Industry News - AM
Sustainability research, case studies and discussion anchor 2012 Protein Innovation Summit
By Meatingplace Editors on 3/5/2012
Sustainability is among the most vexing and politically charged challenges facing the food industry today.
Large and small companies alike are debating how to define it; how to affordably achieve it; and how to
sufficiently scale it to meet the needs of world population that now exceeds 7 billion people.
A 2011 survey by sister publications Meatingplace, Plate and HOTELS of meat processors, restaurant chefs and
hotel F&B executives identified sustainability as the No. 1 issue impacting their R&D efforts.
Consequently, sustainability will anchor the program at the 2012 Protein Innovation Summit, April 16-17 at the
Trump Hotel, Chicago. In addition to keynote addresses from Jon Foley, director of the Institute on the
Environment at the University of Minnesota, and John Cain Carter, founder of Aliança da Terra in Brazil, the
program will include original consumer research, case studies and an interactive panel discussion.
Tamara Barnett, director of strategic insight for Bellevue, Wash.-based consumer researcher The Hartman Group,
will present “Marketing Sustainability—Insight on What Matters at the Center of the Plate, and Strategy for Bridging
the Gap with Consumers.”
A series of case studies will highlight individual efforts to promote sustainable practices from both a foodservice and
processing/production perspective:
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Doug George, purchasing manager, meat and dairy, for fast-casual giant Chipotle Mexican Grill, will
present how the $2.2 billion fast-casual chain’s Food with Integrity program has impacted its menu
development, its purchasing practices and its supplier relationships with meat and poultry processors.
Charlie Moore, founder of Maverick Ranch Natural & Organic Meats and the recently debuted Rock
River Ranches, will detail the tangible opportunities and practical implications of sustainability for a
processor and producer, including natural and organic ranching and efforts at Rock River to reprocess beef
tallow as biofuel.
A trio of F&B executives, Susan Terry, vice president of culinary operations; Susan Santiago, vice
president of food & beverage; and Jim Milkovich, corporate director of purchasing, will chronicle the
philosophy, challenges and evolution of Hyatt Hotels’ new responsible eating program, which prioritizes
sustainability, health and wellness and local agriculture purchasing.
Addressing the challenge of adapting sustainability to large-scale agriculture, Stewart Leeth, assistant vice
president, environmental and corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods, will discuss how the processing
behemoth has adapted key business priorities to stimulate sustainable practices and environmental
benefits.
Finally, a farm-to-fork panel discussion, moderated by Forbes contributor and columnist for The Daily Trevor
Butterworth, will tackle the converging and conflicting sustainability agendas at play throughout the supply chain.
Panelists include Arllin Wasserman, founder Changing Tastes and former vice president, sustainability for Sodexo;
Sara Willis, sustainable agriculture/family farming advocate, Niman Ranch; Kay Johnson Smith, president/CEO,
Animal Agriculture Alliance; and Dan Rosenthal, president, The Rosenthal Group and founder, Chicago Green
Restaurant Co-Op.
The 2012 Summit program also will focus on the impact of health and nutrition, and food cost with an array of
presentations, panel discussions, case studies and demonstrations, including:
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A keynote by Matthew Smith, Global Innovation Leader for Cargill’s Animal Nutrition, Animal Protein and
Salt businesses, on targeting innovation efforts to fill a market need;
Original consumer and market research on health and nutrition, presented by Technomic;
An economic outlook on meat and poultry price trends from Farha Aslam, managing director of Stephens
Inc.;
Case-study presentations by Tallgrass Beef, Fairmont Hotels, AdvancePierre Foods and Culver’s
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Franchising Systems, on adapting nutritional concerns to product and menu development;
A panel discussion on the challenges of balancing nutrition, flavor and customer expectations, with
representatives from Technomic, RMH Foods, Flik/Compass Group, and Hyatt Hotels;
Carcass optimization cutting/tasting demos by David Burke Primehouse at The James Hotel, Pioneer
Meats, and butcher/author Kari Underly;
Opportunities to discuss collaborative strategies with foodservice and hotel corporate chefs, meat and
poultry buyers, processors and supply-chain partners to optimize the R&D process
To learn more, or to register, click here.