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JUNE 2021
w w w.me at p oult r y.com
A NNUA L BA RBECUE REP OR T
MID -Y E A R UPDAT E
E XECU T I V E SERIE S
P OULT RY PROCE SSING T ECH
Showcasing the culture and
craft of today’s BBQ
Beef is the undisputed
post-pandemic champion
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JUNE 2021
w w w.me at p oult r y.com
A NNUA L BA RBECUE REP OR T
MID -Y E A R UPDAT E
E XECU T I V E SERIE S
P OULT RY PROCE SSING T ECH
Showcasing the culture and
craft of today’s BBQ
Beef is the undisputed
post-pandemic champion
Meet Jon Nash: Cargill’s
latest protein leader
Carcass-chilling options
abound for poultry processors
p14- 40
p42
p48
p60
Inspiring
the future
Pitmasters lead
Kingsford’s efforts to
pay homage to the Black
barbecue community
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THE MEAT PROCESSING EXPERTS
N U - M E AT T E C H N O L O G Y • N U - M E AT. C O M • 9 0 8 - 7 5 4 - 3 4 0 0
CONTENTS
32
Harry Soo
has spent
years honing
his barbecue
talents and
sharing his
love of cooking
and eating
barbecue.
Cover: Kingsford’s
Preserve the Pit program
mentor, Bryan Furman,
prepares to pass his
barbecue knowledge on
to the next generation
of Black pitmasters.
Cover photo: Kingsford
08 COMMENTARY
74 ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS
10 BUSINESS NOTES
12 WASHINGTON
80 FOOD SAFETY
42 MID-YEAR UPDATE
Learned lessons
48 EXECUTIVE SERIES
Job duty details matter
It’s time to walk the walk
Reducing livestock emissions
Advantage: Beef
Jon Nash: A company man
54 INGREDIENT ISSUES
Better breading and batters
60 POULTRY
PROCESSING TECH
Cool carcass approach
68 RETAIL REPORT
4
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Coming clean
86 SMALL BUSINESS
90 LABOR
92 SHOWCASE
94 NAMES IN THE NEWS
96 CLASSIFIEDS
97 ADVERTISERS
98 THE INSIDER
BBQ REPORT
14 INTRODUCTION
Barbecue reignited
16 COVER STORY
Teaching tradition
22 FOODSERVICE
A Snow storm in Texas
26 TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Smokehouse secrets
32 PITMASTER PROFILE
Accidental success
38 MEAT PERSPECTIVES
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Joel Crews
Editor
Lauren Juliana
Audience Development
Coordinator
Jon Hall
Kimberlie Clyma
Director of Digital Media
Executive Editor
Carrie Fluegge
Bob Sims
Features Editor
Digital Advertising
Manager
Erica Shaffer
Nora Wages
Digital Media Senior Editor
Advertising Manager
Ryan McCarthy
Kayley Kerns
Digital Media
Associate Editor
Advertising Coordinator
Donna Berry
Temple Grandin, PhD
Steve Kay
Steve Krut
Lynn Petrak
Bernard Shire
Design Services Manager
Contributing Editors
PUBLISHING STAFF
Elisabeth Spillman
Marj Potts
Production Specialist
Becky White
Senior Design Consultant
Fiona Danker
Graphic Designer
Jim White
Dave Crost
Promotions Manager
Publisher
Abby Chronister
Mike Alaimo
Promotions Media
Designer
Publisher Emeritus
Whitney Hartman
Dave DePaul
Matt O’Shea
Sales Coordinator
Associate Publishers
Rick Parsons
CORPOR ATE STAFF
Charles S. Sosland
Account Executive
Chairman & CEO
Tom Huppe
L. Joshua Sosland
Sales Specialist
President
Lily Alvarez
Classified Sales Manager
Staci Greco
Michael Barbee
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
Audience Development Director
Meyer Sosland
Dustin Pickman
Audience Development Analyst
Chief Operating Officer
and Executive Editor
Jonathan Hawley
Jim Saladin
Audience Database
Specialist
Chief Marketing Officer
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a division of Sosland Companies, Inc.
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C O M M E N TA R Y
It’s time to walk the walk
Look around your workplace. Do you
see a diverse mix of people? Do you
see a mix of different ages, genders,
ethnicities, races, physical abilities
and sexual orientations? Are there
people with varying educational
backgrounds, marital status, with
kids and without, those with military
experience, different religious beliefs
and different nationalities?
While some workplaces may be
more diverse and inclusive than others,
there is plenty of work to be done in
making diversity, equity and inclusion
more than just a corporate catchphrase.
The events over the past year have
brought many social issues to the
foreground and have reminded us all
about the importance for diversity
and inclusion in every aspect of life.
Now it’s time for companies and
corporations to take the long-overdue
steps to assess where they are when
it comes to diversity and equity – and
where they need to be.
Meat and poultry processing
companies are joining the ranks of
businesses taking internal inventories
and working toward future change.
Austin, Minn.-based Hormel Foods
Corp. has shared its diversity and
inclusion mission online. It states: “At
Hormel Foods, we embrace inclusion
and diversity because they make us
a better company. We work every
day to create an environment where
all employees feel as if they belong
within our culture and still are valued
for their individuality. We value the
similarities and differences we share.
Valuing our differences allows us
to be more creative and innovative.
We desire an environment filled with
unique perspectives in which people
feel challenged and excited coming to
work every day, and where they aspire
to remain for their entire careers.
At Hormel Foods, we are creating a
workplace where our people feel free
to bring their whole selves to work.”
During the North American Meat
Institute’s Meat Industry Summit
in April, the topic of diversity and
inclusion in the manufacturing and
processing industries was discussed.
A.J. Jorgenson, vice president of
strategic program engagement at the
Manufacturing Institute, presented
ideas on how to “create diverse and
inclusive workplaces” and the benefits
that employees and employers can gain
from creating such an environment.
Jorgenson was also a guest
on the May 21 episode of the
MEAT+POULTRY podcast, sharing her
ideas about how companies can get
started on the journey toward diversity
and inclusion. She explained that some
of the benefits to having a more diverse
and inclusive work environment can go
beyond just “doing the right thing.”
“The more diversity you have,
the more innovative you can be,” she
explained. “You’re not all thinking
the same, you’re not all acting the
same. You don’t all have the same
experiences, which is not only a benefit
to the workforce but also a benefit,
oftentimes, to your bottom line.”
Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods
Inc. has recognized the benefits of a
more diverse workforce, according
to its latest mission statement:
“Each team member brings different
experiences, skills and talents to the
Tyson Foods family. These differences
lead to more innovation, better
supplier and customer relationships,
and a competitive advantage in the
marketplace...Our inclusion and
diversity efforts focus on ensuring
that we recruit, develop and retain a
diverse group of team members, and
ensure that all team members have
an opportunity to grow and develop
personally and professionally.”
Tyson and Hormel are not the only
meat companies making these pledges
to work toward creating more diverse
and inclusive workplaces, many others
are joining them on that journey. Many
in the meat industry are starting to
talk the talk. Now let’s hope they back
it up and walk the walk. This is an
essential next step in the evolution and
improvement of our industry.
KIM BERLIE CLYM A | kc l y ma@s osl and.com
“The more diversity you have,
the more innovative you can be.”
– A.J. JORGENSON
8
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
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BUSINESS NOTES
Tyson names Donnie King
new president, CEO
Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc.
announced on June 2 that Donnie King,
chief operating officer, would assume
the role of president and chief executive
officer, effective immediately. King
succeeded Dean Banks, who left the
company for personal reasons.
Banks served as president and CEO
since Oct. 3, 2020, when he replaced Noel
White. He joined Tyson as a director in
2017 and became president in 2019.
With more than 36 years of experience
in the protein business, King has held
leadership positions with all of Tyson’s
business units, including its Poultry, Beef,
Pork, Prepared Foods and International
segments. He assumed the role of COO in
February 2021.
“The board and I know that Donnie
has a deep understanding of our business,
values and culture and the solid leadership
skills needed to continue to implement our
strategy and deliver strong results,” said
John H. Tyson, chairman of the board.
“I’m humbled but excited about leading
Tyson Foods, a company that feeds millions
of people and means so much to me
personally,” Smith said
JBS to bring Italian meat
production to Missouri
10
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Tyson expands Raised
& Rooted brand
Tyson Foods Inc. is expanding its Raised &
Rooted plant-based brand with the addition
of three new applications, including
bratwurst, Italian sausage and burger
patties. The refrigerated products are made
with pea protein and have 17 to 21 grams
of protein per serving. The new products
are now available nationwide.
“We are excited about the momentum
we’ve built over the past year, fueled by our
growth at retail, and our ability to continue
to meet consumers’ demands,” said David
Ervin, vice president of marketing for the
brand. “Raised & Rooted was created to
provide plant-based options for everyone,
and our new products are the next step
toward meeting that goal while remaining
steadfast to our commitment to providing
great tasting alternative options.”
Farmer John, a
subsidiary of Smithfield
Foods Inc., will no longer
supply Dodger Dogs at
Dodger Stadium, home of
Major League Baseball’s
Los Angeles Dodgers.
The new supplier is
Vernon, Calif.-based
Papa Cantella’s. The
Dodger Dog is a grilled
or steamed foot-long
frankfurter topped with
mustard and relish.
In 2019, the last year
statistics were available,
the National Hot Dog
and Sausage Council
(NHDSC) forecasted the
Dodger Dog to lead as the
most-consumed hot dog
among MLB ballparks
with projected sales of
2.7 million hot dogs.
“After the 2019
season, Farmer John
made the difficult
business decision not
to renew its contract
with the Dodgers,”
Farmer John said. “As a
result, the Dodger Dogs
that were previously
supplied by Farmer
John, are no longer
available at the stadium
or in supermarkets. Our
partnership spanned for
more than 50 years.”
Farmer John will
continue as the “Official
Packaged Meat Partner”
of the Los Angeles
Football Club.
For more news,
visit MEATPOULTRY.com
Tyson Foods
Swift Prepared Foods, a subsidiary of
JBS USA, announced plans to invest
$200 million in a new Italian meats
and charcuterie production facility in
Columbia, Mo. The 325,000-square-foot
Italian meats facility will be located at 5008
Paris Road. The decision depends upon
pending project approvals and agreements,
Swift said.
The company announced the project in
August 2020 and, since then, has scouted
multiple locations for the plant. Executives
chose Columbia as the home of the new
facility because of the city’s strategic
location, business-friendly environment
and access to raw materials. The location
also enables Swift to leverage synergies
with existing strategic assets, the company
said. Construction was set to begin in late
April, and the company expects to employ
more than 250 people, offering full-time
positions with benefits.
Swift Prepared Foods currently
operates six production facilities in
Booneville, Miss.; Elkhart, Ind.; Council
Bluffs, Iowa; Ottumwa, Iowa; and
Swanton, Vt. The company’s newest $68
million ready-to-eat bacon facility opened
in May in Moberly, Mo.
Farmer John
done with
Dodger Dogs
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WA S H I N G T O N
Reducing livestock emissions
In early May, two US senators
proposed legislation that would stop
the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) from issuing permits intended to
reduce livestock emissions.
Senators John Thune (R-SD) and
Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) introduced
the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act
which would amend the Clean Air Act
to prohibit the EPA from issuing permits
for any carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide,
water vapor or methane emissions
resulting from biological processes
associated with livestock production.
“Livestock producers are working
to improve efficiency and reduce
emissions from their operations,”
Thune said. “They should not be
subject to onerous regulations and
costly permit fees for their animals’
emissions, which could ultimately
lead to higher food costs for
consumers. I’m grateful for Senator
Sinema’s partnership on the Livestock
Regulatory Protection Act, which
would provide producers long-term
certainty on this issue.”
Sinema added, “Cutting
unnecessary regulations frees Arizona
cattlemen from costly permit fees
and keeps prices affordable for
Arizona families.”
Supporters of the Livestock
Regulatory Protection Act include the
Earlier in April, 25 environmental and
American Farm Bureau Federation,
consumer organizations petitioned the
Ducks Unlimited, National Cattlemen’s
EPA to set restrictions on industrial
Beef Association, US Cattlemen’s
dairy and hog operations – those
Association, American Sheep Industry
with at least 500 cows or more
Association, National Bison
than 1,000 hogs without
Association and Edge Dairy
The
pasture access. The petition
Farmer Cooperative.
Livestock
asks the EPA to issue
Thune added that the
Regulatory
and uphold emission
Livestock Regulatory
Protection Act will
guidelines to reduce
Protection Act would
protect producers
methane
emissions.
provide long-term
from costly
The
list
of organizations
certainty for producers
regulation.
petitioning the EPA include
that their livestock’s
the Center for Food Safety, Food
biological emissions will not
and Water Watch, Land Stewardship
be subject to costly regulation.
Project, Organic Consumers
“SDCA [South Dakota Cattlemen’s
Association, Public Justice Foundation
Association] thanks Senators Thune
and the Sierra Club.
and Sinema for working to prevent
“Americans deserve clean air and
the EPA from requiring unnecessary
water, a stable climate, and to live in
air quality permits for livestock
healthy and sustainable communities,”
producers,” said Eric Jennings,
the organizations said in the petition.
president of SDCA. “America’s beef
“The EPA has the duty and authority to
producers, like consumers and
regulate these methane super-emitters
regulators, are focused on continuous
under the Clean Air Act as part of the
improvement in environmental
administration’s larger strategy to
conservation and sustainability.
prevent catastrophic and irreversible
Creating burdensome permitting
climate change.
requirements that aren’t firmly backed
“This petition seeks to hold the
by sound science aren’t an effective
EPA accountable and demands that the
solution to improving the environment,
EPA step up and address the role that
incentivizing good environmental
industrial agriculture plays as a major
management is.”
driver in climate change.”
The bill was previously introduced
Restricting the EPA from regulating
in 2009 by Thune and current Senate
livestock emissions has been in every
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
annual appropriations bill since 2009.
The debate over reducing livestock
emissions has been going on for years.
RYA N M C C A R T H Y | r m c c a r t h y @ s o s l a n d .c o m
– SENATOR JOHN THUNE
12
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Gary Blakeley/Shutterstock.com
“Livestock producers are working to
improve efficiency and reduce emissions
from their operations.”
