous and batch frying, maintaining precise temperature control is key for perfecting the cooking process.

It is therefore important to identify the optimum product attributes from the outset so that food processing systems can be customized to fulfill these pre-determined requirements.

In addition, the desired production rate must be established to determine the appropriate fryer size and type. Typically, batch frying systems can handle capacities of up to 272 kilograms per hour. However, the batch-by-batch nature of the process can limit product throughput efficiency.

In order to overcome this challenge, installing two or more machines in the process can help food manufacturers to maintain a continuous flow of production.

Oil Management

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il is one of the most important food processing ingredients on the production line, and one of the most expensive. As such, any steps processors

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Above: Foodesign batch frier

can take to reduce loss or wastage of oil can make a significant difference to profitability. Optimizing oil life is an essential part of this process and welldesigned frying systems should address a variety of needs, including maintaining oil integrity.

When frying battered or breaded products, cooking oil can quickly degrade due to the fragile coating breaking away from the product. The debris left in the fryer can burn and carbonize, contributing to oil degradation. This not only damages the quality of the oil but also disrupts cooking efficiency, makes it harder to clean the fryer and ultimately compromises product quality in terms of taste, appearance and shelf life. Frying with degraded oil can also trigger serious healthrelated side effects caused by the increased levels of fatty acids, oxidized lipids and acrylomides in the end product.

To maintain oil quality, the excess particles left behind from coated or sliced products need to be removed from the oil via a filtration system. If these pieces remain in the oil, they will not only reduce oil quality, but also have a significant impact on fryer efficiency.

Oil pick-up and oil turnover are additional considerations when it comes to oil management.

In most frying operations the free fatty acid level of the cooking oil will rise to an unacceptable level if the total volume of oil in the system cannot be turned over within a set amount of time. Turnover occurs by the pick-up of oil into the products as they pass through the fryer. Depending on their physical characteristics, most products absorb www.meatpacking.info

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oil during the initial stages of frying, lowering optimum oil levels. Potato slices take on 23 percent of the oil, meaning 77 percent remains after frying – this oil must be replenished with fresh oil to return levels to 100 percent. Efficient oil turnover via fresh oil infeed is therefore critical to maintain low free fatty acid levels and optimum oil volume.

The most innovative frying technology incorporates continuous filtration systems to help remove particulate material from the fryer during cooking. Typically, the oil is passed through a filtering system to remove both large and fine particles. The filtered oil is then blended with fresh oil and pumped back into the machine to return oil levels to the optimum level. This ensures that the product is cooked in the freshest oil, assisting manufacturers to produce fried goods of the highest possible quality.

controls and monitoring

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esigning processing systems with integrated controls and monitoring solutions from the outset puts efficiency at the core of operations. Across the

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entire food industry, production lines have become increasingly complex with more and more components integrated into the same network to increase output. An effective control system is key to ensuring that the production line remains simple to use and that movement between each area is seamless.

Retuning these control systems for specific cooking and frying applications, recipes and products enhances efficiency further. Good control systems gather information from the entire line and store it in a central database, allowing plant managers to monitor any unusual activities, pinpoint their location and react quickly and efficiently should an incident occur. This reduces the risk of production flow interruptions and gives operators an enhanced level of control over the quality of the final product.

Foodesign’s frying systems are fully compatible with TNA’s controls and integration technology, such as programmable logic controllers (PLC) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), helping to expose inefficiencies across the entire production line. These systems monitor temperature control to ensure accurate heat regulation during the cooking and frying process. Equally, conveyor

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scale frying oil purification system including mixing tank, pressure filter, and DALSORB purifier.

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www.meatpacking.info

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drive motors are fully adjustable from a single point to allow greater flexibility in cooking time and product type and processors are able to gauge oil levels and product output precisely. This data can be used to improve transparency throughout production and inform the management of changes to improve performance. most innovative frying technology incorporates continuous

increasing efficiency

E

nvironmental concerns continue to grow in importance and, as consumers increasingly demand the highest environmental credentials from the products they purchase, food processing specialists are stepping up to help manufacturers in pursuit of greener operations. With rapidly increasing energy prices, keeping energy costs low is essential when trying to achieve a more efficient and sustainable production process. Green credentials must be balanced with manufacturers’ needs to increase overall output, profitability and quality of finished products.

While frying remains one of the fastest heat transfer methods available for cooking, efficient design of heating elements can make a significant contribution towards reducing production costs and physical footprint, without compromising product throughput and quality. Foodesign’s innovative fryer design comprises smaller tube configurations to increase heat transfer, enhance system efficiencies up to 80-84 percent and reduce overall machine footprint compared to conventional setups.

