2015 Summer BLOCKtalk

Summer 2015

Vol. 21, Issue 2

$10.00

Keeping Ontario’s Meat and Poultry Industry Informed

Brian Quinn's Meats Ltd. Pg. 16 Pemberton & Associates Pg. 18

ALSO INSIDE:

Are You Audit Ready? pg. 8 www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

Ontario Turkey: Make Every Meal Super pg. 20

Best Practices to Reduce Risks in Poultry Plants pg. 22BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

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BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

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INDEX 22

Best Practices to Reduce Risks in Poultry Plants

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President’s Message .......................................................................

Welcome to the Association .......................................................

Names in the News .........................................................................

Member Achievements .................................................................

Tech Talk: Are You Audit Ready? .................................................

2015 OIMP Webinars and Workshop Schedule ....................

Funding Programs for Ontario Processors .............................

Brian Quinn’s Meats: A History of Quality ...............................

Ontario Turkey: Make Every Meal Super .................................

Ontario Finest Meat Competition: Deadline is Looming!

Industry Day Recap .........................................................................

Are You Ontario’s Finest Butcher? ..............................................

Meat Industry Expo: Innovations, Connections, Solutions Oimp.ca Gets A Makeover! ...........................................................

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

4 5 6 7 8 12 14 16 20 25 26 27 28 29

Pemberton & Associates Selling Solutions

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Manual Materials Handling

Pistachio Crusted Turkey with Herb, Lemon & Pomegranate BLOCKtalk - SummerSalad 2015 3

The Road Forward I am pleased to have been elected to serve as your President for the next two years and am looking forward to working with our returning directors and new directors Kevin Schinkel from Schinkel's Legacy and Kevin Stemmler from Stemmler Meats. On behalf of the membership I would like to thank retiring directors Richard Halenda and John Koch for their contribution to the association and to our industry.

At our first board meeting, a working group was formed to address long-term financial sustainability and we will be reaching out to the broader membership for your input. Not unlike many other not-for-profit organizations we need to address all our revenue sources including the support we receive from government. Our challenge is finding a funding model that reflects a voluntary based membership, yet benefits the entire value chain.

At the recent Open for Business forum chaired by Jeff Leal, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, I expressed our concern with the ongoing pressures our members are facing. I stressed that the most pressing issue will be if the province is unable to negotiate an essential services agreement for meat inspectors that provides for the continuation of inspection services. It is important to note that while there is not a lot being said about the contract or ESA negotiations our association continues to remind everyone the effect a strike would have on our sector. Associate Minister of Finance, Mitzie Hunter ,made a presentation to the group on the New Ontario Registered Savings Plan. I again expressed concerned that this will be an additional burden to our small businesses.

With the challenges ahead, let's hope for a busy BBQ season uninterrupted by factors outside of our control - including the weather!

Cory Van Groningen, President

MEMBER DIRECTORIES For a complete list of OIMP Business and Associate members please visit the Members Only section of www.oimp.ca Contact us and ask how you can help increase our voice in the industry. If you require membership literature, please let us know. (800) 263-3797 | info@oimp.ca | www.oimp.ca Affiliate Members - 6

Associate Members - 64

Business Members - 150

With one less team member (Melissa leaves us this month to welcome the addition of her new baby) we will be busier than ever over the next couple of months, with the Ontario Finest Meat Competition™, Ontario's Finest Butcher Competition, Meat Industry Expo and Awards Gala, in addition to our ongoing work helping members thrive in today's ever changing environment. Our bi-monthly meetings with OMAFRA's management team continue to provide a valuable opportunity for industry input. We encourage you to continue bringing forward your areas of concern so we may have them addressed.

Make sure to visit our newly designed industry website www.oimp.ca. Under the Resources tab, you will find updates on issues we are currently managing including OPSEU contract negotiations. As with all websites, it is a work in progress. We will continue to refine it, and we ask for your help in pointing out technical problems or other issues. Be sure to sign up for the Members area and let us know what other information you want to see there.

Fingers crossed for a long hot summer and a busy BBQ season.

Laurie Nicol, Executive Director

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Total Members - 332

OIMP LIFETIME MEMBERS OIMP presents the prestigious Lifetime Membership Award to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Association and Ontario’s meat and poultry industry.

• Ron Deeth (1995)

• Leo Rocheleau (2001)

• Dr. Ron Usborne (1996)

• Gerry Houtzager (2003)

• Nancy Ackert (1997)

• Pat Johnson (2005)

• Jim Vidoczy (2000)

• Tony Facciolo (2011)

OIMP LONG TIME MEMBERS Thank you to our long time members who have been helping move the industry forward for over 25 years.

• The Beef Way, Kincardine (1979)

• Nitta Casings, Markham (1986)

• Ontario Pork, Guelph (1980)

• Walnut Hill Farms, Gads Hill (1986)

• Gord’s Abattoir, Leamington (1982)

• VG Meats, Simcoe (1987)

• L’Orignal Packing, L’Orignal (1986) • MMIS/MONDO, Aurora (1986)

Summer … Busy as Usual!

Business Retail Members - 49

Retail Associate Members - 63

• Stemmler Meat & Cheese, Heidelberg (1988) • Rothsay, Dundas (1988) • Springer's Meats, Hamilton (1989)

MEAT INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT (MIA) AWARD RECIPIENTS • Leo Rocheleau, Maidstone (2007)

• Halenda’s Fine Foods, Oshawa (2011)

• Stemmler’s Meat & Cheese, Heidelberg (2008)

• In Memory of Dave Tiller (2012)

• VG Meats, Simcoe (2009)

• Conestoga Meat Packers, Breslau (2013)

• Springer’s Meats, Hamilton (2010)

• Schinkel's Legacy, Chatham (2014)

OIMP Vision Provide leadership for Ontario’s meat and poultry industry by fostering innovation, promoting food safety and integrity and recognizing excellence.

OIMP Mission Strengthen Ontario’s meat and poultry industry by working with stakeholders, responding to challenges and identifying opportunities on behalf of the membership.

OIMP Core Strategies • Member Relations

• Industry Development

• Market Development

• Industry & Government Relations

www.oimp.ca

Welcome to the Association Building an informed and engaged membership representing a diverse Ontario meat and poultry industry.

Business Members Alves Meats

Retail Associate Members Pete & Gus Meat Market

Brant Street Butcher & Market

Michael Alves 157 MacNab St N, Hamilton (905) 528-0165 alvesmeats.com

Ellen McWhinnie 2003 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington (905) 466-2658 brantstreetbutcher.ca

Peter Lucas 1 Jockvale Rd, Nepean (613) 825-6393

Big Red Markets Wholesale

Broadway Farms Market

John Diener 50 Byward Market, Ottawa (613) 241-9266 saslovesmeat.com

Carl's Choice Meats

Kevin Snyder 1213 Maple Bend Rd, Breslau (519) 741-1447 snyderheritagefarms.com

Gone Local Meats & More

Mark Michelin 516 Parliament St, Toronto (416) 925-7665 steakandchops.ca

Dan Timmins 133 Front St N, Thorold (905) 227-2015

Big Red Markets Retail

John Hessels 206 Richmond St Plaza, Thorold (905) 227-1575 bigredmarkets.com

DMR Foods

Maurizio Racco 54 Bramsteele Rd, Brampton (416) 712-6658 fudi.ca

Heatherlea Farm Market

Pat McArthur 17049 Winston Churchill Blvd, Caledon (519) 927-5902 heatherleafarmmarket.ca

Kolmix Foods Inc.