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BARBECUE REPORT
REIGNITED
Things are heating up again for the barbecue segment
BY RYA N M CC A R T H Y | r m c c a r t hy @ s o s l a n d.c o m
T
14
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
capacity and vaccinated consumers feel more confident
returning to foodservice dining, barbecue restaurants are
hoping to see summer sales return to pre-pandemic levels.
A recent survey by GlobalData published on May 10
showed that as many as 57% of global consumers are still
concerned about restrictions regarding socializing with
friends and family. It also stated that 50% have a similar
stance about eating out at restaurants. Even with this
new data it appears many people in the United States are
interested in getting back out to barbecue whether it’s at a
restaurant or in their backyard.
GlobalData consumer analyst Carmen Bryan noted
that cautionary dining is expected to continue although
foodservice channels are reopening. “Instead, retail channels
will remain key as consumers look to take their barbecues
out of the shed in preparation for the warm summer
months,” she said.
This year’s MEAT+POULTRY Barbecue Report includes
the story of Bryan Furman and Kingsford’s Preserve the Pit
mentorship program. Furman shares his insights as a mentor
in the new program that is helping to preserve the culture
and history of Black barbecue and invest in its future.
Other highlights of this year’s report include a look at
Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas, tales from Los Angelesbased pitmaster Harry Soo, a dive into smokehouse
technology and the importance of food safety in barbecue in
this issue’s “Meat Perspectives” column from Texas A&M’s
Jeff Savell and Kerri Gehring.
romaset - stock.adobe.com
he barbecue world appears to be blazing again after
competition events this past year were put on hold due
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Competitive teams are starting to pack up trunks, trailers
and campers and trekking across the country again to
compete for the top prizes in the pits. The world’s largest
annual barbecue competition, the American Royal World
Series of Barbecue, was forced to cancel in 2020 due to the
pandemic. But organizers have shared the good news with
pitmasters around the country that this year’s event will go
on as planned from Sept. 16 to 19 at the Kansas Speedway in
Kansas City, Kan.
“It’s the one time during the year where all of the
competitors, from the elites to the amateurs, get together in
one space to fire up hundreds of smokers – and have a great
time in the process,” said Glen Alan Phillips, president and
chief executive officer of the American Royal.
This will be the 41st year of the weeklong event, which
brings together pitmasters of all skill levels and backgrounds
to compete in the “open” contest category while qualifying
teams are able to participate in the “invitational.”
“As a non-profit focused on agriculture education
and advocacy, this is our highest-profile event and
biggest fundraiser,” Phillips said. “We can’t wait to fill the
Kansas Speedway with an international community of
barbecue enthusiasts.”
Not all barbecue enthusiasts are competitors, some are
simply consumers. As restaurants continue to increase their
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COVER STORY
Teaching
Preserve the Pit mentor,
Howard Conyers, PhD,
(left) gathers with family to
cook and enjoy barbecue.
16
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
tradition
Kingsford provides the Black barbecue
community support in preserving
its history and fueling its future
BY B O B S I M S | b s i m s @ s o s l a n d.c o m
I
n light of recent events throughout the United States, every company, no
matter the size, product or service, was behooved to pause and look for
opportunities to support the Black community. The nature of Kingsford
Products Co.’s business and the rich and integral history of the Black
community’s contributions to history, and especially to the past, present and
future of barbecue, provided Kingsford the opportunity to initiate its Preserve
the Pit program, which launched Jan. 25, 2021.
“At the same time, we also wanted to be thoughtful about our approach to
ensure that we found a credible role for our support,” said Shaunte MearsWatkins, vice president of strategy and marketing for Kingsford. “We feel that
a big part of preserving the history of Black barbecue culture in America is
investing in its future, which is why we created the fellowship.”
THE PROGRAM
Photos: Kingsford
Preserve the Pit concentrated much of its effort to matching established
mentors from the Black barbecue community with fellows chosen from a
pool of nearly 1,000 applicants. The mentor network includes renowned
pitmasters and industry leaders Kevin Bludso, Howard Conyers, PhD,
Devita Davison, Bryan Furman, Rashad Jones and Amy Mills. The focus
on fellowship ensured participants would gain experience to last them
throughout their entire career.
“The mentor network is the cornerstone of the program because the
relationships that will be fostered between the mentors and the fellows
will be instrumental to their future success,” Mears-Watkins said. “The
mentors participating in the program are all committed to the mission of
Preserve the Pit, as well as the time investment needed for a successful
mentor relationship.”
Kingsford and the mentor network reviewed the applications and selected
fellows based on, but not limited to, interest in the program, connection
to barbecue, contributions to the legacy of the Black barbecue community
and commitments to strengthening its future. Kingsford and the mentors for
Preserve the Pit understand that barbecue involves more than just the food. It
brings people together and builds communities.
“Whether you want to turn your side-hustle into a full-time job or already
have a business started but are unsure where to go next, we set out to find
applicants who are inspired by barbecue and committed to contributing to
the legacy of the Black barbecue community,” Mears-Watkins said. Ronald
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
17
COVER STORY
Black pitmasters carry
on the traditions and
pass them down to the
next generation at Bert’s
Market Place in Detroit.
Simmons serves as an example of a Preserve
the Pit fellow who does not work in the
restaurant business directly, but is a supplier.
He owns Master Blend Family Farms LLC
and provides whole hogs and premium pork
products to restaurants and privately owned
businesses in his community.
GETTING INVOLVED
Raising pigs is one thing Preserve the Pit
mentor Bryan Furman and Simmons have in
common. Furman grew up on a South Carolina
pig farm and raised pigs on his own farm
to supply his first barbecue restaurant, B’s
Cracklin’ Barbecue (B for Bryan and Cracklin’
for the skin he put in the cornbread), which
he opened in Savanah, Ga., in 2014. Furman
thought raising his own pigs would differentiate
him from other pitmasters at the time.
Furman’s pig farm started out in
Pembrooke, Ga., and after significant growth
made its way to Statesboro, Ga., before his
business manager urged him to consider
focusing exclusively on his restaurants.
18
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
“Once we got into Kroger and the Hawks
Arena, it was just too much,” Furman said. “So
I let that go, but I partnered with other heritage
breed hog farmers and they supplied me so I
didn’t have to focus on the farm at that time.”
Furman became aware of Preserve the
Pit through good friend and fellow mentor,
Howard Conyers. Conyers, also from South
Carolina, and Furman met in 2017 and always
spoke about someday doing something to
showcase Black pitmasters, their contributions
to barbecue and history and somehow lifting
up the next generation.
“We’ve had conversations where we’ve
talked about going to old, Black barbecue
joints that have closed down and reopening
them,” Furman said. “So, Howard and I have
been talking for a long time.”
Furman recalled a morning in Texas
when he received a phone call from Conyers.
Conyers told him of a possible project with
Kingsford (Preserve the Pit) that would pair
Black pitmasters and emerging Black barbecue
entrepreneurs. At the time, Conyers wasn’t
sure if the project would maintain traction, but
told Furman he wanted him as a mentor for it.
“I was like, ‘I’m down,’” Furman said.
THE RELATIONSHIP
While every mentor-mentee relationship
is nuanced in its own unique way, Furman
believes in providing his mentee with
every possible bit of information to help
development and provide the absolute best
opportunity for success. After Simmons and
Furman connected, Furman asked his fellow
pig farmer what he was currently doing in
terms of operating the business.
Simmons’ business consisted of raising
the hogs and selling the meat to three
different restaurants. The growth strategy
was adding more restaurant customers,
but Furman had another idea. Furman told
Simmons how he supplied himself only with
the pigs he raised to cut out a supplier, and
the next move would be for Furman to teach
Simmons how to cook barbecue.
“He has the farming down pat, obviously
he’s got that,” Furman said. “Now he needs to
learn how to cook barbecue. So, I’ll be teaching
him how I cook my whole hog; I’ll be teaching
him how to cook my ribs; I’ll be teaching him
how to cook my brisket.”
Furman told Simmons he will have a
built-in branding point. He can tell customers
about working with Furman, he can say he
learned to cook barbecue from Furman. In
addition, Furman suggested Simmons keep
his ideas close to the vest, knowing that often
times people around an entrepreneur can
get uncomfortable with change, and try to
dissuade a business person from taking the
risks that create opportunity and success.
“They might try to shut down your ideas
because you’re changing, and they might not
understand that change is growth,” Furman
said. “I told him he doesn’t need to share all
his information, his ideas, because people
will try to influence his decisions about
his business.”
“We are blown
away by the
interest in
Preserve the Pit
with nearly 1,000
applications and
the passion that
was conveyed by
applicants for
strengthening the
Black barbecue
community.”
– SHAUNTE MEARS-WATKINS
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COVER STORY
but only if we can ensure the safety and
comfort of all parties.”
MORE THAN MENTORSHIP
Howard Conyers joined
Kingsford to enlighten
America about the history
and contributions of the
Black barbecue community
and foster its future.
20
Those were just a few quick lessons
Furman offered his mentee with the rest of
the year ahead to impart more wisdom in the
relationship.
“Just teaching him that, the ins and outs
of how to brand yourself and how to promote
yourself and those steps he has to go through,”
Furman said. “As easy as it might sound
when I say that, I have to remember I’ve been
doing this for 12 years. But those are the
types of things I’m trying to teach, that type
of information.”
COVID-19 has created a difficult teaching
and learning environment for such hands-on
skills as cooking barbecue. Furman worked on
putting together a tour that Simmons would
join him on, but the pandemic and safety
concerns forced him to hold off on that.
“Right now, all we can do is talk back and
forth and exchange information,” Furman said.
“He can work on different steps, we can look at
ways to cut his costs, things like that.”
Mears-Watkins added, “We designed the
program so that the majority of training and
mentorship will take place virtually via phone
calls and/or video meetings. Our hope is to
conduct in-person sessions for the participants
with their mentors at some point in the year,
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
For Kingsford, the mentor network and
Furman, Preserve the Pit means much more
than helping Black barbecue entrepreneurs get
their businesses to the next level. While that
remains a primary function of the program,
history, a voice and community all play
important, crucial roles in Preserve the Pit’s
overall meaning.
“It means so much that Kingsford has put
Preserve the Pit together,” Furman said. “To
me, Preserve the Pit is like preserving Black
history. It also gives us a platform to teach
others and mentor others to come in and show
their talents, which is big because our talents
are kind of downplayed. It provides the ability
to not only show our talents but also bring
in our mentees and show them how to run a
successful business and how to be successful.
If it wasn’t for Kingsford and Preserve the Pit,
how would I be able to do that?
“That’s why, to me, and I always say this,
it’s never been about the money, it’s about
the respect. It’s about the power. You get the
power and the money comes later. The money’s
nothing. What gives me more is when people
tell me I inspire them. So now, I’m inspiring
this mentee, and if I show this mentee what I
do in a way that he can then go do the same
thing…it’s to be passed down. It means a lot
for the community, it means a lot for Black
history, it means a lot for Black pitmasters. It’s
like they’re showcasing us.”
The response to the Preserve the Pit
program impressed Kingsford to the point of
adding microgrant recipients in addition to
those that received full fellowships. While full
fellows receive the direct one-on-one teaching
from their mentor, and a larger monetary grant,
10 microgrant recipients received a grant of
$7,500 to use at their discretion.
“We are blown away by the interest in
Preserve the Pit with nearly 1,000 applications
and the passion that was conveyed by
applicants for strengthening the Black
barbecue community,” Mears-Watkins said.
“The selected fellows are motivated to begin
their experience as a Preserve the Pit fellow,
and we’re happy to be able to support them
throughout their journey.”
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FOODSERVICE
A Snow
storm in
Texas
Netflix and the pandemic push publicity
to new heights at Snow’s BBQ
BY LY N N P E T R A K | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
S
22
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Even before this episode aired last fall,
Snow’s BBQ was well known in barbecue
circles. After opening in 2003, the restaurant
was ranked first on the list of Top 50 Barbecue
Joints by Texas Monthly in 2008 and 2017.
The beloved and unforgettable Tomanetz was
inducted into the Pitmaster Hall of Fame in
2018 and is a James Beard award nominee.
Other media channels have covered Snow’s
too, such as Food Network, Thrillist and the
Cooking Channel.
Although the restaurant was closed for
in-person service during the peak pandemic
months from March through November 2020,
this business did what countless others did
during the crisis and pivoted.
“It actually went OK. During that time, our
online shipments picked up considerably and
we were able stay busy,” Bexley said, noting
that Snow’s has fulfilled online orders since
Photos: Snow’s BBQ LLC
Snow’s BBQ is building
on its barbecue fame by
starring in an episode
of the Netflix series,
“Chef’s Table: BBQ.”
tuck at home during the pandemic,
millions of Americans streamed shows
on their TVs and devices as a form of
entertainment. One of the more popular and
acclaimed shows was an episode of Netflix’s
“Chef’s Table: BBQ” series featuring Snow’s
BBQ LLC in Lexington, Texas.
That episode of the Emmy-nominated series
featured Snow’s owner Kerry Bexley, legendary
pit boss, 86-year-old Tootsie Tomanetz, and
fellow pitmaster Clay Cowgill, among others.
One could make a case, however, that the meat
itself is also a co-star that deserves to share
top billing. Lovingly filmed imagery of Snow’s
oak-smoked beef brisket, pork shoulder steak,
pork spareribs and sausage links, accompanied
by footage of fire, smoke, coals and seasonings,
was an homage to barbecue at a time when
consumers wanted and needed as much
comfort food as they could get, even virtually.
2008 and had a successful recipe for setting up
and processing orders electronically.
In addition to smoking and firing up house
specialties for delivery, Snow’s also underwent
some upgrades when customer traffic was light
due to shutdowns.
“We were able to get a lot done – we built
a merchandising building with three new
bathrooms and storage, and a new shipping
area with walk-in coolers and storage,” said
Bexley, who did much of the construction
work himself.