In addition, the amount of tubing inside the fryer determines the fryer’s overall size. As such, the less tubing required, the smaller the space and the smaller the volume of oil required to be heated, decreasing costs in terms of raw material and reducing machine footprint.

food safety

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here is increased pressure on manufacturers to prevent food contamination, as contaminated raw materials and cross-contamination during production are common sources of food borne illnesses in food processing plants. Hygienic design of machinery and equipment is the basis for safe food production. Food can, for example, easily become trapped in mechanical joints, compromising hygiene. A simple design with smooth surfaces, no blind spots and no areas, such as corners in which product and microorganisms build up, can help food manufacturers adhere to increasingly strict 64 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

food safety requirements.

All of Foodesign’s equipment is manufactured from food grade stainless steel, making it easy to clean and capable of withstanding the impact of a high volume of hot oils and fats during processing.

Moreover, all good frying systems should be designed so that any water or cleaning fluids completely drain out of the system, following the same path as the oil, leaving no area untouched.

The removal of water from a fryer is critical for oil integrity, as well as for user safety. In addition, Foodesign’s fryer systems are simply constructed and contain only the minimum number of moving parts, which are easily accessible to ensure the highest level of hygiene and safety. By specifying easy-to-clean systems from leading suppliers, food processors can significantly reduce the risk of bacterial growth or cross-contamination.

easy maintenance

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egular system maintenance is important in the food industry to ensure processes run smoothly and effectively.

All equipment needs to be checked and cleaned on a regular basis to provide the highest level of food safety to protect both the consumer and a manufacturer’s reputation. Scheduled maintenance is important to avoid unscheduled repairs that can have serious consequences on line efficiency and plant profitability.

Both the design and material of frying systems are important factors and can help facilitate maintenance and minimize plant downtime.

Many providers, such as Foodesign, offer systems in which major mechanical components such as drive motors and bearings are easily accessible and can be quickly removed or replaced with readily available spare parts, for minimal downtime and an uninterrupted production flow. Furthermore, stainless steel construction throughout the fryer ensures longer component life.

An effective control and monitoring system should be put in place to monitor motor currents and give advance notice of failure, effectively eliminating unscheduled downtime.

after-sales support

F

or high value equipment like fryers, the relationship between plant operator and machinery supplier should not end once the system has been installed. Working with equipment suppliers who offer a comprehensive after-sales service, no matter what the location, language or time zone, is vital to ensure that the system runs efficiently to its agreed specification.

Foodesign supports manufacturers every step www.meatpacking.info

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of the way: from design and installation to the integration of their processing equipment into new or existing product lines. The after-sales service supplied by Foodesign includes full training, and provides operators with on site advice and support on how best to use the equipment for maximum productivity. The company also offers a full on site audit to assess how new and existing machinery is working and identify any improvements that can be made. And for new installations, a technical specialist can stay on site for an agreed period after the installation is complete to ensure smooth running of the systems and troubleshoot any potential problems.

Ensuring your supplier has local sourcing of all spare parts is equally important. Should part of your system require maintenance, quick local access to spare parts is paramount to maintaining the productivity of the entire production line.

As part of the TNA Group, Foodesign has technical support operators throughout the world to deliver a rapid and expert response to customer issues and enquiries.

summary

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rying is one of the most effective heat transfer methods available for delivering unique flavors and enhanced product appearance, through color

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development and surface texture, across a wide variety of applications. However, fried goods vary greatly depending on the type of product, and so too do their desired product attributes. As a result, effective cooking and frying systems are vital to help manufacturers respond to increasingly discerning consumer demands. As well as providing flavor and texture to create a desirable end product with real consumer appeal, they can also help facilitate increased flexibility to ensure a smooth production process, help manufacturers to meet stringent food safety and hygiene regulations and maximize yield to ultimately help grow sales and increase pro ts.

If you would like to find out how TNA can help you choose a frying system that suits your needs, then please contact us at info@foodesign.com.

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Frying products Management system for oil lowers cost Meat and poultry manufactures have numerous opportunities to improve their overall frying systems, according to Chris Abrams, director product management, at DalSorb. To do this, he says that first you should start with selection of a quality, high stability, frying oil and make sure to receive COAs with every load received.

Second, you should maintain your frying equipment on a regular basis with emphasis being placed on temperature controls, heating, and heat transfer surfaces.

Third, insure that you have a comprehensive sanitation process that keeps all contact points clean and free of buildup. Finally, the producer should limit their oils contact with heat, air, and water, as best possible, since all three contribute to oil degradation.

“Oil quality starts with good management practices when handling frying oils,” says Abrams. “If a meat and poultry producer is handling and maintaining their frying oils with best practices, but still have difficulty with oil quality they definitely should be utilizing a Dalsorb treatment process.”