Edina Causevic 168 Barton St, Stoney Creek (905) 662-0435

Northern Quality Meats Ltd.

Edith Orr 290 Deplonty Rd, Bruce Mines (705) 782-4224

Janine Livingston 12506 Heart Lake Rd, Caledon (905) 843-9225 broadwayfarms.com

Snyder Heritage Farms

Eric Norg 1139 Colborne St W, Brantford (519) 752-3055 carlschoicemeats.com

St Jamestown Steak & Chops

Cheryl Haack 56 Woolwich St N, Breslau (519) 648-2947 gonelocal.ca

The Hungry Farmer

Nigh's Of Jarvis

Doreen Sarrazin 77936 Indian Line, Hagersville (519) 900-4032

Sean Wallis 2004 Main St S, Jarvis (519) 587-3461

OIMP

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ADMINISTRATION

BOARD LISTING

PAST PRESIDENT | Joe Abate Abate Packers, Arthur

PRESIDENT | Cory Van Groningen VG Meats, Simcoe

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Laurie Nicol laurie.nicol@oimp.ca

VICE PRESIDENT | Carol Goriup Florence Meats, Oakville

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR | Daphne Nuys-Hall technical@oimp.ca

SECRETARY/TREASURER | Christine Hobson Halenda's Fine Foods, Oshawa

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR | Derek Boudreau d.boudreau@oimp.ca

DIRECTOR | Shannon Desborough Finest Sausage & Meat, Kitchener

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR | Heather Nahatchewitz heather@oimp.ca MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR | Janet Wellwood info@oimp.ca MARKETING AND DESIGN COORDINATOR | Melissa Shewman m.shewman@oimp.ca

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

Saslove's Meat Market Ltd.

DIRECTOR | Marc Oliver Sargent Farms, Milton DIRECTOR | Brenda Reinhardt Sprucedale Quality Meats, Sprucedale DIRECTOR | Kevin Schinkel Schinkel's Legacy, Chatham DIRECTOR | Kevin Stemmler Stemmler Meats & Cheese

The Meat Shoppe Ltd.

Fred Copfer 4725 Dorchester Rd, Niagara Falls (905) 357-5477

The Valli Girls

Anna Izzo-Valli 318 Ontario St, St. Catharines (905) 641-1333 thevalligirls.ca

Willowgrove Hill

Paul Hill 4608 Perth Rd, Mitchell (519) 348-8666 willowgrovehill.com

Associate Members Interweigh Systems Inc.

Bryn Savage 51 Bentley St, Markham (905) 940-6699 bsavage@interweigh.ca interweigh.ca

Samuel Packaging Group

Ryan Van Horne 2370 Dixie Rd, Mississauga (905) 279-9580 ryan.vanhorne@samuel.com samuelstrapping.com BLOCKtalk is the official publication of the OIMP, distributed to over 2000 OIMP members, commodity groups, and others throughout the industry, providing excellent advertising opportunities for suppliers of the meat and poultry industry to promote their newest, most innovative, supplies, equipment, and technology.

BLOCKtalk encourages Associate Members and supporters of the industry to submit articles which would be beneficial to our members.

PUBLICATION Spring Summer Fall Winter

ADVERTISING DEADLINE February 13 May 15 August 14 November 13

The information published in BLOCKtalk is compiled from a variety of sources, which we believe to be reliable; however, OIMP does not guarantee, and assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the information.

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Names in the News Foodland Ontario honours Longo's own for top food award

In Photo: Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Brian Langley, Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc.

Longo's is pleased to announce that a special 'Local Food Champion' award from Foodland Ontario was presented to Brian Langley, Longo's Director of Meat and Seafood. This inaugural award was given in recognition of outstanding commitment and leadership in sourcing and promoting local foods from Ontario farmers and producers.

"Longo's has had a long-standing commitment to local and bringing the best eating experience to our customers. I'm delighted to accept this award on behalf of a very hard-working team that is just as passionate about local as I am. We are very proud of our Taste Ontario program and are excited for our customers to discover that the best tastes are truly from home." - Brian Langley, Director of Meat and Seafood.

2015 Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Mike and Amy Cronin of Cronin Family Farms, Bluevale, were awarded the title of 2015 Ontario's Outstanding Young Farmer. Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers Program (OYF) is a unique program designed to recognize farmers and farm couples who exemplify excellence in their profession.

The Ontario Region of the OYF is one of seven regional programs.

Each region holds an event where local nominees are judged on specific In Photo: Amy and Mike Cronin criteria. All regional winners represent their areas at an annual national event where they compete to be named Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers.

Congrats to Winners of the Clive Kingsbury Poster Competition

The first recipient of the Clive Kingsbury poster prize was awarded to Kayla Murray (pictured) from the Department of Food Science, University of Guelph who presented her research on the decontamination The Agri-food Management Institute (AMI) of leafy greens using gas phase introduces Mr. Arnie Strub, as their newly sanitizers. Second place went to appointed Executive Director. Arnie Strub comes Cynthia Logie from AFL, University from extensive experience in business management, of Guelph who presented a poster marketing and outreach, and the agricultural sector. relating to her work on Salmonella Arnie will strive to focus on “…AMI’s mandate, to diagnostics in poultry production. disseminate best practices to the agri-food sector in Ontario in order Rumpa Biswas (Department of Food to lead to innovation and job growth for producers and processors.”

Science, University of Guelph) was awarded 3rd place for her research on a comparative study of seed disinfection methods. The Clive Kingsbury award was established this year in remembrance of the late Ontario Food Protection Association Vice President.

AMI Appoints new Executive Director

Ontario Pork Chair and Vice Chair Appointed

The Ontario Pork Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Amy Cronin was re-elected as Chair and Eric Schwindt was elected as Vice–Chair. All members are returning to the board table with the exception of Beth Clark who retired this year as director of Simcoe, zone three. This seat will remain vacant until such time as a candidate is named from that zone. Other members include, Doug Ahrens, John de Bruyn, Oliver Haan, Arno Schober, Teresa Van Raay and Bill Wymenga.

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www.oimp.ca

Member Achievements Willowgrove Hill and Finest Sausage & Meat Two OIMP members have joined together to introduce a line of Omega-3 enriched products including bacon, gypsy salami, kolbassa, and nine others. The entire Omega line of products is not only a rich source of Selenium, it is also glutenfree, MSG-free and dairy-free, all made from premium Willowgrove Hill pork raised without the use of antibiotics or growth promotants.

VFO Becomes a Reality The Ontario veal industry has realized a long sought after goal with the creation of the Veal Farmers of Ontario (VFO) as Ontario’s newest marketing board.

The regulations under the Farm Products Marketing Act creating the board came into force on April 1.

The inaugural Veal Farmers of Ontario (VFO) Board of Directors is comprised of eight producers who have been appointed by the Farm Products Marketing Commission for the first year of the organization’s operations. At their meeting on April 1, regulations and by-laws allowing for the start-up of operations and collection of its own license fees were approved.