Bexley agreed that the broadcasting of
“Chef’s Table” and its barbecue-themed content
came along at a key time for consumers
seeking solace and entertainment through
food, and it continues to resonate. Since
reopening last November, Snow’s BBQ has
become an even bigger mecca, with customers
from all over the country (and world) lining
up by the dawn’s early light each Saturday (the
only day Snow’s is open) to get an order in
before the supply runs out. The online business
continues to fare well even in the waning days
of the pandemic.
LOW AND SLOW MEETS HOT DEMAND
The fact that barbecue is a multisensory food
art encompassing taste, aroma and sight,
has helped sustain Snow’s and other places
like it, Bexley added. “A lot of it is the total
experience – what people experience when
they come out here,” he said.
Indeed, media coverage and online and
social media reviews detailing peoples’
experiences when visiting Snow’s have
maintained keen interest among people who
want to eat, see and smell its style of barbecue
for themselves.
Those experiences reflect the TLC
that Snow’s pitmasters put into the meats.
Tomanetz’s intuitive, intrinsic way of ensuring
just the right level of heat, combined with the
choice of raw product, is what leads reviewers
and customers to wax poetic about Snow’s
fare. According to Bexley, the restaurant relies
on a group of meat suppliers to provide it with
cuts that meet its exacting standards.
He knows what to look for when it comes
to beef and pork. In addition to owning Snow’s
BBQ and working a full-time job, Bexley owns
cattle and has a background that includes
rodeo and bullfighting.
Tootsie’s
on a roll
For industry veterans and now famous pitmasters like
Tootsie Tomanetz, slow cooking meat and satisfying
loyal diners isn’t a job, rather a calling. Tomanetz
is an 86-year-old Texas barbecue legend who’s
worked as a pitmaster for 54 years. A longtime cattle
producer, she is almost as popular as the food she
cooks at Lexington, Texas-based Snow’s BBQ, where
she’s worked since 2003. Customers waiting in
hours-long lines at Snow’s frequently sneak out of line
to have their picture taken with the Texas barbecue
legend as she is working the smoldering pits just
outside the modest restaurant.
“I’m a workaholic,” she admitted, proving that with
a schedule that has her working in maintenance and
groundskeeping with the local school district Monday
through Friday and every Saturday she manages
the pit at Snow’s, which opens its doors just once a
week. “Open Saturdays only – 8 a.m. till sold out.”
When asked how she spends her downtime on
Sundays, nobody should be surprised by her answer:
“I go to church.”
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
23
FOODSERVICE
“A lot of it
is the total
experience –
what people
experience
when they
come out here.”
– KERRY BEXLEY
“It’s been an interesting ride,” he said of his
career and life trajectory that has brought him
and his restaurant considerable fame.
As a seasoned pro, he also knows that the
ride isn’t always straight and narrow. While
2021 brought pandemic relief, it also brought
some pricing concerns.
“Brisket is going back up again, and ribs are
high,” Bexley reported.
Although they haven’t passed higher costs
on to customers just yet, it may be a matter
of time if prices keep climbing and inflation
becomes a concern.
For now, though, he and the rest of the
close-knit staff are enjoying the moments,
including talking with customers who are
hearing about Snow’s for the first time.
“It’s been great and it’s great to this day,”
he said.
Shifting the conversation back to the topic
of barbecue, if Bexley had to pick one thing on
the menu to eat, he said it would be “the pork
steak prepared by Ms. Tootsie.”
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MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Smokehouse
SECRETS
The right technology can provide processors with the
tools they need to produce pitmaster-quality results
BY K I M B E R L I E C LYM A | kc l y m a @ s o s l a n d.c o m
J
26
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
for the magic to happen. How do processors
achieve optimum color, flavor and texture?
“This is where art meets science and
you’re asking for my secrets here,” said Marty
Wimmer, thermal product line manager at
Marlen International, Riverside, Mo. “I wish I
had a magical formula that I could share for
this, but it all revolves around the product
identity the customer is looking for. All of
our systems are custom-designed around the
customer’s product, process and facility – and
can be designed for any product or process.”
Marlen International; Fusion Tech Integrated
Marlen’s High Performance
Oven is the perfect tool
to smoke whole turkeys.
ust as there is no singular way to cook or
smoke meat in a consumer’s kitchen, there
is no one way to do it on an industrial level.
There are a number of factors to consider from
the type of cooker or smokehouse to operate to
the variety of fuel to use to the kind of valueadded processes to use during production.
Processors combining all these factors have the
tools they need to produce quality cooked and
smoked products.
However, it’s not as simple as purchasing
equipment, throwing in product, and waiting
Tom Springman, managing partner of
Forksville, Pa.-based Kerres USA, agreed.
The company offers closed smoked, hybrid
air, modular design smokehouses, as well
as modular design roasting houses and
cooking houses.
“Kerres offers a range of combined chamber
smokers designed for industrial operation
where quality, consistency, yield and processing
times are of critical importance,” Springman
said. “All our systems are available with Kerres’
proprietary Jet Smoke and Hybrid Airflow,
which sets us apart from others on the market.”
The company’s combined chambers
are designed for a wide range of products
including bacon, ham, sausages, snack sticks,
fish and cheese.
AmTrade Processing Systems, Livonia,
Mich., also offers equipment ideal for
producing snack sticks and salamis including
a full line of hot and cold smokehouses, smoke
generators and fermentation chambers.
“The goal with a smoking/cooking process
is to uniformly heat and dry the product
to prepare it for the smoking step, then to
continue the heating process to have all of the
product reach the target internal temperature
at the same time, in as short of a time as
possible, but with as little moisture loss as
possible,” said Michael Kapps, national sales
manager for AmTrade.
The company’s smokehouse line includes
friction smoke generators, hot smoking units
and its Schröter Technologie THERMICjet line
which features hot smokehouses, ovens, steam
cooking chambers, as well as water cooking
systems and cooking kettles.
“Schröter thermal processing systems are
recognized and appreciated by our customers
for their exceptional process uniformity; their
unique air handling system that provides the
very best consistency of heating and drying
of product; the quality and stability of their
construction; and their reliability of operation,”
Kapps said.
the oven, or have poorly designed racks, your
process uniformity will suffer greatly.”
Uniformity and consistency are what all
processors strive for, so choosing a system
designed to meet those goals is key. Airflow
should not be overlooked when shopping for
smokehouse technology.
Kapps agreed, “If the airflow does not
reach all product within the smokehouse in a
consistent manner, then the product will not
heat up at the same rate, the surface dryness
will not be uniform for smoke application, the
products will not all reach the final set-point
temperature at the same time, and therefore
some of the product will end up over-cooked
and/or over-dried at the end of the cycle. The
result will be higher cook losses and more
product not meeting the quality standard.”
Roseville, Ill.-based Fusion Tech Integrated
offers Total Flow Control (TFC), a technology
designed to control airflow and breakpoints in
the smokehouse via its recipe control system.
Knowing there is a huge difference in the ideal
airflow needed for screened products on a
rack versus hanging products, the Fusion Tech
recipe control system allows the operator to
set the machine for ideal airflow conditions.
“Traditional batch ovens require physical
manipulation of mechanical components to
try and achieve ideal airflows for each product
configuration,” said Jason Jordan, director
Fusion Tech smokehouses
feature Total Flow Control,
a technology designed to
control airflow and breakpoints in the cooker through
the recipe control system.
LET IT FLOW
Airflow is arguably the most important design
feature of a smokehouse. Air delivers the heat,
moisture and smoke to the product. Air, quite
simply, gets the job done.
“Airflow is the key to process uniformity,”
Wimmer said. “If you lack airflow, overload
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
27
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Pushing Boundaries®
The Schröter Technologies
THERMICjet line features
smokehouses, ovens and
steam cooking chambers.
AmTrade Processing Solutions; Provisur Technologies/Lutetia
of marination technology for Fusion Tech. “The TFC
allows us to set ideal airflow conditions for cooking
hanging products like snack sticks, bacon, etc., and
layered/screened products via our recipe system
without having to manually manipulate any of the
functions of the oven.”
Marlen’s machinery, including its High Performance
Oven, also emphasizes efficient airflow in an effort
to improve process uniformity and to decrease
processing times.
“Remember, ovens are designed to be most efficient
when fully loaded,” Wimmer said. “Air is like water and
will always take the path of least resistance, so keep
your ovens full. A partially loaded oven will inherently
have more process variation than a fully loaded oven.”
Kerres’ Hybrid Technology provides the ability
to manipulate airflow throughout the chamber.
Each chamber/trolley within the system has its own
environmental control.
“By stepping away from the normal standard
airflow pattern of air moving from the bottom of the
chamber to the top, Kerres creates an environment
within the chamber that replicates that of a hurricane,”
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Springman said. “By controlling horizontal flaps
inside the chamber, we can now control air movement
throughout every chamber to target specific points on
the cook trolley, decreasing drying and cooking times
by up to 30%.”
Being able to properly condition the exterior of
the product allows operators to replicate the “low and
slow” method desired for smoked products.
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FIRE
There is no steadfast rule about the kind of smoke used
when cooking meats – it varies regionally with taste
preferences and varies from customer to customer.
When talking about the type of smoke, the importance
lies in how the smoke is made.
Processors need to decide between a liquid smoke
application or a natural smoke application. Liquid
smoke generators atomize the liquid extract onto the
meat product to achieve the desired color and flavor.
“The term ‘dwell time’ is usually discussed
when liquid smoke atomization is used for smoke
application,” Kapps said. “It refers to the time required
for the atomized liquid smoke, that is sprayed into
the smokehouse atmosphere, to land on the product
in sufficient concentration to provide the expected
smoke color and flavor to the product. The amount
of time necessary will depend on a variety of factors,
including the size of the smokehouse, the number of
liquid smoke atomization nozzles, the amount and size
of products inside the smokehouse on which the liquid
smoke is expected to adhere, and the required smoke
color and flavor.”
Provisur Technologies’ legacy brand Lutetia, based
in Plailly, France, offers four different options for
smoke generation – wood chips, sawdust, log and
liquid smoke – each have their own advantages and
disadvantages, according to Stéphane Kulikowski,
sales director for Lutetia.
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www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
29
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
“Liquid smoke atomization is universal,” he
said. “Plus, it’s easy to use, easy to clean and
safe for the environment.”
While liquid smoke is often used, natural
smokes – from sawdust, pellets, wood chips or
logs – are often considered higher quality.
“There are all kinds of different types of
woods available for smoking,” Wimmer said. “It
really depends on what flavor profile you are
looking for. Most of our customers are using
smoldering wood chips which produce a more
mellow flavor than compared to, say, a burning
log. The burning log produces a stronger set
of flavor compounds often associated with
barbecue-type products.”
As products vary, so will the type of smoke
generator. Kulikowski recommends wood
chips for smoking sausages in order to produce
a nice dark color. For bacon, he recommends
sawdust or log smoke.
“The advantage to using a log smoke
generator is being able to produce instant
smoke at a low temperature, safely,” he said.
“Traditional
batch ovens
require
physical
manipulation
of mechanical
components
to try and
achieve ideal
airflows for
each product
configuration.”
– JASON JORDAN
When speaking of safety, equipment
maintenance cannot be overlooked.
“Preventative and predictive maintenance
is the key to success in any manufacturing
operation,” Jordan said. “This holds especially
true for ovens as they tend to be the bottleneck
in most manufacturing processes.”
Wimmer agreed, “It doesn’t matter
what kind of equipment we are discussing,
maintaining equipment in good working
condition is critical for process uniformity,
throughput and yields.”
With smokehouse technology, preventative
maintenance can include alternating dampers,
steam valves and traps, burners and heat
exchangers, ensuring optimum air balancing
and maintaining temperature sensors as well as
gaskets and seals on doors, Kapps said.
“Smoke generators require regular cleaning
and maintenance, since a poorly maintained or
dirty smoke generator or smoke piping will not
just affect the product quality, but could lead to
a fire,” he said.
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PITMASTER PROFILE
32
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Slap Yo’ Daddy LLC
ACCIDENTAL
SUCCESS
Celebrity pitmaster Harry Soo shifts his focus
from the pit to spreading barbecue love
BY J O E L C R E WS | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d.c o m
A
bout a month ago, Harry Soo returned
home to Diamond Bar, Calif., from a trip
to Alaska, where he fulfilled the latest
in a series of lifelong dreams: To cook a steak
under the Northern lights. The steak was from
a musk ox and the scenery didn’t disappoint.
After judging a competition there and teaching
some eager Alaskans the art of cooking
American barbecue, the dream came true.
“I got to cook it under the Northern lights
at 1:00 a.m. – amazing, amazing, life-changing
experience,” he said with a smile that beamed.
Born in Malaysia, Harry Soo is convinced
that his life journey has been the result of
coincidental and sometimes accidental
circumstances that have combined to create
dazzling and fulfilling experiences comparable
to the beauty of the Northern lights. He owes
many of those unforgettable experiences to
his involvement in barbecue, but his route to
barbecue greatness was anything but typical
or predictable.
In the United States and in a growing
number of countries, Soo, pitmaster and head
cook for his competition team, Slap Yo’ Daddy
BBQ, has become famous for his success as
an elite competition barbecue cook with the
trophies and super-sized checks that represent
more than 100 first-place finishes and 30-plus
grand championships. He still touts himself as
a weekend cook, but his success has allowed
him to divest Slap Yo’ Daddy to include a
catering business as well as an online store
that sells his spices, rubs and sauces and even
a cooking school held in his backyard about
20 times per year. He maintains a blog on
his website and is constantly posting videos
with tips, tricks and promotions on multiple
social media platforms. But unlike many of his
competition counterparts, Soo has maintained
a day job unrelated to food or barbecue since
day one, spending the last 31 years working as
an information technology program manager
with the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California, a role he committed to
long ago and never has taken for granted.
Many successful pitmasters started out
cooking barbecue as a hobby and after proving
their prowess on the competition circuit boldly
took what seemed to be the next logical step.
Many quit their day jobs to allow them to dive
whole hog into full-time competitive cooking,
commercial ingredient and sauce manufacturing,
opening restaurants, teaching cooking classes or
developing their own line of cooking equipment,
gear or cookbooks to sell commercially. Soo
took the road less traveled and learned the hard
way that a solid career could make his hobby
more fulfilling and successful.