Filter paper, screens, or cartridges can only remove crumbs and debris. In order to best maintain high quality frying oil, it is necessary to remove not only the debris, but also the soluble degradation products that cause off-flavors, odors, and color in frying oil and the finished product you fry.

DalSorb works by forming a filter cake that removes the debris and absorbs the soluble degradation products that are formed during the frying process. This allows it to remove contaminants from frying oil which lets operators produce meat and poultry well within their product and oil quality standards.

The DalSorb process improves product shelf life and taste, as it also eliminates the need to discard frying oil for high contaminant levels, off-flavor, or dark color. It provides the end user simplified frying operations, improved profits, and fewer customer complaints.

Dalsorb will eliminate the need to discard, or send oil to rendering, by 90% or more depending on the type of frying process applied.

66 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

Keeping crisp for hours A new coating by Crisp Sensation will keep fried products crisp for up to three hours in regular restaurant or supermarket holding units, says the Swiss-based company, which has operations in Singapore, Chicago, and Manchester, England.

The technical process is suitable for all kinds of crumb-coated products which can be prepared by frying, baking, microwaving, or grilling.

Products coated in Crisp Sensations can also be used for items to be either baked or microwaved at home, although there is a difference in the production methods used in these two cooking methods.

According to Peter Smees, project & business manager for Crisp Sensation, typically their clients start off by improving their existing products, or use Crisp Sensation to develop new ones that are similar to what they currently have to offer, such as making them suitable for oven or microwave preparation. Soon afterwards, though, they move on to introducing new products.

If a producer, however, is trying to improve an existing product, i.e., its clients are complaining that the product loses its crispy crunch within an hour, it’s not as simple as swapping one brand of coating for another.

“This depends on a number of factors. Our coating system involves several specialized ingredients that need to be used together − you can’t just simply replace the crumb to solve the problem,” says Smees. “Also, in some instances, depending on the client’s machinery, minor adjustments to the production line might need to be made.”

The company uses Intelligent Food Solutions, based in the Netherlands, as its center for research and development (R&D).

Smees says that typically the client’s R&D team will visit the technical center in Zaltbommel to better understand Crisp Sensations coating systems and then start developing the new products, together with Crisp Sensation’s staff. “We offer to develop the first five products for free. Then, when the client is familiar with our coating system, they can choose to develop products on their own. IFS approval is needed though before the new products can be introduced,” says Smees.

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Global logistics made easier

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f you’re involved in international shipping, it’s hard not to notice the new guy on the block, the Agro Merchants Group. It currently owns and operates over 7.5 million sq. feet (700,000 sq. meters) of temperature-controlled warehouse and distribution space in the USA, Austria, Ireland, Spain, Brazil, Chile, and the Netherlands. MPJ wanted to find out how it can benefit our readers.

What can the Group offer a meat/poultry producer The Agro Merchants Group was founded in 2013.

We aim to grow a network of family businesses globally to provide them as well as our customers with great opportunities for expansion and development. We currently operate over 700,000 sq. meters of temperature-controlled, distribution and warehouse space globally. Apart from this, we focus on providing our customers with other services like transportation and value-added services such as re-packaging, blast freezing, case picking, order picking, quality-check, etc. By offering all of these services in the highest standards, our customers are provided with all the solutions for their business.

We are flexible enough to handle not just meat and poultry, but a wide range of other goods – chilled, frozen or dry.

What does it take to import meat into the USA?

Because we are strategically placed in the proximity of major ports in the US, South America and Europe, this enables us to coordinate the process of export and import to and from the USA and other nations.

There are several documents need to be in place before the cargo lands in port, e.g. bill of landing, health certificates, the invoice, tariff rate quota certificates, which are done by the customs broker.

Our companies are fully coordinated with customs brokers to enable timely release. We then go on to deal with the rest of the necessary documentation to save our customers the time and hassle during import.

68 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

There is a system in place which also allows us to manage a prompt re-inspection of goods upon arrival. After we go through with the import processes, our trucks pick up the goods and transport them into our stores where they go through thorough quality check, sanitary check and inspection in line with local authorities. In the US, we have several USDA inspection facilities on site which enables us to provide timely, and often urgent, inspection services. We then handle, store, re-pack and label the product based on each individual customer’s requirements.

What can the Group offer a meat/poultry producer The Agro Merchants Group was founded in 2013.

We aim to grow a network of family businesses globally to provide them as well as our customers with great opportunities for expansion and development. We currently operate over 700,000 sq. meters of temperature-controlled, distribution and warehouse space globally. Apart from this, we focus on providing our customers with other services like transportation and value-added services such as re-packaging, blast freezing, case picking, order picking, quality-check, etc. By offering all of these services in the highest standards, our customers are provided with all the solutions for their business.

We are flexible enough to handle not just meat and poultry, but a wide range of other goods – chilled, frozen or dry.