VG Big Beef Food Truck Is it a food truck? Is it a butcher shop? Is it an eatery? It is all of the above! BIG Beef, the brain (and love) child of VG Meats is their brand new mobile butcher shop and eatery on wheels. This 35 foot truck is fully loaded to serve both delicious chef-made specialties as well as a custom-built 8 foot cooler full of individually packed steaks, ribs, sausages and more, for customers to take home and cook. It is big, bright red and rolling out to a neighbourhood near you!

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

Custom Blends We Match Any Recipe!

Product Is Packed To Match Your Batch Size Fresh “Made to Order” Blends

Specialty Food Phosphates

Technical Ingredients Shelf Life Extenders

Superior Solubility

Natural Solutions

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Sodium Reduction

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340 Industrial Parkway South Aurora, Ontario, Canada. L4G 3V7 Tel.: (905) 841-1717 Fax: (905) 841-1733 1 877-873-6647 www.mmis.ca

HACCP Certified

Be a Good Egg Easter Campaign OIMP would like to extend our sincere thanks to the following members for their support and partnership in delivering the donation of Ontario meat and poultry to the three top food banks in our Easter Be a Good Egg Facebook campaign: ▶▶ Buis Beef delivered 33lb of premium extra lean ground beef to Blenheim Food Bank. ▶▶ Seed to Sausage delivered 50kg of ham to Smiths Falls Community Food Bank.

▶▶ Schinkel’s Legacy delivered 54kg of ham and franks to Chatham Outreach for Hunger.

The combined retail value of the donations topped $2400 - the largest figure to date since the food bank campaigns started in 2012.

OIMP members are, without a doubt, some good eggs.

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- Tech Talk -

Are You Audit-Ready?

operation will ensure that you are prepared when an auditor walks through your doors.

These should include your documented pest control program, customer complaints, and recall programs, to name a few.

Daphne Nuys-Hall, Technical Director

Special attention should be paid to the sanitation and preventative maintenance programs – ensuring that they include every piece of equipment and utensils, all rooms and areas, externally and internally.

If you had a food safety audit today would you pass with flying colours? ‘Audit-ready, every day’ should be the goal of every company. The robust programs, recordkeeping requirements and compliant plant conditions should be part of normal operating conditions.

Each product must have a current recipe on file that includes the instructions on how it’s made and any special controls that are in place (e.g. degree hour calculations, E.coli controls).

The ultimate challenge is to sustain those conditions and compliance levels all year long.

Too often we find ourselves running around at the eleventh hour trying to make repairs, cleaning those hard to get to places, updating the written programs and frantically trying to locate records that demonstrate compliance to our regulatory or customer obligations.

What is ‘audit-ready’?

Being audit-ready means that your systems are ALWAYS ready to be audited, regardless of who is looking. Your meat plant may be subject to audits for various reasons.

OMAFRA, CFIA and Public Health conduct audits to ensure that your meat plant is in compliance with regulations. Your customers may conduct supplier audits to ensure that you are meeting their specific food safety or quality expectations. As well, you may have third party certification audits because of voluntary adoption of a food safety standard such as HACCP or one of the GFSI standards. Any of these audits could happen at your plant, at any time, and

“By taking the time and effort to inspect your operations on a regular basis, you have the opportunity to correct potential problems and make sure that before the inspector, auditor or customer arrives, your operation is in good shape.”

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being audit-ready will ensure that you are well organized and prepared.

Are your premises maintained in good repair and clean?

Ensure your premises are maintained in a structurally sound, sanitary condition. This is generally the most challenging area for plants to sustain. Maintenance of the facility requires strong preventive-maintenance, sanitation and pest control programs.

Routine plant inspections, at a frequency established by your company, should identify and correct issues with floors, walls, doors and ceilings. On-going monitoring of the sanitation and pest control programs will also identify any problem areas that should be rectified.

Are your written programs up-to-date and implemented?

Do they reflect the activities happening in your plant? Having in place effective, efficient and well documented policies, procedures and programs is an important element of a robust food safety program and will help you meet your regulatory obligations. Ensuring that they are kept up-to-date and reflect the current products and processes in your

Are your records current, complete and easy to find?

All required records must be current, complete and available. Records should include logs for preventative maintenance and calibration activities, pre-operational and sanitation inspections, temperature monitoring logs, process controls, pestcontrol records, receiving/shipping records, customer complaints, mock recalls, allergen control, training and glass and brittle plastic inspections records. Records should be readily accessible upon request therefore you should develop and maintain a filing system that will allow you to easily and rapidly retrieve them for any purpose.

Are your people trained?

Do they understand their roles and responsibilities? If an auditor were to interview your staff today would they be confident and comfortable enough to answer their questions? Ensuring that your people are trained to understand their responsibilities, whether it be for performing inspections, receiving materials, operating the smokehouse, is an important element to being audit-ready. Employees should be able to explain to any auditor their duties and record keeping responsibilities during interviews. Ensuring that you have backup employees trained is also essential. www.oimp.ca

Records of any training should be kept up to date and filed in a manner to be readily accessible.

Where do you start?

Inspect what you expect!

Internal audits are your first and best line of defense. An internal audit is a planned, systematic review of your premises, programs, records and personnel to ensure on-going compliance. A review of the previous year’s audit and any inspection reports is also important to ensure that any outstanding deficiencies have been corrected.

In order to effectively and efficiently conduct an internal audit, create a program that audits against a known standard – for example the previous year’s audit, OMAFRA’s Meat Plant Guidelines or CFIA’s Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures. By inspecting your plant against those elements that apply to your business you are always audit-ready.

By taking the time and effort to inspect your operations on a regular basis, you have the opportunity to correct potential problems and make sure that before the inspector, auditor, or customer arrives, your operation is in good shape.

How do you ensure you are Audit-Ready?

Being audit-ready is not something that just happens overnight. If you don’t have someone constantly checking compliance, human nature kicks in with people generally prioritising activities based on their own needs and wants. It requires a very strong internal audit process to be functional within your meat business. It also takes time, adequate training for all food handlers and ultimately commitment from all levels of management.

Associated OIMP Lunch & Learn Webinars July 9, 2015 Barcoding September 30, 2015 Allergen Control Plans - Preventing a Recall December 2, 2015 Labelling Prepackaged Meat Products

For more information, contact: Daphne Nuys-Hall OIMP Technical Director technical@oimp.ca (519) 763-4558 ext. 222

Donnell Insurance is excited to announce the addition of Halwell Mutual to it’s stable of insurance companies.

We remain committed to the association and would welcome the opportunity to discuss your insurance program.

We specialize in Food Processing and Agri-business risks. If your policy is 90 days or closer to renewal please contact us to enquire about special association coverages and pricing.

(905) 319-2252 | (877) 338-2252 | peterd@donnellins.com www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

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Manual Materials Handling:

- Safety First -

Manual materials handling is a common task for workers in many workplaces. It is the moving, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling of materials that can expose workers to hazards resulting in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

MSDs are the most common workplace injury resulting in over 40 percent of all Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) lost-time injuries in Ontario.

This fall the Ministry of Labour will be conducting Safety Blitzes focusing on material handling.