GROUNDED
Long before he ever thought about cooking his
first brisket, Soo’s first real job put him at the
controls of a 747 jet as a young man, working
as a commercial pilot with Singapore Airlines.
It was working as a pilot that ultimately
brought Soo from Malaysia to the United
States, after being a casualty of airline layoffs.
Being let go from what he thought, as a young
man, was a stable career was a predicament he
never saw coming. That hardship taught him a
valuable life lesson that would serve him well.
“When you’re young, you think you’re
superhuman,” he said. “You think that you got
a career before you, pursuing your passion
of flying airplanes and then you literally get
dumped like an old sock on the side of the
street. It’s a humbling experience.”
This experience fueled his determination
to make a career shift that would ensure job
security, but it also meant starting over in many
regards. After considering different areas of
study that would lead to a job in high demand
in the United States, Soo decided on computer
science, without knowing exactly what that
career entailed.
“I had no idea what that was, but it just
sounded like something that I could learn,”
he said.
So, Soo came to the United States to study
computer science at Texas Tech University
in Lubbock.
“The most
amazing
things have
happened to
me not by
choice, but
almost by
accident.”
– HARRY SOO
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PITMASTER PROFILE
Harry Soo’s Slap Yo’
Daddy BBQ team has
finished in first place
in over 100 barbecue
competitions.
“That’s how I ended up in America,” he said,
“totally by accident.”
It was also somewhat serendipitous that
during his first week living in Texas a classmate
invited him to go out for Texas barbecue. It was
then and there that he was hooked.
“I took a bite of that brisket and I said, ‘my
God, what is this amazing, amazing food that
I’m eating?’ I never, ever tasted anything so
wonderful, amazing, moist and succulent.”
NEW BEGINNINGS
That week marked the beginning of Soo learning
computer science as a new career and cooking
barbecue for a new hobby. And as it turned out,
he took a basic concept he learned in computer
science, an algorithm, and applied it to learning
to cook.
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“My approach was very simple,” Soo said. “I
just took salt and pepper, applied it to a piece of
meat and I cooked it and I tasted it and I said,
‘OK, can I make it better?’”
This was the foundation for a spreadsheet
that would grow with each ingredient as he
added, subtracted and mixed spices.
“I kind of built all these different ideas just
like a computer program; that’s what I was
trained to do,” Soo said.
He experimented with different formulas,
various meats and shared his slow-smoked
creations with appreciative friends, neighbors
and co-workers for several years.
It was on a dare by a handful of those
co-workers that Soo entered his first
competition barbecue contest in California,
without knowledge of the rules or what was
involved. As fate would have it, he won the
contest, the first of many more in the years
to come.
“So, I’m an accidental pitmaster,” Soo said.
Soo honed his skills in the next decade-plus
by following the guidance of a cookbook written
by John Willingham, an iconic championship
pitmaster and a hero of Soo’s who he sadly
never got to meet before he died in 2013. He did,
however, check another bucket list item, when
in 2013 Willingham’s family invited him to cook
with the team in one of the most prestigious
pork cookoffs of the year, the Memphis in
May World Championship Barbecue Cooking
Contest. With Willingham dying just days before
the event, the opportunity to pay homage to him
was a great honor for Soo.
“He was my idol,” he said.
He added that this experience epitomized his
involvement in the barbecue world.
“My barbecue journey in the past dozen
years had been just like that; the most amazing
things have happened to me not by choice, but
almost by accident.”
TV TURNING POINT
The part of that journey that did the most to put
Soo on the map of the barbecue world was an
unexpected invitation to appear on a new TV
series on TLC in 2009 – “BBQ Pitmasters.” The
docu-reality show featured him in barbecue
cookoffs across the country alongside some of
the biggest names on the competition circuit,
including Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone, Johnny
Trigg and Lee Ann Whippen.
“The reason I got on the show was another
stroke of luck,” he said.
Producers were looking for an outsidethe-box competitor to round out the casting
for the show, and a guy who had been
winning a lot of contests, named Harry Soo,
was recommended by Kansas City Barbeque
Society founder, Carolyn Wells. She had met
him and was impressed with his success and
standout personality. In addition, the fact that
he was based in California, was Malaysian,
and cooked with a simple pop-up tent and a
rudimentary Weber smoker ensured Slap Yo’
Daddy would fulfill the requirement to add
an outside-the-box competition team to the
TV series.
“I ended up on the show with no audition, no
screen test, no nothing,” Soo said. “Just another
case of dumb luck.”
In the Season 1 finale, a “rib throwdown”
matched seven elite pitmasters against
each other with a $3,500 purse. Harry Soo
had garnered credibility with his cooking
counterparts by that time and he happily won
the throwdown and collected the winnings and
the notoriety that capped a season-long wave
of accolades that he is still riding more than 10
years later.
“On that day, the little engine that could,
from California, prevailed,” Soo said.
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35
PITMASTER PROFILE
that barbecue is not a one size, color and
gender fits all culture, as Soo proved in the
very first season.
“The Pitmaster series basically opened
up barbecue in America,” Soo said. “That first
Pitmasters, Season 1, essentially opened up
barbecue to the full diversity of styles and
He added that “BBQ Pitmasters,” which
flavors in America,” which he attributes partly
went on to span seven seasons, demonstrated
to the exponential growth of his
YouTube channel, which now has a
following of 150,000 subscribers.
Performance, Packaged
“I took a bite of that brisket and I said,
‘my God, what is this amazing, amazing
food that I’m eating?’” – HARRY SOO
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WINNING WITH WISDOM
Since growing his following and
weekend hobby into somewhat
of a barbecue empire, Soo has
evolved in his involvement too.
He’ll always be a pitmaster, but
he’s also philosophic about the
significance of barbecue’s culture
and he has studied its history,
which gave him an appreciation
of it. The days of him traveling the
country to compete in a contest
almost every weekend are behind
him as he transitions his efforts to
teaching and sharing what he has
learned with others, not only about
barbecue but about life and the
value of achieving goals beyond
earning more fame and fortune.
Today, he sees barbecue not
as a means to winning another
purse or starting a new moneymaking business venture but more
of a privilege to participate and
contribute to something that is
uniquely American. He said very
few culinary trends can trace their
roots back to the United States.
Barbecue is one.
“We stole the hamburger, we
stole the hot dog, we stole pasta
from other parts of the world,”
Soo said. “But American-style,
low-and-slow barbecue is uniquely
authentic American and I’m very
privileged and honored to be able
to cook that.”
Having taught the art of
slow cooking and smoking meat
around the world, including in
New Zealand, Australia, London,
Thailand and now, Alaska, Soo has realized the
global appeal.
“I’ve seen that fascination with the mystique
of American barbecue. Everybody wants to
know how to do it, because people who try
realize that it’s not easy,” Soo said.
PAYING IT FORWARD
Looking back at the past 15-plus years, one
thing has remained constant during Soo’s
barbecue journey.
“I have a 50-hour-a-week day job, so
my ability and time is limited to nights and
weekends,” he said.
From the beginning, he viewed his
involvement in barbecue as a way to give back.
His philanthropy includes donations from
sponsorship support, revenues from sales and
classes he teaches, which benefit multiple
charities, including a program he started for
at-risk youth. He also donates most of what he
cooks for online demonstrations to local first
responders who look forward to a new episode
being posted because it means fresh and
delicious meals for the community’s heroes will
soon be available.
“I see my role now as more of an
ambassador of barbecue,” Soo said.
At this stage of his life, in his 60s, Soo
believes in giving away the knowledge and
wisdom he has learned up to now. This is why,
on his YouTube channel, he demonstrates and
posts the exact recipes he has used to win first
place in all meat categories.
“I willingly give away all my secrets online.
After you hit 60, it’s time to let it all go and let
the next generation behind you benefit,” he said.
“That’s what I find priceless about barbecue
is the community and friendships that it builds.
Because at the end of the day it’s not important
how many trophies you won, how many zeros
you have in your bank account, it’s basically
how many relationships you have built, how
much love you have given and received,
and how many memories that you have
accumulated in your lifetime.”
M E AT P E R S P E C T I V E S
Cooking low,
slow and safely
Food safety and barbecue go together like smoke and fire
BY K E R R I G E H R I N G a n d J E FFR E Y SAV E L L | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
T
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Although food safety best practices are not
confined to barbecue, there are some unique
features to barbecue’s preparation, holding and
serving where problems may occur that could
impact the safety of the product. Developing an
understanding of basic food safety guidelines
will help protect everyone from the preparer to
the consumer.
Commercial barbecue and restaurant
operators are required to follow various
national, state and local rules and regulations
regarding food preparation and safety
procedures that are often accompanied by
permits, inspections and training. Those who
occasionally prepare barbecue for family and
friends may not be as familiar with some basic
steps to keep food safe. Regardless of the
preparer’s expertise level or the audience being
Katherine Welles - stock.adobe.com
here seems to be no end to the growing
popularity in all things barbecue. From
the backyard enthusiasts who enjoy
preparing barbecue on weekends and holidays
for their families and friends to the restaurant
operators whose livelihood depends on great
reviews, top rankings from magazines and
websites, a steady stream of customers, good
luck, and the right timing, barbecue seems to
be such a great food category that consumers
enjoy so much.
Because barbecue is prepared in so many
ways and by so many people with different
levels of experience and training, making
sure that the best food safety practices are
followed will minimize risks and will help
ensure that families, friends, and customers
are kept safe.
served, it is helpful to review some of the key
factors related to food safety.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
There is always a risk of foodborne pathogens
being associated with raw beef, pork and
poultry, which are the major proteins used
for barbecue. These pathogens may include
Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and other STECs
(Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli),
Campylobacter jejuni, and others that may
cause problems if not properly controlled
and handled. These pathogens are heat
sensitive and are destroyed when sufficient
internal temperatures have been achieved
during cooking. Most types of barbecue,
such as briskets and Boston butts or whole
pork shoulders used for pulled pork, have
no problem reaching these temperatures
because they are cooked to higher degrees
of doneness necessary for tenderness in the
case of briskets or for the ease of pulling for
pork. While there is no specific temperature to
reach these quality endpoints, most products
may be in the 185°F to 205°F range when
removed from the cooking device (pit, oven,
grill). These higher temperatures far exceed
those needed to eliminate the pathogens.
Not all barbecue cuts are destined to
be cooked to these advanced degrees of
doneness. Santa Maria-style tri-tips, beef prime
rib and tenderloins, pork loins, and most
poultry cuts are cooked to reach minimum
temperatures or combinations of temperatures
and times necessary to ensure that both
safety and unique quality characteristics of
the products are created. Additionally, ground
or comminuted products such as sausages,
meat loaves and hamburgers, can be smoked
or grilled, but these products require higher
internal temperatures than the intact cuts.
Three general internal endpoint temperatures
are used for most meat and poultry cuts to
ensure safety: 145°F with a 3-minute rest for
intact beef, pork and lamb steaks, chops and
roasts; 160°F for ground beef, pork and lamb;
and 165°F for all poultry.
Accurately measuring internal temperatures
of meat products requires good equipment.
There are a variety of excellent quality handheld thermometers and digital temperature
monitors with probes that can be used to
check temperatures remotely, all of which
provide key tools in making sure that proper
endpoint temperatures have been met.
Meeting minimum cooking temperatures
is just the first step in ensuring protection
from foodborne pathogens. Troubles arise in
two other areas related to barbecue: cross
contamination and improper hot holding or
post-cooking chilling. Cross contamination
primarily occurs when raw and cooked
products come in contact or when surfaces,
pans and trays, and utensils used to prepare
raw products are used with cooked products.
Placing cooked products on cutting/serving
boards where raw products were first prepared
is a great example of how easy it is for cross
contamination to occur. Practicing good
personal hygiene, proper hand washing and
sanitation, using clean aprons, gloves, hand
towels, and other items that come in direct
contact with food, are vital steps necessary to
reduce food safety risks.
Failure to keep hot foods hot and
chilling cooked foods too slowly can cause
the formation of toxins, especially those
originating from Clostridium perfringens.
US Department of Agriculture temperature
stabilization guidelines require that once
non-cured cooked meat products decline
in internal temperature to 130°F, they have
1-1/2 hours to reach 80°F and five hours to
continue to 40°F. Some restaurants place
finished products in hot-holding cabinets to
keep hot foods hot until serving time. The
challenge faced by many who cook at home
or in restaurants with limited capacity to
chill products rapidly and sufficiently is to hit
these important chilling requirements. Even
in the best of conditions, commercial meat
processing operators that prepare barbecue
for retail and foodservice establishments
struggle in meeting these temperature and
time parameters primarily because many
of the large-size products such as cooked
briskets are slow to chill even with more
efficient chilling systems than would be found
in restaurants and especially at home.
Commercial
barbecue and
restaurant
operators are
required to
follow various
national, state
and local
rules and
regulations
regarding food
preparation
and safety
procedures.
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Foreign material and other physical hazards
include items that could harm or injure people
during consumption. The primary items
are glass (shards), wood (splinters), metal
(shavings, nails, screws) and plastic (hard,
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M E AT P E R S P E C T I V E S
areas where the brush was used so that
any wire remnants are eliminated by the
heat. Regardless, it is important to be aware
that anything that comes in contact with
the cooking surfaces can be a potential
contaminant with the foods being prepared.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Because brisket is cooked
to an internal temperature
of between 185°F and
215°F, there is little concern
of foodborne pathogens
surviving in the meat.
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golubovy - stock.adobe.com
40
sharp kinds). While we do not think about
these items showing up in barbecue, they can
definitely injure someone, if present.
Wherever barbecue items are being
prepared, care must be taken to be sure
there is no glass in the area, that there are
no metal fragments, that knives are in good
shape and intact, and that plastic trays, tubs
and containers are not cracked or broken.
Additionally, plastic bottles and caps used to
hold seasonings should be out of the way and
when empty, be properly disposed of. While
it may be difficult to have whole muscle cuts
contaminated with these items, for those who
make their own sausage, this process has
more chances to contaminate the product
with foreign materials and physical food
safety hazards.