Why would you need a cold store and want products repackaged?

By storing their produce in our warehouses, our customers can work with an optimal inventory of goods which allows for fluent production and at the same time they can be at the disposition of their client whenever there is an immediate demand for a product. It gives a peace of mind to our customers to know we will take the best care of their product in our storage facilities, be it meat, fish, fruit, dairy, or a whole range of other goods.

Packaging is essential when you are importing or exporting goods and when you want to make www.meatpacking.info

argo merchants grp

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your product presentable for the competitive environment of retail. Whether the product arrives to us in bulk or pre-packed, we offer a huge range of options for re-packing goods in temperature and humidity controlled conditions.

There are plenty of benefits of re-packing and storing locally. For example, we can handle high volumes of product in bulk, which can then be used for various channels, be it food service or retail, and by us offering to store and re-pack the material we save our customers costs for logistics.

Another benefit is, that when valuable product, e.g. meat is being imported, the duty is paid for total weight, including packaging, therefore it works out much cheaper in regards to sourcing.

When your re-packing your goods locally, it also gives you more flexibility in terms of new products or promotion which then leads to higher sales and revenue. And lastly, as our network is global, our customers are not stuck to suppliers of packaging and others in the country of origin, but instead they source bulk products which can be processed in any desired location to save costs.

You have a new group member in Ireland?

In Ireland we are the first and only 3rd party provider of flexible packaging lines approved by local authorities. Apart from packaging, we offer services like quality control checks, blast freezing, tempering, case picking, order picking and transport. Apart from our multi-temperature warehouses across Ireland we run a food park on a 64acre site in Lough Egish where a number of food processors and service companies are located which all share centralized services. This way they can save 30 percent in initial costs and integrate into our logistics and distribution network. Agro is always looking for new opportunities to develop infrastructure that improves the cold chain. The Irish Castlecool and Northern Ireland-based Sawyers Group started off as local family-owned firms that had a great sense in identifying challenges and opportunities in the industry which helped them become award-winning businesses. Agro helps businesses like these connect in a world-wide network to build on the amazing potential they already have. One of Agro Merchants’ main projects at the moment is the expansion of the Lurgan site is Northern Ireland, which is expected to be finalized in early 2017.

What will the Rotterdam project bring to the table?

Another huge project we’re working on at the moment is a new greenfield in the port of Rotterdam. With a capacity of 18,000 pallet positions, the primary focus of this development will be import, export, storage and value-added 70 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

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of product and tailor our services exactly based on our customers’ requirements.

The Agro Merchants Group currently has a presence in eight countries and great ambitions for further growth. When we compare this with other global top players in the industry, they are mostly operating in three countries in average, which shows the scale of our outreach. We work very closely with existing and potential customers to determine how we can influence and improve opportunities for trade; that way we can create global trade flows rather than just follow them.

argo merchants grp

services for meat and seafood industry. The facility will be certified BREEAM Excellent, which is the highest energy efficiency classification for cold storage facilities in Europe. The building will also feature an Integrated Border Inspection Point (BIP)Â designed according to the latest standards in close cooperation with the Dutch Inspection Authorities. In the close proximity to the Rotterdam greenfield, we have several other facilities across the Netherlands. Our state-of-art packing facilities in Bernaveld operate several machines of the highest standards which enable us to process large volumes

www.meatpacking.info

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M a rk e t in g

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SA’s largest restaurant chain McDonald’s has removed all human antibiotics from its chicken supply, nearly a year ahead of schedule, says the company. There was no mention how McDonald’s 22,000 restaurants outside of the USA would fit into this new equation.

Last year, McDonald’s vowed to remove human antibiotics from its chicken supply by March 2017. With 14,000 locations in the USA and being a major seller of chicken, this was a major undertaking.

“It was something we knew we were going to be able to do,” says Marion Gross, McDonald’s chief supply chain officer. “We use antibiotics minimally in our supply chain.”

Gross said the company focused on chicken first which it buys from Tyson Foods and Keystone Foods.

Choosing chicken was down to the fact that the company has a “fully integrated supply chain,” and manages nearly every aspect of its

chicken supply chain, “from egg to chicken.”

“We have more controls around chicken,” Gross said. “When you have strong collaboration with suppliers, you can make big things happen.”

This is far from the only changes happening in McDonald’s USA. McDonald's has stopped adding an artificial preservative to the cooking oil used to make Chicken McNuggets and has removed artificial preservatives from pork sausage patties, eggs served on McGriddles breakfast sandwiches, and scrambled eggs on breakfast platters.

The company also removed chicken skin, safflower oil and citric acid from the meat of its McNuggets, swapping them for pea starch, rice starch and powdered lemon juice. Buns, too, made with high fructose corn syrup will soon be shown the door.