It is important that you assess the hazards associated with material handling in your workplace and control for them.

• designating heavier loads as team lifts (e.g. two or more persons)

Hazards

• do not have to handle loads using awkward postures or an extended reach

To assess the hazards of manual materials handling operations, consider the load, the task, the environment in which the task is performed, and the operator. When these factors interact with each other, they can create hazards that result in injuries.

Control Measures A load may be hazardous because of weight, size, shape (making it awkward to handle), slippery or damaged surfaces, imbalance (i.e. changing centre of gravity), etc. The best control measure is to eliminate the need for workers to perform manual handling tasks.

Since this is not always possible, design manual handling tasks so that they are within the workers’ capabilities. Considerations include the load itself, the design of the workstation and work practices.

Reduce the weight of the load by decreasing the: • size of the object (specify size to suppliers) • weight of the container (e.g. plastic is lighter than steel) • capacity of containers • load in the container Conversely, consider increasing the weight of the load so that it may only be handled mechanically. This can be done by the use of palletized loads, and larger bins or containers.

• changing the size and shape of the load so that the worker can get closer to the load’s centre of gravity

Workstation Design Design work stations so that workers: • can store and handle all material between knuckle and shoulder height • can begin and end handling material at the same height • can face the load and handle materials as close to the body as possible

• do not handle loads in confined spaces that prevent them from using good body mechanics

Work Practices Eliminate the need to lift or lower manually by providing and ensuring proper use of: • lift trucks, cranes, hoists, scissor lifts, drum and barrel dumpers, stackers, work dispensers, elevating conveyors, articulating arms and other mechanical devices • power lift tail gates on trucks, and hand trucks to ensure easy transfer of material from the truck to ground level • portable ramps or conveyors to lift and lower loads on to work stations Eliminate pushing or pulling by ensuring the use of powered conveyors, powered trucks, slides, chutes, and similar mechanical aids.

Make loads easier to push or pull by ensuring the use of carts, hand trucks and dollies.

Instruct employees to: • push rather than pull • avoid overloading

Decrease the load on the worker by:

• ensure the load does not block vision

• limiting the number of objects he/she is required to handle during the day

• never push one load and pull another at the same time

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www.oimp.ca

Reduce carrying and holding forces by: • evaluating the work flow – determine if heavy loads can be moved mechanically over any distance • converting the operation into a pushing or pulling task • providing carts, slings or trolleys • providing portable containers in which to place awkward loads • providing grips or handles on loads • limiting the distance over which the load is moved

Environmental Factors Ensure the following: • in a cold environment, o workers wear good insulating clothing o loads are easy to handle when gloves and heavy clothing are worn • lifting instructions can be heard in a noisy environment • lighting levels are adequate for the work place

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• the layout of the work area provides better access to the load • the aisles are clear of obstacles

Storage Provide proper storage facilities such as: • storage boxes and containers that can be lifted mechanically rather than requiring manual handling • avoid deep shelving that make retrieving or placing a load difficult • racks or shelf trucks to store material, thus eliminating the need for lifting the containers

General Precautions Instruct employees to take the following precautions when handling loads: • test the weight of the load to ensure it can be lifted securely • grip the load securely • protect hands against pinch points • practice good team lifting • get help with awkward loads • always use the mechanical devices and aids provided

Training Traditional training has focused on proper lifting methods and safe work procedures. On the job demonstrations and practice sessions are the best methods of training. Cover basic manual materials handling procedures, and the proper use of mechanical aids and techniques.

The objectives of material handling training are to teach the worker: • how to identify hazardous loads or handling tasks • the proper selection and use of mechanical handling aids • safe postures and manual lifting techniques to minimize strain, and • safe lifting techniques Regularly reinforce the proper techniques to ensure their continued use.

5110 Creekbank Rd Mississauga, ON L4W 0A1 (877) 494-9777 www.wsps.ca

• don’t rush or cut corners

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

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2015 OIMP Webinar and Workshop Schedule OIMP strives to deliver timely and informative workshops and webinars on relevant topics to the meat industry. We have partnered with experts in the industry to share their knowledge and expertise that can provide you with the resources to help solve a problem or improve your day to day operations.

Register today so as not to let these great training opportunities pass by.

June 24 - Energy Conservation Workshop

Energy usage may not be your primary focus, but it can be one of your biggest costs in the day-to-day operation of your business. By focusing on energy management and understanding the electricity market, your business can create opportunities to save money on your energy bills.

This half day session will focus on what the biggest energy costs may be and the potential means of conserving energy and reducing costs.

July 9 - Barcoding Webinar

If you are struggling with understanding your traceability system this webinar is for you. It will let you know what GS1 and EDI standards are in use in the industry that could be helping you collect and share information within your facility, from your supplier and to your customers.

September 30 - Allergen Control Plans - Preventing a Recall Webinar

For hypersensitive individuals, certain foods and their derivatives can cause allergic reactions. There is no cure for food allergies and the only way for an allergic individual to protect themselves is strict avoidance of the allergen. This webinar will outline the elements for an Allergen Control Program to manage the use of ingredients identified as allergens in an establishment, prevent undeclared allergen ingredients in finished food products, and identify the presence of allergens through proper labelling.

November 10 - Manufacturing Innovations Workshop

In today’s ultra-competitive meat processing industry, the rapidly developing ability to automate is pushing traditional speed and accuracy requirements to new limits. These advancements are creating breakthrough demands for hyper-accurate, high speed portioning and just in time production, making them the new cornerstones of processor profitability.

Lunch & Learn Webinars run from 12:00 to 1:00pm.

Invitations to login will be sent once registration is received and processed.

Workshops run from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the OIMP Guelph office (unless otherwise noted on the registration form).

Rates: Workshops Regular: $150 OIMP Member: $75 h Top-notc

Webinars Regular: $50 OIMP Member: $25

, great-tasting Gour met Poultr y & Game Me

at s

ROASTER CHICKENS, RABBITS, PHEASANTS, CORNISH HENS, DUCKS & QUAIL.

This workshop will demonstrate the latest in high-speed Automatic Linking, Hanging & Cutting Line technology. Participants will have the opportunity to be hands on in this workshop.

December 2 - Labelling Prepackaged Meat Products

Your label is the gateway to a sale of your product. It tells the consumer who you are, what products you are selling and why they should buy your products above all others in the meat counter.

Inaccurate, misleading or incomplete labels could negatively affect the consumer’s perception of your product and could be in violation of one or more labelling regulations, which could potentially lead to your product being recalled. This webinar will discuss the characteristics of compliant and complete labels.

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BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

13

Funding Programs for Ontario Processors

Growing Forward 2 (GF2)

communicates the approval to the applicant) and within the timelines identified in the contribution agreement.

Growing Forward 2 (GF2) • Approval time for projects is 60 business days from end of is a comprehensive federalintake period. provincial-territorial framework aimed at encouraging innovation, competitiveness and market development in Canada's agri-food and GF2 Funding Applications for processors will be accepted August 10 agri-products sector. In Ontario, GF2 offers cost-share to producers, to August 27, 2015, and November 16 to December 3, 2015. For more processors, organizations and collaborations to grow profits, expand information contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre markets and manage shared risks. OMAFRA has updated their 1-877-424-1300 or send an email to ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca. funding Guidebook and have allocated the expertise of Amanda Culverwell to work one-on-one with meat plant operators on potential projects. Meat plant operators are encouraged to contact Amanda at amanda.culverwell@ontario.ca or 519-826-3730 to discuss the project before proceeding with writing an application.