One area of food safety concern is when
fragments from wire brushes used to clean
grills get attached to foods and are ingested
causing gastrointestinal issues sometimes
requiring surgery. Many times, these wire
brushes are used infrequently, which allows
the wires to rust and break off when cleaning
the grill grates. Some barbecue restaurants
use wire brushes to clean the grates and pit
surfaces and in the final step of cleaning,
will use a propane-fired torch to burn the
There are a variety of issues related to
chemical hazards, but two of them are most
prominent. First are food allergens. The “Big
Eight” food allergens are eggs, milk, soy,
wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.
Food preparers should make sure that if
they make foods with these ingredients, they
inform consumers of it. It is advisable to
look at the ingredients of pan release sprays,
which may contain items like soy lecithin,
or the ingredients of sauces and spices that
may contain allergens, too. Foods sold under
federal/state laws have specific labeling
requirements for declaring allergens. Some
restaurants will ensure that menu descriptions
clearly point out those items with allergens.
Regardless of size of an operation, everyone
should vigilantly work to prevent cross
contamination with allergens by practicing
good cleaning, preventing cross-contamination
between products with allergens and those
without, and practicing proper storage of items
with allergens.
Another common problem is with
unintended chemical contamination. This is
where something unapproved or inappropriate
is mistaken for an approved ingredient or
substance. Academic food safety lectures
on this topic are filled with anecdotes over
the years regarding how various unapproved
items were mistakenly used. Kitchen cabinets,
pantries, storage cabinets and barbecue trailers
should be searched for items that could be
mistaken for food ingredients and cleaning
items but are not and should not be used on
food or food contact surfaces. Always check
that whatever is used on and around food is
approved for that use.
Ensuring food safety of foods is a priority
for everyone. Having knowledge of what the
biological, physical and chemical hazards can
be and how they can be controlled is the first
step in making sure that everyone’s memory
of your barbecue is because of how it was
enjoyed and nothing else.
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M I D - Y E A R U P D AT E
Advantage:
BEEF
While the dust is still settling from
a turbulent 2020, beef appears
to be the undisputed champion
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cases, illnesses and absenteeism among meat
plant workers.
However, beef demand had been on several
years of strength prior to the pandemic, said
David Anderson, PhD, professor and extension
economist in the Department of Agricultural
Economics at Texas A&M University. A
growing economy, falling unemployment and
consumer preferences toward higher USDA
quality grade beef were building demand, and
2020 did not slow beef demand, even with the
increase in unemployment, he says. The All
Fresh beef demand index scored 119 for 2020,
the best in 20 years.
Beef will continue to benefit this year and
next from the ways the pandemic has altered
American lives. The pandemic suddenly forced
tens of millions of Americans to work from
home. It also meant the percentage of food
eaten at home increased dramatically, as
many restaurants partially or totally closed.
Americans during this time re-discovered or
discovered a love of cooking. Many people
Carrie – stock.adobe.com
Beef will
continue to
benefit this
year and
next from
the ways the
pandemic
has altered
Americans’
lives.
mericans’ ongoing love affair with beef
is driving a beef boom that is almost
unprecedented in the modern history
of the US meat and poultry industry. Beef
has been the so-called King of the retail meat
case for most of the last 50 years. But strong
beef sales at the grocery store even before
the COVID-19 pandemic began to upend food
purchasing patterns have cemented beef’s
position as the undisputed meat case leader.
March retail prices showed that consumers
remain unfazed about higher beef prices. The
US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) retail
Choice beef price averaged $6.48 per lb, up 7¢
from February and up 7.1% from March last
year. Its All Fresh retail beef price averaged
$6.39 per lb, up 9¢ and 7.2%, respectively.
March is likely to be the last month to make
valid meat price comparisons with a year
ago, as April prices rose sharply and then
skyrocketed in May. This was because of the
dramatic reduction in red meat production
caused by the large number of COVID-19
M I D - Y E A R U P D AT E
learned how to prepare and cook beef for the
first time. They also realized their food dollars
went far further in the grocery store than
in restaurants.
BACK TO ‘NORMAL?’
Attasit – stock.adobe.com ; Maksymenko_Nataliia – stock.adobe.com
Beef processors benefited from last year’s beef boom, but cattle producers
suffered from depressed prices throughout the pandemic.
Industry observers, from market analysts to
meat-buying executives, expect the pandemicinduced changes in people’s lives to remain
largely intact. Workers and their employers
both realize the benefits of working remotely,
and that will become permanent for millions
of Americans. Sit-down restaurants have
reopened partially or fully in most parts of the
country. But many observers believe eating
at home will outweigh eating out for some
considerable time.
During the pandemic beef benefited more
than pork or chicken because beef has long
been regarded as the “meat treat” while pork
and especially chicken have been regarded as
“survival food.” This will continue even though
retail beef prices are 50% higher than pork
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prices and more than three times higher than
chicken prices.
Unfortunately, the beef boom of the
past year produced only one winner: beef
processors. Cattle producers at all levels
struggled from pandemic-depressed prices.
Live cattle prices mounted a modest rally this
past April but then began to fall back even as
wholesale boxed beef prices soared. USDA’s
weekly comprehensive cutout (cuts, grinds
and trim) advanced more than $53 per cwt in
the six weeks to the end of April. Putting aside
the pandemic-induced rally in cutout values
last spring, this was the biggest rally in such a
period in industry history.
The result is that operating profits for fed
beef processors soared from early in the year.
They averaged a positive $310 per head in the
first quarter and exceeded more than $600
per head the last week of April, according to
HedgersEdge.com. Again, putting aside the
pandemic-induced record margins last year,
these profits were unprecedented.
Wholesale chicken prices climbed 20% at the beginning of 2021 and poultry
processors are hoping the foodservice “chicken sandwich war” continues, which will
help keep the demand for poultry high.
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averaged just under $119 per cwt.
The second half of the year will see beef
production decline an estimated 3.5% year-onyear according to USDA and other forecasts.
Total beef production for 2021 will still be up
1% on 2020 because production in this year’s
second quarter was up 14% over last year. Of
particular interest will be how wholesale beef
prices respond to such a decline in
production and what happens to
retail beef prices.
Pork and chicken processors
meanwhile will be hoping that
high beef prices will attract more
consumer dollars in the grocery
store and in restaurants to nonbeef items. The pork industry will
also be hoping for continued large
exports, especially to China, while
poultry processors will be hoping
that the “chicken sandwich wars”
between fast-food chains continue
unabated. Pork production for 2021
is expected to be flat with 2020 and
broiler production is expected to
be up 0.5%.
Wholesale chicken prices
started 2021 “like a rocket”
and climbed over 20% the first
quarter, noted CoBank analyst
Will Sawyer. That was enough
to offset the double-digit rate of
feed cost inflation that started
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last fall. Pork producers are also
optimistic, with a positive outlook
WDL
for exports and strong domestic
demand key, he said. China has
slowed its hog herd rebuilding
due to increased African swine
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pork exports to China/Hong
Kong trended lower than the
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enormous volumes shipped in
2020. But the region continues to
be the largest destination for US
pork, said the US Meat Export
Federation (USMEF). China’s
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efforts to rebuild its domestic
swine herd have made progress.
Such an imbalance between wholesale
beef prices and live cattle prices will likely
continue into the fall, when cattle feeders
might at last begin to recover some leverage
over packers. Some analysts believe that live
cattle prices could then rebound faster than
expected. They might touch $130 per cwt
live at times. Prices the last week of April
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MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
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But production remains well below pre-ASF
levels and several cases have been reported
this year, renewing concerns about diseaserelated setbacks. Through February, exports
to China/Hong Kong fell 25% year-over-year
to 147,213 tonnes and were valued at $329.8
million (down 32%). But exports were 2.7 times
larger than in the first two months of 2019,
USMEF said.
China is also becoming an
increasingly important market for US
beef. The surge in beef exports to China
continued in February from January,
reaching 8,644 tonnes valued at $66
million. This was far above the minimal
levels posted a year ago and made it
the fourth-largest destination for US
beef. Through February, exports were
more than 1000% above last year’s pace
in both volume (16,506 tonnes) and
value ($124.1 million). Beef exports to
China already exceed the full-year totals
reached in 2019 prior to the United
States securing expanded beef access
through the Phase One Economic and
Trade Agreement.
POULTRY CHALLENGES
A microcosm of what poultry
processors faced earlier in the year
and what they face going forward came
when the second-largest processor,
Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., announced its first
quarter 2021 results. While still reeling
from the past year’s COVID-19 pandemic
and related labor shortages, it also
faced headwinds due to weather-related
events and rising input costs. These
posed challenges to its operations and
were reflected in the results.
Pilgrim’s, however, said US demand
is on a recovery trend as the foodservice
segment improves and retail and
quick-service segments hold steady in
the face of rising input and operating
costs and disruptions due to extreme
winter weather conditions. Notably, the
company said its large bird deboning
reported a spike in pricing for the
quarter compared to a year ago as
Mexico’s demand from the end of 2020
continued into 2021.
Labor constraints dramatically
impacted meat and poultry production last
spring and early summer. The meat industry’s
huge investment in worker safety inside and
outside plants successfully addressed these
constraints. But absenteeism, especially in beef
plants, continues to impede full production.
The labor shortage is likely to remain a big
issue the rest of this year.
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Frying and oil management
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Controls and information systems
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www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
LOOKING BACK. PRESSING FORWARD. ALWAYS INNOVATING.
47
2
EXECUTIVE SERIES
A
company
man
Jon Nash’s
connection to
Cargill began
long before
he was hired
BY B E R N A R D S H I R E
m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
48
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Photos: Essential Images Photography
I
f a lifetime of experiences in agriculture,
finance, operational management and
corporate commerce prepare someone for
running a major part of one of the biggest
and most iconic companies in the meat and
poultry industry, then Jon Nash was more
prepared than most to do just that. But he’s the
first to admit that all that education, training
and experience were not the only reasons he
wanted to work for Cargill.
“There were two other factors,” he
explained. “One is, I grew up with Cargill. My
father worked for Cargill; he knew a lot of
people who worked at Cargill. And second, to
be more specific about it, the company’s core
values and guiding principles made me want to
be there – and nowhere else.”
For those reasons, and many more, Cargill
is where Jon Nash has worked, in many
prominent roles, for the past 22 years. Most
recently he took over as the lead for Cargill’s
Protein and Salt business, a major company
division operating in 17 countries, with more
than 60,000 employees. His team carries out
the production of beef, a case-ready business,
value-added meats, chicken and turkey, egg
products, deli, cooked meats, and distribution
for food makers, foodservice companies, and
retailers of food. His division also produces
salt that is used in food, agriculture, water
softening and de-icing.
Nash, who is 46, married and has one
daughter, became head of Cargill Protein
and Salt in Wichita, Kan., three months ago,
succeeding Brian Sykes, who is now Cargill’s
chief operating officer. Before heading the
company’s global protein operations, Nash
led Cargill Protein’s North America Business
during the initial and worst parts of the COVID19 pandemic. He’s prioritized the health and
safety of the company’s food workers while
maintaining the dependability of the food
system for the entire supply chain, including
farmers, ranchers, customers and consumers.
Nash is known for putting people first,
ahead of anything else, and delivering for his
customers. He’s a humble leader who focuses
on hard work, which is why he is where he
is in the company. He’s trained leaders and
cultivated winning teams in Cargill’s protein
business for more than 20 years. And by
bringing a mix of commercial, operational
and financial education and experience to his
roles, he provides a vast and broad amount of
expertise at Cargill.
Nash received his bachelor’s degree
in finance from the University of Missouri
in Columbia, and his Master of Business
Administration degree from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University. He
has also completed the Executive Education
Program at Harvard Business School. He
joined Cargill in 1998 on the “money” side,
starting his career there as a financial
analyst in the company’s Schuyler, Neb., beef
processing plant.
He went on to lead multiple company
acquisitions and helped integrate newly
purchased beef processing facilities into the
business, before becoming controller, then
general manager of the company’s Fresno,
Calif., beef plant. He also served as vice
president of operations and later as president
of Cargill’s North America protein foodservice
plants, where he focused on strengthening
relationships with customers.
EARLY YEARS
But Nash’s connection with Cargill really goes
back almost to the beginning of his life, when
as a youngster in Concordia, Mo., about 55
miles east of Kansas City, he watched his father
have a great career working in the feed division
at Cargill.
“In my early childhood and beyond, I grew
up knowing a lot of people who worked for
Cargill,” Nash said. “I’ve always thought how
fortunate we were that my dad worked for
that company. I wore a Cargill hat to school
and everywhere, every day. I really grew up,
wanting to work for Cargill.”
In addition to his father supporting the
family by working for Cargill, the Nashes made
their living as family farmers in Concordia.
“We were contract turkey growers for
Honeysuckle White, Cargill’s major turkey
brand,” Nash said. But by the age of 12 or so,
the family was no longer growing turkeys. “We
left farming and were moving around. But I
decided in my teens that I was going to have a
career with that company.”
At that time, it wasn’t unusual for people
to spend their entire careers working for one
company, Nash said. And while things have
changed – today people tend more to move
from one company to another for various
“I grew up with
Cargill. The
company’s
core values
and guiding
principles made
me want to be
at Cargill – and
nowhere else.”
– JON NASH
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
49
EXECUTIVE SERIES
“Companies
are designed
to be
competitive,
winning
organizations,
that create
opportunities
to grow. But
it all has to
start with our
people.”
– JON NASH
reasons – at Cargill it’s different. People tend
to stay there, to spend their entire working
careers there. That’s certainly true of Nash.
“I was a single person, right out of
school from the University of Missouri, and
Schuyler, Neb., was my first job. Returning
from Virginia Tech, I was coming back to
the culture here, and that was especially
important to me. I was integrating businesses
and learning a great deal about what makes
businesses work successfully.”
But Nash is quick to point out that he
didn’t stay at Cargill because of a lack of
opportunities elsewhere. He wanted to stay
at Cargill and grow with the company. Not
only did he like what he saw, but during his
time with the company, he took many actions
to move the company ahead, despite all the
growing challenges corporations in the food
industry face today. He sees a purpose in what
people can do for a company.