Extra costs related to the changes will not be passed on to consumers,

McDONALDS

McDonald’s USA removes all human antibiotics from chicken

Above: The world's favorite chicken nugget

partly because a decline in commodity prices has reduced some food expenses, claims McDonald’s.

The shift to a more ‘natural’ menu is part of a broad effort by the burger giant to improve its reputation among consumers who are increasingly concerned about the quality of their food.

“We’re creating a different food culture here at McDonald’s,” says McDonald’s USA president Mike Andres. “As a leader, we have an obligation to make big changes that impact the industry.”

Chipotle to open burger restaurant

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n what had to be the worse kept secret, Chipotle has finally put an end to months of speculation and announced plans to open its first burger concept restaurant called Tasty Made this autumn in Lancaster, Ohio. Tasty Made will serve burgers, fresh cut french fries, and milkshakes.

“Tasty Made will use responsibly raised brand beef from animals that are raised in more humane ways and without the use of antibiotics or added hormones,” says the company. Much like with its flagship Mexican chain, the company will promote the brand as using ingredients grown and raised with respect

for the animals, the land and the farmers who produce them.

“Chipotle has been focused on a long-term vision to change the way people think about and eat fast food,” says Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle.

“Early fast food burger restaurants generally had focused menus.

72 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

We think there’s great strength in that original fast food model and wanted to create a restaurant built around that. Making only burgers, fries and shakes with really great ingredients, we think we can appeal to peoples’ timeless love of burgers, but in a way that is consistent with our long-term vision.” www.meatpacking.info

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Chick-Fil-A Customers rejecT eggs over spice I

t seemed like such as easy decision for Chick-fil-A. Introduce a new breakfast sandwich – the first menu change in six-years – that is not only high in protein but, when compared to most fast food breakfast choices, would be lower in calories, weighing in at only 300.

The Egg White Grill consists of a breakfast-sized grilled chicken breast, freshly fried egg whites, and American cheese on a multigrain English muffin. After a trial in Manhattan, the company said: “The Egg White Grill is the perfect solution for our health-conscious customers looking for a grab-and-

go-breakfast.”

The only thing Chick-fil-A had to do was to remove something from its menu to make room for the new Egg White Grill, something like its Spicy Chicken Biscuit. After all, it already had a Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

A big mistake, say many of the fast food chain's customers.

In what some newspapers called an “Internet meltdown”, Spicy Biscuit fans went into panic-mode, Tweeting and blogging away. “@chickfila please. Please. How could anyone ever think someone would rather have an Egg White

Grill, in place of the SPICY CHICKEN BISCUIT??,’ Tweeted Brandon Kelly. @mikeishonest Tweeted: “Cancelling the spicy chicken biscuit is a crime and person who proposed this idea should be taken to trial.”

Many have called for a boycott of Chick-fil-A until the Spicy Chicken Biscuit is brought back, a move corporate Chick-fil-A seems reluctant to do.

In the meantime, however, one Chick-fil-A restaurant in Tennessee has decided to continue making the Spicy Chicken Biscuit. Only time will tell if this restaurant will become a site of a pilgrimage.

three-year Welsh Government investment of £1.2 million ($1.6M) to support the export activities of Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has resulted in over £38 million ($50.5M)of new and safeguarded business for PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef.

Among the new business secured in emerging markets over the three years of the program were almost £11 million ($14.6M) of new exports to Scandinavia, £4 million ($5.32M) of additional business in Italy, and £1.5 million ($2M) in extra business in new and developing markets for PGI Welsh Lamb such as Hong Kong, Switzerland and Canada.

The program helped to secure a range of existing business, including £13 million ($17.3M)of combined exports to France, Spain and the www.meatpacking.info

United Arab Emirates.

In a project lasting from 2013-16, Welsh Government support enabled HCC to undertake a wide range of promotional activities across the globe. This included raising awareness of the PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef brands among consumers, supermarkets, and prestige food service agents to promote Welsh red meat, supporting a presence for exporters at key trade fairs, and hosting inward missions to Wales by chefs and journalists.

With the vote to leave the EU having led to uncertainty over the future terms of trade between the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, safeguarding existing markets and developing new trading relationships has become even more important for export-dependent industries such as Welsh red meat.

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HCC

Investment pays off big for Welsh lamb A

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Only malls for Sliderz

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n what many are seeing as a daring move, Buzzy Sklar has decided to only open Sliderz restaurant chains in shopping malls, airports, and casinos.

In what many are seeing as even a more daring move, with only one Sliderz restaurant in existence, Florida venture capitalists Benzion Aboud and Joe Randazza have partnered with Sklar and sunk $21 million into the Sliderz project.

Sklar’s logic is this: if you have a restaurant at a mall, you’re not required to have bathroom facilities

or tables and chairs because your restaurant is only a serving stand.