Canada-Ontario Job Grant (the Job Grant) provides an opportunity What's new with Growing Forward 2? for employers to invest in their workforce, with help from the • Growing Forward 2 (GF2) priorities are clearly identified. government. The Job Grant will provide direct financial support • All projects will be assessed on merit. Only the most impactful to individual employers who wish to purchase training for their projects will receive cost-share. employees. It will be available to small, medium and large businesses with a plan to deliver short-term training to existing and new • Cost-share funding will be capped depending on the project employees, and will provide up to $10,000 in government support per category (e.g. $3800 for C.0.4 Food Safety Assessment). person for training costs.

Canada-Ontario Job Grant

• Some project categories have prerequisites as a required condition before you apply.

• Costs must be incurred and paid by the applicant after the project has been approved (i.e. the date OMAFRA

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If you're an employer with a particular skills demand, the CanadaOntario Job Grant might be right for you. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. For further information, please contact the Employment Ontario Contact Centre. Call toll-free 1-800-3875656 or through the TTY number: 1-866-533-6339 or email at EmploymentHotlineInquiries@ontario.ca. www.oimp.ca

Jobs and Prosperity Fund: Food and Beverage Growth Fund Under the Jobs and Prosperity Fund, the Food and Beverage Growth Fund provides funding for food, beverage and bio-product projects.

This fund is available for food and beverage processing, and bioproduct projects across the province with more than $5 million in eligible costs. You could receive a grant or loan reimbursing up to 20% of your eligible project costs.

These projects: • help create and retain jobs • strengthen supply chains

Youth Employment Fund: Government Grants for Hiring Youth Youth who are unskilled and under the age of 29 often have difficulty finding a job. The government now offers a wage subsidy, up to $6,800 to offset training and wage costs linked with a job placement plus an additional $1000 for training per new hire, to employers who can commit to hiring and training these youth. There are no limitations on industry sector and no limit on the number of applications per company. The company must offer meaningful on-the-job training for youth with a 4-6 month placement commitment.

To learn more or to discuss opportunities, apply online to Employment Ontario's Employment Service to work with a service provider on matching you with a suitable youth.

• enhance innovation and productivity • increase market access For information regarding the Food and Beverage Growth Fund contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre 1-877-424-1300 or send an email to FBGF@ontario.ca.

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15

- Business Member Profile -

Quinn's Meats: A History of Quality By: Heather Nahatchewitz, Marketing and Communications Director

“We serve customers from Ottawa to Belleville, with some travelling from as far away as Toronto. Two hundred customers come through here on a Saturday alone,” says Brian. “Plus we’ve had to turn down distributors wanting our jerky; we just can’t keep up the volume to meet the demand.”

It’s not uncommon to have an actual husband and wife team running a ‘mom and pop’ operation, but it is pretty rare to get the two of them in one room at the same time during a work day. It’s the nature of the Brian Quinn’s history with the OIMP business and goes back some time. His uncle, Doug typically all Lewis, was involved in the formation of what was then hands on deck the Ontario Freezer Meat Association in 1979, acting as no matter the President from ’79 to ‘86. Brian himself sat on the board as size of the a Director from ’89 to ’91. operation, or geographical “OIMP has been part of my life for so long. It’s changed location. just as much as I’ve changed. When I have a question or That’s why I problem someone always gets back to me, and if you don’t considered it a know the answer you know someone who does,” says Brian. real treat to be “We also enjoy the social part of membership. Going to able to sit down conferences and talking shop. We’ve made lots of good with both Brenda and Brian Quinn in the plant office of friends through the association.”

Brian Quinn’s Meats in Yarker.

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, about a half hour northwest of Kingston, the plant sits on a highway just outside of the village of Yarker (an estimated 200 residents according to Wikimapia). With such a seemingly small population to draw from, you would think sales would be on the average to slow side, but that’s not the case here.

“We also enjoy the social part of membership.

Going to conferences and talking shop. We’ve made lots of good friends through the association.”

Three years before the association was even formed, Brian purchased a cement block building in 1976, built the plant right over top then demolished the inside. Twenty years later, a fire destroyed the plant, and Quinn’s rebuilt again on-site. When asked about expansion Brian responded, “Maybe at one time we thought about an additional retail location in Napanee, or opening a catering business on the side, but then the fire happened. We were under-insured and it set us back financially.”

Brenda and Brian both work full-time in the business. Brian on the smoking curing side while Brenda is more focused on the customer service, taking care of orders. When asked what it’s like to work together, Brian’s genuine response was endearing, “I don’t know what I’d do without her.” And when work is over, it’s a two minute walk to their front door as their home is located on the same pieces of property as the plant. Brenda added, “When we leave, we leave, and try to not talk about the day. But Brian is always here. It’s too easy to pop in at night and make sure everything is in order

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www.oimp.ca

for the next day. Regardless, we still prefer this over a commute.”

All three daughters worked at the plant through high school and college, but have since moved on to follow their own interests. Their son Tyler runs the place when Brenda and Brian are away, and whether or not he will be taking over the plant one day is in discussion.

“Right now we’re busy as we want to be,” says Brian. “Tyler has lots of great ideas and it’s so nice to hear. For us, however, we’re looking towards retirement.”

“It’s our time to have fun,” adds Brenda. “If we get a day we go sailing, visit the grandkids, play golf.”

But when working, Brenda still loves the crazy busy Saturdays, dealing with customers. “Customer service is so important. To know customers’ names, to thank them for coming in seems like something little but it means a lot to people walking through the door.”

Employees are treated equally as well. “We try to be fair to people.

To treat them the way we’d like to be treated. I love to hear the employees laughing, and having a good time. It’s a good feeling,” says Brian. “We have an amazing staff. Professional, caring, and courteous. I have always been very fortunate in that area.”

recipe and use a quality piece, whole muscle only.”

Having already dominated the People’s Choice competition, with much excitement, Brenda announced Quinn’s will now also be entering several products in the Ontario Finest Meat Competition™ this summer. Having sampled some potential entries, in my personal opinion, they are indeed a contender. Regardless of a win, we sincerely look forward to welcoming the Quinn’s to the OIMP Awards Gala this and every fall. (At least until retirement, but even then.)

Brian Quinn's Meats 3998 Cty Rd. #1, Yarker, ON K0K 3N0 (613) 377-6430 www.quinnsmeats.com quinnsmeats@hotmail.com

Quinn’s sells beef, pork, chicken, but also bison, goat and lamb. Chicken is brought in from Sargent Farms and when livestock can’t be sourced from local farmers, Quinn’s looks to The Meat Depot to fill in the balance. Custom slaughter makes up about 40% of the business, with retail/wholesale the remaining 60%.

“Local is the big drawing card,” says Brian. “And everything is done onsite, slaughter, smoking, further processing. You can’t get fresher meats.”