“If they stay there, then their purpose,
what they could do, and what they are doing,
is greater than themselves or their personal
goals,” Nash said.
CAREER GROWTH
By working across the Cargill protein business,
Nash became a role model and mentor to
50
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
many Cargill employees, developing excellent
leaders, and encouraging co-workers to
make full careers at the company, whether
their interest was at the executive level,
management, or on one of the teams operating
one of the company’s plants.
Responding to the challenges facing the
meat and poultry industry, Nash took steps
to transform Cargill’s North America protein
business, which led to the same steps he’s
carrying out for Cargill Global Protein.
“Our most important step, I think, was
restructuring Cargill Protein from separate
business units into one customer-driven
business made up of channels, like retail,
foodservice and protein ingredients,” he
explained. This has been happening all through
Cargill’s global protein business worldwide,
which operates in the United States, Canada,
Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, China,
Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Poland, Russia,
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
and Colombia.
“We wanted to change from a supply
chain-based organization, with separate units,
to a customer driven business,” Nash said.
“That is a massive movement for a company’s
operations. A major reason for the opening of
the new Cargill North American headquarters
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EXECUTIVE SERIES
Jon Nash leads Cargill’s
Protein and Salt business,
which operates in 17
different countries.
52
is to help convert Cargill Protein from separate
units to products approach to a unified
business, both here and around the world.”
And there is no doubt that Nash has taken
steps to meet food industry challenges, by
expanding Cargill’s protein offerings in a
world that is demanding more protein. This
expansion includes the company’s emerging
seafood business as well as growing alternative
proteins. For his leadership of Cargill’s global
protein business, he’s thankful for being part of
the Executive Education Program at Harvard
Business School, which he completed about
four months ago.
“It’s important to understand the needs
of our customers, our people, and what
the markets are calling for,” Nash said. “In
diversifying, we focus on these markets, which
include meat, value-added, plant-based and
cell-based products. Consumers have the
right and need to have the ability to choose
what they want to eat. And we are focused on
growing our share of all these markets.
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
“There will be tension in how protein is
made,” he acknowledged. But he emphasized
the great support that Cargill gives to help
livestock farmers and growers, manufacturers
of feed and distributors, all important sectors
of the protein industry.
“Protein will always be an animal-based
business,” he pointed out. “No matter what
happens, there will always be demand for
animal-based and plant-based protein. Growing
up on a farm, I know farmers and ranchers are
the foundation of our industry, and I know how
hard it is to do what they do.”
When Nash thinks about his long, close ties
to Cargill, the company culture is likely the
most important part of his connection.
“Cargill is a family-owned company,” he
explained. The company is 156 years old,
dating back to its founding by William Wallace
Cargill in 1865, when he bought a grain flat
house in Conover, Iowa. “So, an important part
of that heritage are core values and guiding
principles governing how Cargill operates,”
Nash said. “Our core values are very simple,
because they are based on our culture here.
Do the right thing. Put people first. And reach
higher in everything you do. And it all starts
with people. Companies are designed to be
competitive, winning organizations, that create
opportunities to grow. But it all has to start
with our people.”
There are also guiding principles that play
a major part in the company’s operation and
success. “One is the importance of being a
responsible global citizen. Our commitment
to sustainability is an extremely high priority
in our operations,” Nash said. These other
guiding principles are extremely important to
Nash and how Cargill is run.
“We obey the law. We conduct our business
with integrity. We keep accurate and honest
records. We honor our business obligations.
We treat people with dignity and respect,
including the people who work for and with
us, our customers, and our consumers. We
are concerned about the company and its
prosperity, so we protect Cargill’s information,
assets, and interests. I was in plants for 17
years, and I know how important it is to take
care of our workers, so they can provide
for their families. If you think about it, all of
this really comes down to the importance of
people. That is our top priority.”
INGREDIENT ISSUES
Better
breading
& batters
Processors can add value and
flavor to a variety of proteins by
utilizing breading ingredients
BY D O N N A B E R RY | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
C
54
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Regardless, if it’s gluten free, plant based or whole
grain, breadings, as well as batters, used to envelop meat
and poultry must be durable. This exterior coating must
adhere to the protein and keep it contained. Breaks in the
continuous coating may cause it to slip or crumble off,
leaving a bare piece of protein that may become dry and lose
the flavor and crunch being delivered through the coating.
Think of all those breaded chicken sandwiches
competing for share of stomach in the fast-food and quickservice channels. Some might argue that the breading is
as important to the sandwich as the chicken. For KFC,
Louisville, Ky., a double breading of the quarter-pound filet
was part of the improvement in its chicken sandwich that
rolled out at the beginning of the year. The double breading
provides for a crispier chicken, according to the company.
While KFC will not reveal the Colonel’s secret recipe, Joe
Daring; Fry the Coop
onsumers sought out convenience with value-added
meat and poultry in 2020, according to the Power of
Meat 2021. This is expected to continue, especially
in the fully cooked, heat-and-eat space, with breaded
chicken leading the way thanks to formulators getting out
of their comfort zone and exploring new ingredients and
technologies, allowing for creative flavor innovation to ward
off food fatigue.
For the adults in the household missing international
travel and craving flavor adventure, think crushed curry
butter cracker-encrusted chicken filets and black sesame
seed panko crumbed strips. And while most kids don’t tire
of chicken nuggets, adding colorful edible glitter to whole
grain bread crumbs or sneaking in some legume or vegetable
powders enables parents to feel better about serving the
same protein multiple times per week.
at 250˚F. This fully cooks them and seals in the juices. The
breasts are then chilled until order.”
When the order has been placed, they get fried again.
This time at 350˚F.
“This warms them and makes them crispy,” he said.
Upon removal from the fryer, the breast is dipped in a
vessel of melted beef tallow and sprinkled with the desired
heat level of hand-crafted seasoning.
BREADING VERSUS BATTER
Breading can add flavor
and texture to products,
especially poultry. Chicken
nuggets are the most
common breaded product
on the market and at
foodservice, chicken
sandwiches such as Fry
the Coop’s Nashville
fried chicken (right) are
popping up everywhere.
Fontana, owner of Fry the Coop, a Chicago-based counterservice chain specializing in Nashville fried chicken, shared
how he makes great-tasting, succulent, crunchy, boneless,
skinless chicken.
“It’s a two-fry process with an extra dip right before
serving,” Fontana said. “The frying and dipping is with
beef tallow.”
The company sources never-frozen boneless, skinless
chicken breasts from Mar-Jac Poultry, Gainesville, Ga. His
employees hand-trim and cut the chicken, followed by
tenderizing with a hand needler and dry rubbing with a salt,
pepper and a cayenne pepper blend that marinades for about
24 hours.
“We then coat the breasts in buttermilk and bread them
with a seasoned flour mixture. Then they are fried twice,”
he said. “The first time is in the prep. They are blanched
Breadings are all about providing an additional sensory
dimension to meat and poultry products through their
contribution of color, flavor and texture. They are intended
to create a tasty crust, with the degree of crunch and flavor
profile dependent on the breading.
The intent is for the breading to absorb moisture from
the surface of the meat, forming a barrier between the meat
and the heat. This is accomplished by including a hydrophilic
component such as starch. That starch can be something
as simple as plain flour or breadcrumbs, or more complex
like dried, crushed cauliflower with rice flour (for a veggieforward, gluten-free option).
“When you fry, hot oil tries to get into the protein, while
moisture works to escape. Breading acts as the interface
between that interaction,” said Laura West, marketing and
innovations team, Wynn’s Grain & Spice, Montgomery,
Ala. “Breading adds a protective layer keeping the chicken
(or other protein) tender and juicy on the inside and nice
and crispy on the outside. A double breading process,
in particular, yields better coverage, appearance and
hold times.”
Wynn’s offers breading designed for both a single-step
breading process, as well as a double-breading process.
Breading can also be formulated differently for a pressure
fryer versus an open fryer.
Breadings are described as dry coatings and are not
to be confused with batters, which are wet coatings. Both
coatings envelop the meat and should stay intact during the
cooking process.
Batters are typically a mixture up to 90% flour and starch,
along with a leavening agent (i.e., sodium bicarbonate,
egg or even seltzer or beer), and water, oil and seasonings.
Wheat flour is standard, with corn, potato, rice and soy
flours becoming increasingly more common, in particular if
gluten free is a desired trait.
Batters are light by design. In order to adhere properly,
they must maintain a proper viscosity and not experience
mechanical shear stress. This can change the viscosity
with ingredients that exhibit shear-thinning, damaging
starch granules and negatively affecting their functionality,
which may lead to breakage of the coating during cooking.
Prior to application, the meat is often dusted with a flourstarch mixture to assist with adherence. Starch, as an added
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
55
INGREDIENT ISSUES
Plant-based
products benefit
from breadings
Formed and comminuted poultry in the form of nuggets and
tenders, have long relied on the use of breading to add flavor
and texture, while at the same time ensuring a moist bite. The
same is true for plant-based products trying to simulate the
real deal.
Tyson Foods Inc., Springdale, Ark., offers a range of breaded
plant-based products under its Raised & Rooted brand. The
line relies on pea protein isolate, with a number of the varieties
incorporating flavor through the breading, such as the spicy
nuggets and the sweet barbecue bites.
Los Angeles-based Daring markets a line of 100% plantbased chicken alternatives made with minimally processed
ingredients that deliver on the look, taste, pull and mouthfeel
of the traditional animal protein. The line includes a seasoned
breaded product that resembles a premium chicken tender. The
texture is achieved by using a high-moisture extrusion process
on a soy protein concentrate and sunflower oil emulsion.
56
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods uses the breading on its Raised & Rooted
plant-based tenders, bites and nuggets as a place to
deliver more flavor to the alternative meat products.
ingredient or that inherent to wheat flour, plays
a big role in batters. The starch initially helps
build viscosity by holding water, then it helps
form a structure that improves adhesion of
batters to the substrate. Other carbohydrates,
in particular dextrins and gums, may also
improve adhesion in batters.
Batters require deep frying to set. The high
temperature of the oil causes the batter to
blow up around the protein, preventing the
protein from scorching while locking in flavors
and juices. Upon cooling, the batter collapses,
encasing the protein.
Such flour batters – often described as
tempura or fritter – are not to be confused with
cornmeal batters. The latter are generously
applied to the protein, usually hot dogs, and
fry up to be crispy and crunchy. The density
of the batter prevents it from expanding
during frying.
Unlike batters with their soft texture,
breadings are expected to have a gritty texture.
Many of today’s innovative encrusted proteins
rely on larger granulation mixtures of different
crumb types to develop unique textures and
visual appeal. The inclusion of seasoning,
granulated nuts and seeds is becoming
quite common.
Prior to applying the breading, an
ingredient system with adhesive properties is
applied to the meat to keep the particulates
in place. The system is usually determined by
how the protein will be cooked. For fried, as
well as air-fried breaded meats, it’s usually a
pre-dust, much like one used with batters. This
assists with keeping the breading crisp and the
meat moist.
For baked, breaded meats, adhesion is
usually accomplished with help from a liquid
coating. This may be an egg wash, a starch or
gum solution, or an emulsion such as yogurt,
mayonnaise or buttermilk. Batters can also be
used as the liquid coating.
Moisture management is crucial for
breading durability. Before applying a predust, the meat surface should be dry. Excess
moisture will cause the starch to get soggy and
it will not adhere properly to the meat.
In frozen batter or breaded meats, binding
moisture improves freeze/thaw stability. This
helps prevent ice-crystal damage and moisture
migration from the substrate to the coating.
Starches and other hydrocolloids may assist.
EARLY RISER
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INGREDIENT ISSUES
ADDING FLAVOR
Chicago-based Fry the
Coop fries its chicken
products twice to
impart extra flavor and
crunch and to keep
the chicken moist.
“The fiery option brings on the heat,” West said. “It
has heat that builds and that is balanced by a light and
crispy finish.”
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MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Fry the Coop
If the meat is tumbled or injected prior to coating, adding
flavor through the marinade makes sense. Another option is
to add spices and flavors via the pre-dust or liquid coating.
While flavor may be incorporated into any layer of the
system, to prevent flash-off during frying, the closer the
flavor is located to the protein, the better. Also, keeping
ground spices and dried herbs within the coating prevents
particulates from burning during cooking.
The challenge is that consumers eat with their eyes. So,
if particulates on the exterior of the coating are desirable,
choose whole spices like peppercorn or seeds.
“Breading flavors can offer a savory taste, with hints
of garlic, onion, sea salt and black pepper,” West said.
“Breading can also deliver heat, in either a slow build or a
more upfront intensity.”
Two of Wynn’s most popular flavors are an all-natural
crimson breading and a fiery hot breading.
“The crimson breading is a bold, savory blend
crafted with clean and simple ingredients,” West said.
“Customers eat with their eyes and paprika gives this
blend a mouthwatering golden-brown finish that will draw
customers to try it.
MINIMIZING FAT CALORIES
Breadings and batters, in particular wet coatings and frying
oils, add extra calories, often in the form of fat calories.
And while sugar reduction has been trending in the food
formulating world, lowering calorie content is gaining
traction. With fat the most calorically dense ingredient – it’s
more than double that of carbohydrates and protein – a
reduction in fat calories can assist with lowering calories of
breaded and battered meats.
Kemin Food Technologies, Des Moines, Iowa, now
markets a fat block technology designed for industrial fried
foods. The functional protein system forms a protein crust
around items that inhibits frying oil from being absorbed into
the breading. Depending on the coating system, fat uptake
may be reduced by 10% to 30%. Less moisture is also lost in
the product during frying, which results in increased yield.
“Our new fat block technology provides manufacturers
the opportunity to meet the label claims and product
attributes consumers desire, while achieving greater yields,”
according to Courtney Schwartz, marketing director. “It has
excellent flavor with no negative sensory attributes.”
Breaded and battered proteins are one of 14
applications that are Generally Recognized as Safe by
the US Food and Drug Administration for esterified
propoxylated glycerol, or simply EPG. This is a new,
revolutionary alternative fat technology from Epogee
LLC, Indianapolis. It reduces calories from fat by 92% for
each unit of fat replaced. It also reduces total calories, as
EPG provides only 0.7 calories/gram, while traditional fat
delivers 9 calories/gram.