There are no windows to clean and no security costs. Things that tie up costs and manpower in small restaurants just aren’t a factor in malls with food courts.

Sklar told Nation’s Restaurant News: “They’re [malls] losing to online shopping. So they’re reconverting and redoing their food courts. They’re getting rid of old stale brands and bringing in new brands. The Subways of the world don’t work in these types of malls.”

Wendy’s off to Brazil

W

endy’s has announced a joint partnership with a US franchisee and an international restaurant developer that will enable the burger chain to expand big in Brazil, with its first two restaurants opening up in Sao Paulo in time for the Olympics.

The joint partnership, which was formed last year, is between affiliates of Infinity Services, an international restaurant franchisee, and Starboard, one of the Dublin, Ohio-based company’s largest US franchisees, with 182 locations.

“We chose Sao Paulo for the Wendy’s introduction because it is the main financial and gastronomic capital of the country,” says Marcel Gholmieh, CEO of Wendy’s Brazil and Infinity Services. “Our initial objective is to create flagship restaurant locations, establish the Wendy’s brand and then, longerterm, start thinking about potential partnerships with local groups in other areas of Brazil.”

Despite a move by Wendy’s to establish its restaurants in Japan by buying and converting 136 Suntory Holding’s First Kitchen restaurants, when compared to McDonald’s and Burger King, Wendy’s has been slow

off the mark in the global market.

According to the company, only around 400 of its 6,500 restaurants are located outside North America in 29 countries. McDonald’s has 22,000 restaurants outside North America in around 100 countries.

The company is working to bolster its international growth through what the company calls a “narrow and deep” international strategy focusing on four markets: Japan, India, the Middle East and Brazil.

“Brazil is one of the key global markets where we see considerable potential,” says Bob Wright, Wendy’s executive vice president, chief operations officer and international.

“From the start, we want to ensure our restaurants in Brazil truly stand out in the minds of consumers in terms of food, service and atmosphere, and that we give them ‘a cut above’ experience they will excited to tell others about.”

Infinity Services is based in Sao Paulo and has brought several well-known brands to Brazil in recent years. Starboard, meanwhile, operates Wendy’s locations in nine states. CEO Andrew Levy and company president Marcos Silva lead Starboard.

74 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

And he figures his burger, chicken, meatball, pulled pork, turkey, hot dog, and vegetarian sliders are just what malls need.

It does beg the question, however, if malls are losing to online shopping, won’t his perspective customers all be at home in front of their computers?

Not in his lifetime, says Sklar, due to the social aspect of malls “The mall is still a place people go. I’m at a mall now. People are shopping.

There’s not a table in the food court where people aren’t sitting.”

Jack's on track

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hile some food chains see the way to improving sales is to change their logos (see this month's Comment) San Diego-based hamburger chain Jack in the Box has a crazier idea – make improvements in the food across its core menu.

This 'radical' approach has paid off in spades to Jack's with better than expected third-quarter earnings and driving up its stock by about 10 percent.

Over the past year, Jack in the Box has revamped about 35 items on the menu to improve quality, creating a balance between more-premium items like the Buttery Jack burger line, and more value-positioned offerings for customers. Surveys indicated a 10-point improvement on how consumers rated the taste of the namesake chain's core menu of burgers, fries, and drinks.

The balance between value and premium products is a key strategy for Jack's as it attemps to navigate a difficult competitive environment.

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fresh thinking

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Backpa g e

Q& Jayson Lusk A

J

ayson Lusk is author of Unnaturally Delicious: how science and technology are serving up super foods to save the world. He is a Regents Professor and Willard Sparks Endowed Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University, and he previously taught at Mississippi State, Purdue, and the French National Institute of Agricultural Research. One of America’s most prolific and cited food and agricultural economists, Lusk lives with his family in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The very readable author talks to MPJ. I hate to start with this but each and every time I read the title ‘Unnaturally Delicious’, I picture these Kool-Aid drinks I had as a kid which would turn our mouths into a very strange shade of blue.

Could you please explain the title?

These are two words that often don’t appear together, so I thought it would be attention grabbing. Moreover, there seems to be an inherent belief that natural=good and unnatural=bad. But, as I argue in the book, so much of what we enjoy about our food system is “unnatural.” Our modern plants and animals look nothing like their ancient ancestors, and it has been our human tinkering and ingenuity which has made food more affordable, higher quality, and safer. So, the title is trying to jar people from using the heuristic natural=good heuristic (by the way, E. coli, poison ivy, drought, arsenic, are all natural).

You present one of the most optimistic views of future agriculture ever read by MPJ, but mainstream media seems to present a very different view from yours. Why are we bombarded by such doom and gloom when it comes to agriculture and why do you see such a different, positive future?