“We focus on what we’re good at,” adds Brenda. And if being a four-time consecutive winner of what is now called the Dave Tiller People’s Choice Award, for their jerky is any indication, they know what that is. “We have a good www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

17

- Associate Member Profile -

Pemberton & Associates Selling Solutions By: Heather Nahatchewitz, OIMP Marketing and Communications Director

Visit Pemberton & Associates, Booth #109, at Meat Industry Expo 2015 to view their new line of equipment from Italy, perfect for smaller plants.

Christopher Pemberton established “A customer comes to us with an Pembertons in 1930, selling oils and fats, application, or says I want to do this and, with his son Jack joining him in 1945. Jack says Patrick, “It’s our job to recommend introduced the equipment side, and at 92 the best solution based on price, footprint, years young, still comes into the office value for money, and other indicators today and sits on the board as Chairman. unique to that particular customer.”

A figure in the meat industry, I’m told he comes in for no other reason than he Providing effective solutions starts with enjoys it. the right suppliers and Pembertons has many long-term relationships, some 25+ Dennis Hicks leads the company today years. They actively attend international as President and I had the pleasure of trade shows, and research on-line in order speaking with Patrick Colin, Manager, to provide their customers with up-toTechnical Services, who joined nearly 20 date technologies that will enhance their years ago, and shares the same passion for products and manufacturing capabilities. the industry as Jack and Dennis.

“But it’s easier to lose a reputation than Pemberton & Associates is a full service to gain it, so it’s important we choose the distributor, importing food manufacturing right suppliers. We consider our current equipment into Canada from countries suppliers to be ‘best-in-class’ and we such as Italy, Germany, France, and the always try to ensure that they are, or have US and selling to the Canadian market. the potential to be, the top 1, 2, or 3 best Historically, its business catered to the in the industry.” meat and poultry processing industry, from the slaughterhouse through to packaging “When we find something new, and chubs, but Pemberton & Associates now think yes, this is a good idea, we do serves industries such as baked goods, background research, determine that the snack foods, and home meal replacement. company is solid and get to know its key

“We are OIMP members to support industry and help in terms of productivity and competitiveness, by providing new solutions with new technologies.”

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www.oimp.ca

staff members. We can’t sell something without service, parts, technical support, and at the end of the day, when we sell something; it’s our name on it.”

inspection systems where cameras inspect packages coming down the line.

Does it have the right bar code and label?

Is it the right colour? The right number of slices? Is it sealed properly?

Pembertons’ customers range in size from large multi-national food corporations to “The human eye is very good but fatigue regional and small local food processors. can set in and sometimes things get “In the past we’ve tended to focus on missed that machines will catch. It relates larger pieces to food safety but of equipment, also saves money in but we’re avoiding recalls and re-evaluating returns, which can that.” Patrick get extremely costly.” spoke of a line of meat processing equipment out of Customer first is the business philosophy Italy that is perfect for smaller customers at Pembertons. “It’s our first train of which Pembertons will be showcasing at thought.” Patrick goes on to say, “We are Meat Industry Expo. “It’s built very well, not the low-cost provider in the market. all stainless steel, with great cleanability.

It’s more important for us to offer the Everything comes apart in minutes.” best value to our customers. We’re not just supplying the equipment; we have In terms of evolution in the industry, the expertise, service, and support to back Patrick sees the market for the meat it up.” industry changing, medium-size plants being absorbed by larger corporations.

As a business 85 years in the making, This gives smaller plants an opportunity and as a valued OIMP Associate to grow. “Our focus will be on the owner/ member since 1998, we appreciate operators of those businesses. The market Pembertons’ ongoing commitment for local, natural, authentic products will to the industry and to our members. continue to expand and that’s the kind of Make sure you stop by their booth and product smaller processors excel at. We say hello at Meat Industry Expo 2015! would like to be there to grow with these people.”

Pemberton & Associates Inc. 3610 Nashua Dr. Pemberton & Associates prefers to deal Mississauga, ON L4V 1X9 with people who have the same idea 1-800-668-6111 of business, how it should be, where www.pemcom.com relationship means something. Where pemco@pemcom.com handshakes are just as binding as contracts. OIMP members fall within this group and are a very important part of Pembertons’ customer base. “That doesn’t mean we are selling to them, but we are talking to them.”

“At the end of the day, it’s our name on it.”

In meeting the needs of larger corporations, Pembertons has started testing a line of high speed visual

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

19

- Affiliate Member Profile -

By: Emily Danard, Marketing Coordinator, Turkey Farmers of Ontario

OntarioTurkey : Make Every Meal Super Turkey Farmers of Ontario are proud to be going into our fifth year of our marketing campaign in which we continue to make meals super with turkey.

Beginning May 4, the television commercial which originally aired in 2011, went back to television screens across the province.

It can also be seen digitally when using online viewing platforms that are provided by the network. Want to try something different?

Turkey makes your meals super.

The commercial voiceover mentions turkey as being a delicious way to break out of the ordinary.

Billboards have been the most successful and memorable advertisement for consumers based upon our annual research. We use short key messages with tasty imagery to entice consumers to learn more about Ontario Turkey. This year by using the term ‘super’ we highlight the aspects of turkey that makes it just that. Five billboards will be up for the summer months and three new billboards in September to switch it up for the fall.

We worked with several different grocery chains which provided the opportunity for consumers to taste a turkey product. On weekends in late May to early June across

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the province, consumers got the chance to try a turkey recipe as well as take a recipe leaflet with them so that they can try cooking other recipes at home. By providing a taste of turkey in-store it may entice consumers to purchase turkey while shopping.

A recipe booklet highlighting some great summer turkey recipes is included in the June 24 edition of the Food & Drink magazine available at LCBO locations across the province. This is an excellent opportunity for Ontario Turkey recipes to be featured with a well-known and well distributed publication.

Recipe development each year ensures that we stay up-to-date with food trends and many options are available for how to prepare turkey. We developed four new recipes that have a Middle Eastern flair to them. For these new recipes we filmed short videos that show how to make each of them.

These can be found on our YouTube page www.youtube. com/OntarioTurkey.

For grilling season, we worked with Celebrity Chef Ted Reader to create four new grilled turkey recipes. Chef Ted is known for his love of barbeque so we worked with him to get some exciting pieces of grilled, smoked and sauced turkey. We continue to work with our

TFO spokesperson, Chef Emily Richards, who appears on local television programs throughout the year where she cooks tasty turkey recipes and educates consumers on benefits of turkey.

We remain active on social media ensuring that our consumer base has easy access to recipes, cooking tips and what’s on the go with Ontario Turkey. If you haven’t already joined just over 7300 consumers on Facebook and 2100 followers on Twitter, please be sure to connect with us to keep up-to-date on the latest news. An Instagram page was introduced this year where recipe images are posted and we are working on hosting photo contests. Our eNewsletter is another quick way that we provide information to consumers on a monthly basis. If you would like to

receive this newsletter please visit our website www.makesitsuper.ca.