“From a functional and quality perspective, EPG
performs as well as any other traditional fat, because it is
made from fat,” said Tom Burrows, chief executive officer
and president. “We are on a mission to solve one of the
industry’s most elusive goals: replace traditional fats and oils
with a safe, low-calorie alternative fat that doesn’t sacrifice
flavor, texture, nutrient absorption or satiety.”
Protected by more than 20 patents, EPG is made with
natural, GMO-free rapeseed oil. The triglyceride is split into
its components: the glycerol backbone and three fatty acids.
The technology involves inserting a food-grade propoxyl
link, which resists digestive enzyme action, to reconnect
the glycerol and fatty acids. EPG was designed to work in
any application containing fat. Like other neutral vegetablebased fats, EPG takes on the flavor of the product. It is
currently labeled as: EPG (modified plant-based oil).
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POULTRY
PROCESSING
TECH
COOL
approach
Poultry processors have carcass-chilling options
BY K E I T H LO R I A | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
I
60
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
for a good price and which consumers will
readily buy.”
Proper and safe chilling implies that the
core of the product is cooled down too, as
opposed to superficial cooling that doesn’t
reach internal parts. The core temperature is
therefore the key indicator.
For example, Driessen noted a processor
may ask for a chicken cooled down to 35°F
[2ºC] core temperature, with minimal loss of
yield, maximum tenderness and perfect shelf
appearance. This requires more than just
blowing cold air; the proper techniques have
to be applied so that the deepest parts of the
product are reached without freezing the small
exterior parts of the chicken.
Marel
In poultry processing
facilities, carcasses are
chilled immediately
following evisceration
to prevent the growth
of pathogens.
n virtually all markets, it is a legal
requirement to chill carcasses immediately
after evisceration to prevent the growth of
harmful pathogens. The temperature to which
products must be cooled varies from country
to country but is never more than a few
degrees above freezing point.
Roy Driessen, industry marketing manager,
poultry, for Marel Poultry, with US operations
in Lenexa, Kan., noted chilling, air-chilling in
particular, is about much more than cooling
down carcasses.
“It will also largely influence yield,
presentation and shelf life,” he said. “Doing
the job properly ensures that processors have
a safe, attractive product, which they can sell
Secure air chilled
product quality
Unique in-line poultry air chilling solutions, guaranteeing desired core temperature.
• Securing yield with moistening technology
• Perfect control of product presentation
• Reach highest product tenderness
• Maximized shelf life
Contact your Marel representative for
more information: info.us@marel.com
or call 1-888-888-9107
marel.com/poultry
POULTRY PROCESSING TECH
Processors have the
choice of water or air
chilling poultry carcasses.
Baader’s Clean Air Chill
is a single-layer, in-line
air chilling system.
efficient motors, cooling appendages, etc.,”
he said.
Scott Sechler, owner of Bell & Evans,
Fredericksburg, Pa., notes the company
has been utilizing 100% air-chill technology
since 2005.
“Air chilling is all about time, temperature,
and humidity,” he said. “The real benefit of air
chill to the consumer is a more tender, flavorful
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Baader
Although the process of cooling a chicken
is still very much the same as it’s been for
years, Tom Rozendaal, product manager for
Netherlands-based Foodmate B.V., noted
the latest trends in chilling systems revolve
around low energy usage, quick freezing and
food safety.
“Mainly the technology of the components
used has become more energy efficient, more
chicken without unwanted water pickup. A
longer, slower air chill tenderizes the bird more
than a quick cool down, similar to aging beef.
Our chickens cycle through air chill for 2.5
hours, and that time will increase by 20% at our
new chicken harvesting facility that will begin
operations late this year.”
That’s why Bell & Evans focuses on the
length of time of air chill, having the longest
chilling lines in the industry.
“While some other producers have
incorporated air chill into their process, most
poultry processors still use water chilling or
a hybrid of the two because of the cost, space
and yield loss (water weight) of converting
to 100% air chill,” Sechler said. “I believe
we’ll continue to see increasing consumer
demand for 100% air-chilled chicken because
of the quality differences in taste, texture
and appearance.”
Duke Vaughan, sales manager and clean
air chill product manager for Kansas City,
Kan.-based Baader Poultry USA, noted poultry
processors are continuously looking for ways
to improve on their processing solutions
for environmental, economic and consumer
reasons with the goal being the ability to
produce the highest quality product, while
meeting or exceeding industry standards.
“Baader recognizes the consumer
demand for a superior product from poultry
producers,” he said. “This may consist of Grade
A whole birds as well as high-quality cuts and
premium deboned products. Our objective is
to get the birds to a low core temperature as
well as produce the safest and most superior
quality product, which is a vital part of the
end process.”
AIR MOVEMENT
While the industry standard in the United
States is water chilling, consumers are driving
processors toward better quality attributes
that can be produced by air chilling. According
to Vaughan, air-chilled chicken tastes better,
cooks consistently, and contains less bacteria
than water-chilled chicken.
“Air chilling is also environmentally
friendly, saving considerable amounts of water
while providing a superior product,” he said.
“The Baader Clean Air Chill unique single-layer
design prevents cross contamination from
overhead dripping. Furthermore, our separate
Low Temperature Room reduces bacteria,
such as Campylobacter and Pseudomonas, for
increased shelf life.”
In-line air chilling uses no additives,
cuts water usage drastically, does away
with the need to re-hang product manually
from a counter-flow immersion chill system
and, being in-line, allows full product-byproduct traceability.
That’s why Foodmate only offers air-cooling
systems. Rozendaal noted this is the better
option for food safety reasons as there is less
of a chance of bacterial growth.
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“While
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chilling or a
hybrid of the
two because of
the cost, space
and yield loss.”
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Clean Air Chill
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shelf life. The system utilizes a single layer
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Cold, dry air exits the clean plenum directly into the
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POULTRY PROCESSING TECH
One concern with air
chilling is having the
product dry out. Marel’s
DownFlow+ technology
provides misting cabinets
at various points in the chill
line to prevent drying.
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
INNOVATIONS IN CHILLING
Foodmate is constantly testing new technologies
in its R&D facilities, and Rozendaal explained
that when new technology becomes more
common, prices usually decrease and the
company is one step ahead of releasing it in its
systems because the department has already
familiarized itself with the new technology.
Baader’s R&D process consists of listening
to its customers’ needs and expectations and
then designing and developing technology to
enhance their continued growth and success.
“Air chilling will continue to grow in North
America as it is commonly driven by the
consumer,” Vaughan said.
Most companies believe the future of the
category will be in accomplishing better energy
savings, and designing systems that impact the
quality of flavor, appearance and meat texture
to the extreme. Plus, air chilling will only
continue to become more of the norm.
“Experience has shown that in many
markets, which have made the move from offline water chilling to in-line air chilling, have
no regrets,” Driessen said. “None would want
to turn the clock back.”
Marel
66
“You do lose some weight by using dry air,
but with a small water spray, you can gain that
loss back,” he said. “We place the birds closer
to each other on the chain to save footprint and
that results in a quick and safe chilling process
on a small footprint.”
Driessen said it’s essential that the footprint
taken up by the air chilling system is as
compact as possible and that evaporator and
fan design ensures that chilling all carcasses to
the same core temperature happens effectively,
using as little energy as possible.
“Each Marel air-chilling installation is fine
tuned to precise customer requirements in
terms of an optimally chosen balance between
energy use and footprint,” he said. “In every
chilling tunnel design, Marel looks for a
technically optimized balance between the
best possible use of the space available and an
ideal energy-efficient chilling result without
compromising yield or product presentation.
Energy consumption can be optimized by
varying details of the technical execution,
such as air speed. Footprint optimization
is about adapting the size of the tunnel to
hourly capacity, product weight and desired
core temperature.”
Processors using air chilling cannot reckon
with the water picked up during immersion
chilling. An air-chilled product can dry out and
needlessly lose weight. To prevent this, Marel
developed its DownFlow+ technology, which
allows processors to manage yield and color.
“It consists of misting cabinets installed
at various points in the chill line overhead
conveyor, which can apply a thin film of
moisture to an external or internal surface,”
Driessen said. “Once installed, the processor
will be able to switch misting cabinets on
or off at will, thereby effectively managing
presentation, yield and color of the
final product.”
A recent Marel development introduces an
initial water chill stage, which makes good use
of water’s superior chilling ability.
“In this combined immersion chill/air
chill system the conventional counter-flow
immersion chiller is replaced by a multistage water bath, through which products
are transported on an overhead conveyor,”
Driessen said. “After the immersion chill
phase product is conveyed to an air chilling
installation, often installed immediately above
the multi-stage water bath. Additional benefits
are that water does not collect in pockets in
the carcass and the ability to manage water
pick-up and color.”
R E TA I L R E P O R T
Powering
through
the
pandemic
68
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
The Power of Meat 2021 illustrates how animal
proteins moved to the top of shopping lists
BY E R I C A S H A FFE R | e s h a f f e r @ s o s l a n d.c o m
eldarnurkovic - stock.adobe.com
T
he 2021 Power of Meat study serves as a
record of how the COVID-19 pandemic
changed everything about consumer
purchase behaviors in the meat and poultry
department throughout 2020 and into 2021.
More than three-quarters of shoppers changed
something about their meat purchases in 2020,
and these changes translated to strong sales of
meat, especially beef, during the pandemic.
Currently in its 16th year, the Power of
Meat, sponsored by Cryovac, a division of
Sealed Air, and conducted by San Antoniobased 210 Analytics, delves into the meat
buying and consumption habits of consumers.
During a year marked by panic buying and
lockdowns, consumers shifted to making fewer
trips and spending more money during those
trips, according to the study.
“The most profound change was in trips
and baskets,” said Anne-Marie Roerink,
principal at 210 Analytics. “Very early on we
had a flurry of activity as people raced from
store to store trying to fill their pantries, their
freezers, their fridges. But right after that, we
had a lot of trip pressure and that meant while
people were in the store, they were buying
a whole lot more each and every time, and
that same pattern is lasting all the way into
February this year.”
Shoppers continued to make the majority
of their meat and poultry purchases at
supermarkets although online shopping
received a big pandemic boost, according
to the study, with 56% of shoppers having
purchased groceries online in 2020.
“Additionally, occasional online orders
made way for steadier purchase patterns,” the
report said. “Meat also landed in online baskets
much more frequently, with 31% of all meat
shoppers having ordered meat online, up from
19% the year prior. Fresh meat trails frozen
in online purchases, with the exception of
fresh chicken.”
Roerink noted that 29% of consumers have
now bought meat online.
“We see not only more engagement, but we
also see people buying more frequently. IRI
measured a 90% increase in meat e-commerce
and it now makes up 10% of the total
meat purchases.”
BEEF IS BOSS
Every department in the store saw sales gains
during the pandemic, but the meat department
was the brightest star. Higher spends per trip
resulted in a double-digit increase in the annual
meat spend per buyer in 2020 to $687.87 or an
increase of 21.8%.
“Up from 1.0% growth in 2019, the meat
department increased dollar sales by 19.2% in
2020,” according to the Power of Meat study.
“An increase in the price per volume of 7.4%
drove higher dollar than unit and volume gains.
But even so, retail meat volume sales increased
by 11.0% over 2020.”
Beef especially had a strong showing in
2020. Roerink said beef recorded not only
the highest dollars among proteins, but the
category also saw the most growth.
“We don’t often see that happening to
higher percentages,” she noted, “but it’s
incredible to see the industry pull together.”
Gen Z, millennials and Gen X all had above
average contributions to growth, according to
the Power of Meat report.
Consumers’ typical purchase pattern
when shopping the meat department
2019
23%
2021
21%
Buy for one meal
at a time
43%
38%
Buy and refrigerate
for several meals over
the next few days
35%
41%
Buy and freeze to
use over time
Source: 210 Analytics
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
69
INJECT
R E TA I L R E P O R T
WITH THE
BEST
“Very early on we
had a flurry of
activity as people
raced from store
to store trying to
fill their pantries,
their freezers,
their fridges.”
– ANNE-MARIE ROERINK
“Millennials became the biggest generation in 2016,
but their spending lags in meat and food in general,” the
study said. “However, when looking at the share of sales
versus the share of 2020 growth, the two generations
punching far above their weight are millennials and Gen
X – the generations with the largest household sizes.
“Pre-pandemic, millennials also drove an aboveaverage share of growth, signaling that future success
requires a careful balancing of current spending patterns
versus the very different wants and needs of the
millennial generation,” the study advised.
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DIVING INTO VARIETY
Consumers bought more and different meat items during
the pandemic. As pandemic-related lockdowns took
hold across the United States, consumers began cooking
more meals at home. Fifty-six percent of meat shoppers
reported buying more meat/poultry because of preparing
more lunches at home. One-quarter of consumers said
they are purchasing more because of having more people
at home. For example, an IRI/210 Analytics survey of
primary shoppers found that 63% of college students were
not on campus in the 2020-2021 school year.
“Three-quarters of meat shoppers who increased meat
purchases since the start of the pandemic point to more
at-home dinners as a reason,” according to the Power of
Meat. “While dinner has always been the most important
meal occasion for the meat department, the pandemic
prompted important inroads into the lunch and breakfast
occasions as well.”
Although numbers declined from a year ago, roughly
40% of consumers surveyed bought different items and
engaged with different brands of meat because of out-ofstocks or by choice.
“Down from 51% in the Midyear Power of Meat 2020,
42% bought different meat types than pre-pandemic,
such as lamb or bison, in the second half of the year,”
the current study said. “Down from 50% in August, 40%
bought different cuts than usual come the January survey,
such as roasts or ribs.
“The highest share, 45%, bought different brands than
TUMBLE
they typically did prior to the pandemic. This too is down
compared to mid-year 2020. One-quarter of shoppers
made changes in all three ways, including different kinds,
cuts and brands.”
Brands mattered more in the pandemic year with
online ordering driving greater brand loyalty. In fresh
meats, perceptions of taste and quality were drivers
for consumer preference for manufacturer brands, the
report stated.