First, bad news sells. It seems as humans we’re hard wired to pay more attention to the negative

76 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

than the positive. But, we have to take a step back from that psychological bias sometimes if we want to get a true picture of the state of the world.

Second, with less than 2% of people working in production agriculture in the USA, it is hard for people to know whether the things they read in books or on social media mesh with the facts on the ground; the lack of a tangible connection with production agriculture perhaps makes us more open to misleading narratives.

Finally, I have the great pleasure in working in institutions with outstanding scientists working hard every day to improve our food system. Sure, we see serious problems that need to be addressed, but I’m optimistic because I can see the progress being made by entrepreneurs and scientists almost every day. My experience is that the public has very little knowledge of the research going on at land grant universities across the USA or in the labs of innovative food companies, and I think if they knew more about it, they’d be more optimistic about the future.

You mention how people tend to have a romantic view of farming in the 1800s and how in a survey you held, 75% of respondents said they favoured a natural agricultural production system over a more technological production system. Surely the average Joe & Jill must realize that if you want high production levels combined with low-cost and safe food, you need more innovation, science, and research in crops and foods.

I think the trouble is that many people think organic/local/etc are in fact high-yielding, safe foods. I think it’s also wishful thinking: we want to have our cake and eat it too, and survey questions that don’t pose difficult trade-offs allow people to express such wishes. Of course the reality is that most people are not willing to pay what it costs to produce food using more “natural” production systems, as evidenced by the low market share for these products. So, the answer to this sort of question reflects something of a gap between our actions and our wishes; the fear is that sometimes our wishes are what politicians use to pass laws www.meatpacking.info

b ackpa g e

and restrictions that end up costing us in the marketplace.

In the US foods that are GMO or contain a GMO component will have to be marked as such on the package, as if warning off consumers. You write about the problems that they are having in getting GM modified golden rice accepted which could do wonders in eliminating vitamin A deficiency in the developing world. Why are governments pandering to the misinformed?

There is perhaps a natural distrust of change in food – it’s one side of the omnivore’s dilemma.

Our ancestors had to be cautious in a world where eating the wrong berry could kill you, but if they wanted to adapt and survey they also had to be adventurous enough to try new things. In our modern world, we need to marry our fears with evidence on whether there are undue risks, and in the case of GMOs, the evidence is abundantly clear.

But people aren’t always aware of that evidence or it is only dimly perceived through the messages of interest groups who we may or may not trust.

Politics and economics also plays an important role. As I’ve mentioned, fear and bad news sells, and unfortunately there are many organizations that profit from paranoia. And, there are financial interests of food, chemical, and agricultural companies who sometimes have an interest in protecting the status quo.

You mention that if we don’t like how our current meat, egg, and dairy markets have incentivized certain production practices that reduce animal welfare, we can harness that same power to create new, innovative markets that do just the opposite.

Could you explain what you mean?

One simple example of that is the market for animal products labelled to have come from different production systems; this is an opportunity for people to use the power of their wallets to get what they want out of the food system. More generally, I was referring to using objective measures of animal welfare to create a new commodity: animal well-being units. A market for these units could exist independent of the market for meat or eggs or cheeses. It sounds a little crazy but it is akin to pollution trading where, for example, a market for carbon can exist independent of the market for electricity, cars, etc. The idea is to try to create a way to put a dollar value on an item that is not currently being reflected in market prices so that anyone (regardless of whether they buy animal products) has an opportunity to purchase the outcome they desire so that they don’t have to resort to activism, protests, and ballot boxes.

At the end of the chapter ‘Bovine in a Beaker’ you www.meatpacking.info

say: “I told them the same thing I tell my cattlefeeding buddies: if your business is threatened by the prospect of lab-grown meat, now’s the time to invest.” Why do I have the feeling you weren’t joking.

No company is immune from competition in a market environment. To remain profitable and relevant, companies have to adapt, and sometimes competition comes from unlikely sources. Twenty years ago, cable companies probably gave little thought to the idea that one day consumers could bypass them and watch TV shows on demand on the internet. Kerosene producers were more worried about competition with whale oil than they were with upstart electricity suppliers. Sears and Woolworths were among the leading retailers a century ago, but today they look antiquated compared to Amazon and Walmart. The point is that businesses always need to be aware of potential competitors even from the most unlikely of places. The purpose of raising cattle isn’t to raise cattle, but rather to feed and cloth people. Cattle ranchers aren’t in the cattle feeding business but rather the people feeding business. If they can find a way to make more money by feeding people better food, they’d better jump on it. Because if they don’t, someone else will. Unnaturally Delicious, published by St Martin’s Press, is available through Amazon and other retailers.