If you are interested in learning more about our marketing programs or to inquire about recipe booklets for your customers, please contact us at (519) 748-9636 or info@ turkeyfarmers.on.ca.

www.oimp.ca

Pistachio Crusted Turkey with Herb, Lemon and Pomegranate Salad Turkey:

Dressing:

1 cup (250 mL) shelled raw pistachios (about 4 ounces/113 g)

Zest and juice of one large lemon 1 tsp (5 mL) honey

1/2 cup (125 mL) Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh basil

Pinch sea salt

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh rosemary

Salad:

2 tbsp (30 mL) Greek plain yogurt 2 tbsp (30 mL) Grainy mustard 6 4 oz (113 g) boneless skinless Ontario turkey breast cutlets 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

PREP: 20 minutes

COOK: 20 minutes

1 cup (250 mL) mixed herb leaves, such as parsley, cilantro, mint, or any combination 4 cups (1 L) arugula leaves Seeds of 1 pomegranate, or 1 small carton of pomegranate seeds (about 3/4 cup or 175 mL)

MAKES: 6 servings

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Roughly grind nuts in processor or chop by hand. Add panko and blend, using on/off turns if using processor. Transfer to shallow baking dish. Mix basil, dill, rosemary, yogurt and mustard in medium bowl. Spread mustard mixture over both sides of each turkey cutlet. Dip turkey into nut mixture, coating completely. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add turkey to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer turkey to baking sheet. Bake turkey until cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, honey and oil until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In bowl, combine the herbs, arugula and pomegranate seeds in serving bowl or on a platter. Drizzle greens with dressing and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with turkey cutlets over top or on the side.

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

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Best Practices to

REDUCE RISKS in Poultry Plants

In Canada, Salmonella and Campylobacter are two of the top four pathogens causing domestically acquired food-borne illnesses. Poultry is a common source of these pathogens.

Some data collected in the OMAFRA baseline (2009) from provincially-licensed abattoirs that slaughter chicken shows that crosscontamination is a risk in plants during processing. As a result, OMAFRA began a study in 2014 to examine these risks with a focus on chilling systems and intervention use. The study examines not only the risk of pathogen and spoilage organisms on final product and during processing, but also how poultry chill tanks can be managed in provincially-sized and designed plants to reduce pathogen risk.

Following this study, a number of recommendations have been developed to assist poultry plant operators manage and reduce cross-contamination through proper chilling and water use, chemical interventions and changes to the order of slaughter. By adopting best practices, operators can reduce poultry pathogen levels, while at the same time increasing product quality and shelf life.

It was observed that microbial loading and organics (blood, fecal materials, etc.) increase in poultry chill tanks over the day of processing. When chill tanks are used but do not overflow sufficient amounts of water, the rapid increase in pathogens and spoilage organisms, as well as organics, throughout the day not only reduces the shelf life and quality of the meat, but makes chemical intervention difficult. Similarly, in a bin chilling systems, individual bins should be rinsed and sanitized prior to re-use. It was recognized that most poultry plants use a large amount of water

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than 34 to 36 days of age, while older birds, regardless of breed (e.g. red birds, pigeon, silkies and other older flocks) are often positive. When multiple flocks are slaughtered on the same processing day, good management practices suggest slaughtering the flocks least likely to be positive for Campylobacter first followed by other flocks to reduce chill tank contamination and crosscontamination risk.

during processing and increasing water use can be difficult in some cases. However, if Inside/Outside (I/O) washes are monitored daily to ensure jets are spraying water at higher pressure and effectively targeted at carcasses, this can reduce chill tank organic loading.

Another practice that can slow pathogen loading in a chill tank is through order of slaughter adjustment. Once a small number of birds in a flock become infected with Campylobacter, bird-to-bird transmission within the flock is extremely rapid, and the majority of birds in that flock will become infected within a few days. Current data, including that from the OMAFRA poultry baseline study in 2010, demonstrates that broilers are likely to be negative for Campylobacter if they are close to or less

When pathogens like Campylobacter or Salmonella contaminate chill tanks, there is a greater risk that more carcasses exiting the tank will be positive for these pathogens as microorganisms will adhere to carcass surfaces in the tank. This is also true for spoilage organisms that can be present in very high numbers in chill tanks, thus reducing shelf life of the product.

Improving effectiveness of evisceration to avoid contamination of carcasses, monitoring the I/O wash to better rinse carcasses, overflowing chill tank water with fresh water and applying a chemical intervention to assist with control of pathogens and spoilage organisms in the chill tanks will all contribute to improved safety and quality of raw product.

There are low-cost options available for treating chill tanks to prevent carcasses from becoming positive for Campylobacter or Salmonella. Two common products used during this study were chlorine and peroxyacetic (peracetic) acid (PAA). These products are effective in not only reducing pathogen levels, but also increasing shelf

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life as spoilage organisms are greatly reduced. In this study, PAA was observed to perform superior to chlorine in chill systems, particularly when used in conditions of high organics and in plants that have water at pH close to 7.8 or 8.0.

If considering implementing a chlorine chemical intervention in a chill tank, it is important that the chill tank water be maintained at a pH below 6.5. Chlorine is ~40% (or less) efficient at a water pH close to 8.0, which is typical at a number of Ontariolicensed poultry plants; thus making chlorine less desirable unless plants also control water pH. Another major consideration when using chlorine as a disinfectant is that free chlorine is highly reactive and rapidly oxidizes and reacts with a number of substances, such as fat, blood, fecal material, and protein. Poultry chill tank waters may have extremely high levels these organic materials due partially to poor bleed out, excessive scalder temperatures, poor washing of carcasses during and after evisceration, and excessive fecal caking on the surfaces of the chickens coming into

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the plant. Any free chlorine added to these high-demand waters is rapidly consumed, thus becoming unavailable for disinfection.

If chlorine is to be used in poultry chillers, efforts should be made to reduce the amount of organic material in these systems via: pre-scald bird brushes, effective carcass rinse systems, proper bleed-out procedures, countercurrent scalders and chillers, and proper freshwater makeup in scalders and chillers.

Poultry plant operators interested in having in-plant testing performed on antimicrobial controls in their chill systems can call (519) 826-3514 or e-mail jeanine.boulter-bitzer@ ontario.ca.

PAA was tested at several Ontario-licensed poultry plants in their chill tanks at levels ranging from 20 to 30 ppm. It demonstrated very good capability to limit the build-up of microorganisms in the chill tank during processing, kept the chill tank water free of Campylobacter and Salmonella, and greatly reduced levels of spoilage organisms. This represents a significant reduction in crosscontamination potential in the chill tank.

BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

23

NOTHING PORTIONS

more

P R E C I S E LY than the

MARELEC PORTIO With a state-of-the-art 360° 3D laser scanning system, the Marelec Portio is the industry’s most accurate portion cutter.

The Marelec Portio portion cutter features up to three laser scanner cameras for highly accurate portioning. This intelligent portioner slices all types of fresh boneless product by weight or by thickness.

Marelec Portio 3 Portion Cutter As product is fed on the infeed belt, three laser scanners measure its volume. A portion computer then calculates where to cut. Four stabilizing arms maintain control of the product. An ultra-fast cutting knife makes up to 1,000 precise fixed-weight cuts per minute. The economical Portio increases throughput, virtually eliminates giveaway, reduces trim, and delivers consistent and accurate portions. Contact us for more information. www.reiser.com Reiser Canton, MA • (781) 821-1290 Reiser Canada Burlington, ON • (905) 631-6611 2014

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www.oimp.ca

Deadline for entry Is looming!

Do you produce the finest meat and poultry in all of Ontario? Here's your chance to prove it by entering the Ontario Finest Meat CompetitionTM! Certain to be a spirited competition amongst OIMP Business members, all entries are judged by an elite group of knowledgeable, influential judges including retail buyers, authors, media, chefs and home economists.

Awards (Platinum, Gold, and Silver), the Ron Usborne Award of Excellence, and the new Diamond Award, will be presented October 24, 2015, at the OIMP Awards Gala held at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls.

Deadline for Entry:

Product Ready for Pick-Up:

Friday July 24 (at no charge)

AKR CONSULTING CANADA INC. 151 Courtneypark Drive West, Suite #100 Mississauga, ON L5W 1Y5 T: (905) 678-6368 | F: (905) 677-1700 info@akrconsulting.com www.akrconsulting.com

A Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors:

important dates: Monday June 22, 4:30pm

Call us and ďŹ nd out how you can start saving money

Judging:

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28 and 29

Winners Announced:

October 24, OIMP Awards Gala, Niagara Falls

product categories: Bacon - Back Bacon - Flavoured Side Bacon - Traditional Side Beef/Veal Whole Muscle Deli Cold Cuts - Deli Meat Ham - Boneless *NEW* Kielbasa Poultry Whole Muscle Deli

Premium Dried or Dry Cured Premium Wiener Salumi - Charcuterie *NEW* Sausage - Dry/Semi-Dry Sausage - Specialty Cooked and/ or Smoked Sausage - Traditional Cooked and/or Smoked

Visit www.oimp.ca or contact the office at (519) 763-4558 for more information.

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BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

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Industry Day Recap

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2014-07-29 3:02 P

Fifty guests representing 32 companies joined OIMP for our 2015 Industry Day & AGM held in Milton mid-April. OIMP members and guests had the opportunity to hear from an array of prominent speakers discussing sustainability and profitability in today’s economic climate. The 2014 Annual Report can be found online at www.oimp.ca or call the office if you would prefer a hard copy.

A sincere thank you once again to our Industry Day sponsors:

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BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

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Year two of the intense Ontario’s Finest Butcher Competition will again match butcher against butcher in a head to head battle for meat cutting supremacy.

Competitors will showcase their knife skills in an elimination round in September. The top three proceed to the finals at the Meat Industry Expo in October, where they will dazzle the crowd with their charisma and creativity, adding value and merchandising their undisclosed protein.

A combined score of judges and Expo attendees will determine Ontario’s Finest Butcher, with the prestigious award being presented that night at OIMP’s Awards Gala.

Why enter? Aside from the bragging rights that come with the prestigious title, both www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

? en prove it!

Th

the winner and the winning member company will receive a plaque commemorating this impressive accomplishment for all to see. You will also be recognized as Ontario’s Finest Butcher in all press releases, and to the industry through social media, BLOCKtalk, and both the industry and consumer websites.

A Special Thanks to our Generous Sponsors:

Important Dates Deadline to Register:

Friday August 14, 4:30pm

Elimination Round:

Monday September 14, Mississauga

Final Round:

Saturday October 24, Meat Industry Expo, Niagara Falls

Winner Announced:

Saturday October 24, OIMP Awards Gala, Niagara Falls BLOCKtalk - Summer 2015

27

INNOVATIONS CONNECTIONS SOLUTIONS Now in its 22nd year, we are happy to announce the biennial Meat Industry Expo will move to its new home at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, this October.

The only show of its kind in Canada, this is your opportunity to network with colleagues, learn from industry experts, and keep up to date on trends and issues in the industry; all while visiting exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations, new technologies, and equipment and service solutions.

Interested in being an exhibitor or sponsor?

Contact the OIMP office for more information at (519) 763-4558.

Visit the new ‘Flavours’ section and try some of the finest meat and poultry products available in Ontario. Ten OIMP Business members will be on hand sampling, answering questions, and talking to visitors about how they may get these unique artisan products on their shelves. A local winery and brewery will also be present to complement the food offerings with the best the region has to offer.

An Evening with Handtmann Attendees and exhibitors are invited to attend the Friday night social event taking place at the designated Expo hotel, Marriott Gateway on the Falls, directly across the street from the Centre.

The Grand Presidential bi-level suite has been reserved for the function and boasts a stunning view of the falls through 18ft windows.

Hosted by Handtmann Canada, the social is open house style from 6 – 11pm.

Visit www.meatindustryexpo.ca for the latest updates. Registration opens soon: $15 online in advance, $25 at the door.

Thank you to our Sponsors:

The Expo culminates Saturday night as we roll out the red carpet and honour our members at the 2015 OIMP Awards Gala. The Meat Industry Achievement (MIA) recipient, and 10 and 25 year members will be recognized followed by the winners of the Ontario Finest Meat Competition™.

Finally, be in the room as the second ever Ontario’s Finest Butcher is announced following the final round of competition taking place on the Expo tradeshow floor that afternoon.

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Oimp.ca GEtS a Makeover!

Check it out! Www.oimp.ca has been redesigned to be more user-friendly, and to better meet the needs of the Ontario meat and poultry processing industry.

All OIMP members, whether they’ve registered previously or not, will need to register to gain access to the Members Only area of the website.

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

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Advertiser Index Abate Packers www.abatepackers.com

pg. 12

AKR Consulting www.akrconsulting.com

pg. 25

BIO www.bioTrack.ca

pg. 23

Can-Tex Protective Systems Inc. www.can-texfloors.com

pg. 32

Carlisle Technology

www.carlisletechnology.com

pg. 11

Donnell Insurance www.donnellins.com

pg. 9

Duropac www.duropac.com

pg. 29

Handtmann Canada www.handtmann.ca

pg. 31

M&M Enterprise (Canada) Inc. www.mmenterprisescanada.com

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Meat Depot, The pg. 27 www.themeatdepot.ca

MMIS Mondo Inc. pg. 7 www.mmis.ca

Pemberton & Associates pg. 32 www.pemco.com

Reiser

pg. 24 www.reiser.com

Samuel Packaging Group pg. 13 www.samuelstrapping.com

Sani-Marc pg. 26 www.sanimarc.com

VC999 pg. 2 & 15 www.vc999.com The YES Group Inc. www.yesgroup.ca

pg. 32

pg. 21

www.oimp.ca

www.ontariomeatandpoultry.ca

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Since 1987 the YES GROUP has provided equipment, ingredients and supplies to the meat and poultry industry in Canada.

Do you have an audit coming soon?

Do your floors need repairs or a pre-audit inspection?

That is our expertise.

The 3 "R"s have supported the YES GROUP in providing our customers with all their FOOD SAFETY and HACCP colour coded needs.

Ronco Protective Products Remco Products | Rubbermaid

1-800-465-3536 Quebec: 450-544-7240

Call Gary Hawco at: (519) 829-9942 or Josh Hawco at: (519) 829-9915 Can-Tex Protective Systems Inc.

50 Fleming Drive, Unit 4 | Cambridge, Ontario | Toll-Free: 888-860-0012

P E M B ERTONS 1-800-668-6111 A complete line of small to medium sized food processing equipment High quality stainless steel equipment Made in Italy CSA approved Local after-sales service

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