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 77

P ro d u c t s

product news Turbo charged cooking The art of cooking and roasting is to produce tasty, attractive products that retain moisture. GEA’s CookStar Turbo 600 has the largest heating capacity available on the market, with running speed up to 25m per minute, belt load of up to 25 kg/m, and cooking temperatures up to 250 deg C. The horizontal airflow and vertical airflow concepts result in 20-30% shorter cooking time, providing more capacity as well as more consistent product quality, improved overall product color, faster browning. As a result of the above effects the Turbo 600 delivers a unparalleled yield in the various applications when compared to spiral ovens with over 100% horizontal airflow or those with purely vertical airflow, claims GEA.

Enhanced print quality TSU says its TTP-2410MU industrial barcode printer is the most significant upgrade ever to the TTP-2410M platform. It a high technology print-head, a new processor that is faster, and all the memory customers will need to print high quality labels at high speeds.

The Taiwanese company’s auto ID thermal label printers have a full-color touch display which facilitates the barcode printing process. A full-color touch LCD includes as standard a graphic interface allowing stand-alone print solutions without an additional PC. Users may install their company logo, a servicehotline, the order number of consumable materials as well as the device identification for internal support. This ensures not only a better service but also a stronger presence with sustainable effects on the customers.

Even end trussing The TruNet Group is one of the UK’s largest BRC approved suppliers of trussing loops to poultry and meat processing plants across the world. This rapidly expanding company has multiple manufacturing sites across the globe and invests heavily in research and development to ensure customers receive first class products. Two key benefits of the TruNet Trussing Loops are the ‘Packed Neatly’ format the loops are supplied in and the ‘Heat Sealed’ finish. TruNet’s innovative heat sealed trussing loops are a world first, patented product designed and produced by TruNet. These new trussing loops have all untidy and uneven ends of the loops removed during the production process, resulting in a clean cut product that is preferred by leading supermarkets.

78 | Meat Packing Journal | September~October 2016

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p ro d u c t S

Accurate cuts at any speed Cantrell, a poultry processing equipment sales and service company, has developed the CWCS-8400 Wing Segmenter that makes accurate cuts while running at high capacity, capable of processing up to 170 wings per minute on processing line or as a standalone application.

“Our Wing Segmenter is designed to make all wing cuts in one place,” says Dane Woods, Cantrell’s General Manager of Sales/Service/Engineering. “Processors can cut tips, flats and drummettes at one location. The CWCS-8400 is capable of handling varying sizes of wings.”

The Wing Segmenter properly orients the wing at any line speed for accuracy on each individual cut. The shackle transfer eliminates misfeeds. It is designed to allow adjustments during operation and easy access for blade replacement. The CWCS-8400 is energy efficient and the open design makes for easy cleaning.

Seals burger supplies Halifax, a Danish burger chain, is using Multivac’s R126 thermoforming packaging machine to package meats and sauces from its production site and then send out to the individual restaurants. With its footprint of barely 3 m², the machine requires very little space. Smooth and angled surfaces, easy-to-open side panels and a machine interior that is optimised for hygiene the R 126 is easy to clean.

The model is designed for small to medium-sized batches at maximum 10 cycles per minute, it can run both flexible and rigid film, and is very easy for the user to operate. The variety of standard format sets, combined with the most important options from Multivac's range of technology, enable the R 126 to be matched individually to the particular requirements and circumstances of the production environment.

Breast cubes Prime’s PC-4 is a flexible portion control machine capable of producing a wide variety of products such as breast cubes, breast strips and split tenders. Its customized product cavities and simple cutting method are designed specifically to meet your piece size or weight requirements, such as 3-piece tenders, breast strips or breast cubes.

The PS-7 is a simple and efficient portion control machine designed to cut chicken tenders to meet any type of desired product specification. Its simple and narrow design makes it flexible in any setting, on the cone line or off, and the removable product cavity wheels are engineered to meet your exact requirements for portion size.

www.meatpacking.info

September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 79

e v en t s

e v ent s

The Wolrd Meat Congress 2016 is heading to Punta del Este, Uruguay

2016 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 www.meatpacking.info

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 29 May - 1 June Meat Tec Milan www.ipack-ima.com 06-08 July VIV TURKEY 2017 Istanbul www.vivturkey.com For more Events go to www.meatpacking.info September~October 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 81

C O n t ac 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 | September~October 2016

The content of Meat Packing Journal is subject to copyright. However, if you would like to obtain copies of an article for marketing purposes high-quality reprints can be supplied to your specification. Please contact the advertising team for full details of this service. Meat Packing Journal is printed at Buxton Press Ltd, Derbyshire, UK.

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

Jorge Ruiz Carrascal University of Copenhagen Fred W. Pohlman University of Arkansas Ian Richardson University of Bristol Graeme Rolinson Marel

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