“In fresh meats, 52% have preference for purchasing
national or private brands,” according to the report.
“Brands are even more popular in processed meats, at 67%.”
Roerink said other factors of concern driving
consumers’ brand loyalty included confidence in food
safety and consistency, and a company’s values regarding
animal welfare and social responsibility concerns.
“Larger, smaller, manufacturer and private brands can
enjoy mutual growth through transparency, consistency
and quality offerings,” the study advised. “It is a curated,
balanced assortment, targeted at the store level, that
offers customers the best overarching value. Importantly,
these younger, brand-focused shoppers are more socially
and environmentally conscious and value animal welfare.”
EYES ON PROMOTIONS
While working or attending school from home was a
pivot for many households, consumers continued to
do their homework before making that trip to the meat
department. The Power of Meat study revealed that 92%
of shoppers look at one or more promotional platforms
to research meat and poultry sales specials. A big winner
among meat shoppers is the digital circular. Usage
increased to 44% in 2021 compared with 33% in 2020. This
trend likely dovetails with the increase in the number of
online meat shoppers, according to the Power of Meat.
And more consumers were looking for meat
promotions despite fewer of them being offered.
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Source: 210 Analytics
Consumers purchasing
groceries online in
the past year
Tumbling
40%
56%
2020
2021
Marination
Mixing
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R E TA I L R E P O R T
that matches their needs,” the study said. “This
is the most common research behavior across
all ages, incomes and other demographics.
Finding the sweet spot between inventory
and shrink will be important to address this
behavior while minimizing loss.”
KEEN FOR CASE-READY
Consumers bought different
meat items and engaged
with different brands of
meat during the pandemic.
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The Food Safety Monitor
newsletter delivers food and
meat industry executives
updated information
dedicated to keeping all
areas of the food supply safe.
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“Before heading to the store, 68% of meat
shoppers compare prices at two or more stores
regularly and 78% check promotions at their
primary meat store,” the study said. “This is up
from 2020 levels for both.”
Even more consumers, 83%, compare
prices and promotions between the various
offerings before selecting a meat product,
and 89% of shoppers sift through packages to
find the quantity and package size they prefer,
according to the study.
“Consumers like to select from a variety
of packages to find the package size and price
Consumers’ perception of case-ready meats
changed dramatically with favorability
reaching a study high, according to the report.
“In 2008, when we first asked that
question, we had quite a few folks wondering
about the quality of case-ready, and they
thought that meat cut in-store might be of
better quality,” Roerink said. But by 2020,
case-ready favorability had advanced 70%
over 2008, and the number of consumers
who perceived case-ready was not as good
declined almost 20%.
“This is moving to an 81% favorability, and
that is an important message for our industry
today,” she added.
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is significant increases in slicing yields, more #1 slices,
and higher throughput with less slicing debris on the
line.
For bacon processors, the key to achieving higher
yields is ensuring that every belly is perfectly shaped
before arriving at the slicer. The Hoegger TrimX makes
this a reality. The intelligent system automatically
detects and cuts away all belly defects, including fish
tails, dropped CT muscle, and thin fat edges prior
to the belly reaching the press. The end result after
pressing is a perfectly shaped belly that produces the
highest possible amount of quality slices.
The best-in-class smart technology provides
processors with remote access to the machine for
fast fault diagnosis and next-generation 3D scanning
technology for optimum results. The scanner takes a
3D image of the bacon belly, which enables an analysis
of belly dimensions, fat and lean, and defects. It
then records the shape and dimension of each belly,
identifies product defects, and calculates the best way
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efficiency and maximize yield.
Operators can easily adjust and store parameters
to match a customer’s slicing requirements, or
optimize trimming depending on current market value.
This intelligent cutting strategy results in increased
throughput and yields, less debris, and ensures the
highest quality slices from every single belly.
Other next-generation features include the HMI
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parameters and allows the operator to maintain total
control of the operation. A database—including data
about trim volume, dimensions, shape, defects, and
dock ends—provides traceability and visibility. Pictures
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Visit https://www.provisur.com/trimx to learn more.
A L T E R N AT I V E P R O T E I N S
IN PURSUIT OF
plant-based
Research and development into meat-free products
that duplicate whole-muscle products is a priority
for more alternative protein companies
BY J E FF G E L S K I | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
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meat consumption) agree meat alternatives
need taste improvements, according to Outside
Voice, and more than 20% say texture needs to
be improved.
“There’s a host of challenges to achieving
the perfect plant-based steak,” said Melissa
Machen, senior technical services specialist,
plant protein, for Minneapolis-based Cargill.
“Perhaps the biggest hurdle is creating
muscle-like fibers that will deliver the firm bite
consumers expect from a steak. Technological
advances like wet extrusion are narrowing the
gap, but these processes can be expensive.”
Marbling is the intramuscular fat
between fibers in a muscle, said Michael
Cropp, technical service associate for Kemin
Industries, Des Moines, Iowa.
“The marbling offers a consumer a more
juicy and flavorful eating experience,” he said.
Lisovskaya Natalia - stockk.adobe.com
lant-based alternatives for hamburgers and
chicken nuggets increasingly appear on
menus and in frozen food aisles, testifying
to consumer acceptance of the products. Now
comes the next challenge for food innovators:
creating similar alternatives for whole-muscle
cuts like steaks, chicken breasts and fish fillets.
Difficulties arise in matching the marbling
aspects of muscles, the specific colors
associated with the items — both before and
after cooking – and the nutritional qualities.
The value of plant-based meat alternatives
reached $1.4 billion in 2020 as sales grew 45%
from $962 million in 2019, according to data
from the Plant Based Foods Association and
The Good Food Institute. Yet the quality of
the products still could improve, according to
ADM’s Outside Voice research portal. Half of
flexitarian consumers (those cutting back on
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A L T E R N AT I V E P R O T E I N S
Layering soy protein
into linear fibers mimics
muscle texture in filet
mignon alternatives
from Ljubljana, Sloveniabased Juicy Marbles.
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
CHICKEN ALTERNATIVES
ADM’s Outside Voice found 61% of US plant
protein consumers have tried chicken or
poultry alternatives. Some alternatives, like
breasts, will be more difficult to replicate than
others, like nuggets.
Juicy Marbles
76
“Beef, for example, is graded based upon the
amount of marbling.”
Vegetable oils like coconut oil and palm oil
may be used to impart the “marbled state” in
plant-based steak alternatives or plant-based
burger alternatives, said Tanya Jeradechachai,
vice president of ingredient solutions R&D for
MGP Ingredients, Atchison, Kan.
“However, vegetable oils are liquid at
room temperature, which makes it very
challenging to achieve a marbled appearance
in the product,” she said. “To resolve this
problem, the oil can be blended with other
ingredients like gums and starches at cold
temperature resulting in a solid material that
can be reduced in size to resemble small
pieces of fat particles. The fat particles can
then be incorporated into a plant-based steak
or burger at cold temperature to assume a
marbled appearance.”
A plant-based filet mignon is also possible.
Juicy Marbles, Ljubljana, Slovenia, has created
plant-based filet mignon alternatives with its
Meat-o-matic Reverse Grinder 9000. Layering
soy protein into linear fibers mimics muscle
texture, according to the company.
“The biggest challenge was getting the right
fiber alignment and intramuscular fat structure
– the marbling,” said Luka Sincek, one of
the founders of Juicy Marbles. “The most
expensive steaks in the world are known for
their lush marbling. It takes a lot of energy and
a rare breed of cow to attain that. With plant
meat, we control it and, thus, over time, can
scale up our steak production and bring down
the price. Eventually, we’ll be able to make the
most premium meats attainable for everyone.”
Companies need to create a plant-based fat
system that appears like conventional steak
marbling, and they also need to incorporate and
bind the fat system in plant-based “muscles”
so it appears like marbling in steak, said Vineet
Jindal, PhD, customer innovations manager –
plant-based food for AAK USA Inc., Edison, NJ.
“In addition, the marbling also needs to
release the aroma of conventional steak during
and after cooking,” he said. “The integrity
and appearance of the steak also need to
be maintained during and after cooking.
Creating a three-dimensional steak with all
the challenges of marbling with plant-based
materials is therefore taking a longer time
as compared to ground meat products like
burgers and meatballs.”
Ingredient selection may help in savory
taste, said Christopher Naese, vice president
of business development for Florida Food
Products, Eustis, Fla.
“FFP’s fermented mushroom juice provides
a natural source of umami and coupled with
mirepoix and onion concentrates deliver great
savory taste in a clean, consumer-friendly way,”
he said.
Color is difficult to replicate as well.
“Consumers expect a bright red color when
the product is cold, but when it’s cooked, it
should have a nice brown color on the outside,
yet look somewhat rare in the middle,” Machen
said. “That is incredibly difficult to achieve
with our current ingredients and technologies.
However, there are advances coming, including
wet-moisture extrusion and even cell-based
products, that may help brands get much
closer to the textures, colors and sensory
experiences of traditional meat products.”
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A L T E R N AT I V E P R O T E I N S
Beyond Meat has
developed a plant-based
chicken alternative to
satisfy consumer cravings
for fried chicken.
In a whole-muscle chicken breast, the
cross-linking and structure of a muscle is
complicated, Cropp said.
“Similar textures might be achievable
through specific mechanical action to give
texture in a pattern similar to a muscle fiber
running through a chicken breast,” he said.
High-moisture extrusion commonly is
used to make chicken breast alternatives,
Jeradechachai said.
“The plant protein ingredients, which could
be from pea, wheat, soy or their combinations,
are plasticized and texturized in a long cooling
die by varying the moisture, temperature,
pressure and shear,” she said. “The resulting
product assumes a whole-muscle appearance
possessing a fibrous structure. Plant protein
concentrates and isolates, gums and flavorings
that commonly used as ingredients.”
Wheat gluten has served as the base of
vegan chicken products, said Dawn Crampton,
product development and innovation manager
for Purefield Ingredients, Russell, Kan.
“The process begins with a dough (seitan),
which can be shaped and processed to mimic
the texture of a chicken breast,” she said. “It is
easily flavored to create a unique experience
for the consumer. Blending in additional
proteins can provide a complete nutritional
profile, if desired.”
New technologies are allowing companies
to progress from ground formats to pulled,
shredded and diced meats, and nuggets, said
Dina Fernandez, global director, protein
nutrition solutions for Chicago-based ADM.
“One solution for creating whole-muscle
products is using twin-screw high-moisture
extrusion,” she said. “Additionally, we’re
seeing significant growth around formulating
whole-muscle products, including new
functional ingredients and improved extrusion
technologies for better long-fiber textures and
elevated flavor.”
ADM uses its lineup of Arcon and ProFam
974 soy proteins for high-moisture extrusion.
“These solutions are exceptionally
functional for meat alternative formulations
that require high solubility, gelling capacity,
elasticity and increased nutritional quality,”
Fernandez said.
Ingredient lists draw attention in meat alternatives
78
to list their preferences for
plant protein sources, 46%
said lentils, which was
followed by chickpeas at
44%, peas at 39%, soy at
37% and quinoa at 36%.
ADM’s Outside Voice
research portal found 83%
of flexitarian consumers
review product labels.
“Plus, 66% of
consumers say they are
looking for labels with the
shortest ingredient list,
and 69% of consumers
say simple, recognizable
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
ingredients influence their
purchasing decisions,” said
Jacquelyn Schuh, product
marketing director, protein
nutrition solutions for
Chicago-based ADM.
Blending plant proteins,
besides improving
structure and texture, may
shorten ingredient lists,
said Dawn Crampton,
product development
and innovation manager
for Purefield Ingredients,
Russell, Kan.
“Choosing proteins that
have different but symbiotic
functionality can reduce or
eliminate other ingredients
such as stabilizers, gelling
agents or binders,”
she said.
Formulators should
ensure every ingredient
in a product provides
a unique functionality,
like texture, flavor and
mouthfeel, said Vineet
Jindal, PhD, customer
innovation manager –
plant-based food for AAK
USA Inc., Edison, NJ.
Terry White - stock.adobe.com
More consumers are
seeking plant-based meat
alternatives, and analyzing
ingredient lists, too.
Among US consumers,
25% said they were buying
more plant-based meat
alternatives during COVID19, according to 2020
research from Ingredion
Inc., Westchester, Ill.
Among North American
consumers, 50% said
they would pay more for
products with plant-based
ingredients. When asked
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FOOD SAFETY
Coming
CLEAN
As sanitation awareness has piqued,
processors look for opportunities to improve
BY LY N N P E T R A K | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
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intensified. Especially in the early days and
months of the pandemic, meat plants made
national headlines both for outbreaks and
closings and for details on how operators were
trying to keep those facilities sanitary.
“When you think about food manufacturers
and processors, they have always had very
buttoned-up sanitation practices and HACCP
procedures in place. But one of the things
that was brought on during the pandemic was
awareness – ‘Are we doing the right thing?
What more should we be doing?’” said Paul
Barnhill, chief technology officer for Meritech
Systems LLC, Golden, Colo.
Even with a hyper-focus on sanitation and
new cleaning measures put in place during
PSSI
Sanitation has always
been a priority in meat
and poultry processing
environments, but the
pandemic has put it top
of mind for everyone.
f nothing else, the events of the past 18
months have reinforced the importance
of sanitation. Although sanitation has
always been a cornerstone of meat and
poultry processors’ everyday practices in
environments that handle raw, in-process and
cooked products, the priorities of personal
hygiene and clean surfaces were elevated
in almost every way in an era when viral
transmission was top of mind.
Plexiglas partitions went up and were
regularly cleaned in efforts to keep as much of
a safe, sanitary distance as possible between
workers. More surfaces were scrubbed more
often. Training efforts on the importance of
hand washing and general sanitation practices
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FOOD SAFETY
Meat and poultry facilities
face a number of ongoing
safety risks including
those from pathogens,
viruses and allergens.
the pandemic, other food safety risks did
not recede, especially in light of increased
purchases and consumption of perishable
foods including animal protein in the past year.
Facing ongoing and often insidious risks
from pathogens, viruses, allergens and other
threats, manufacturers must continuously
protect their surroundings, people and products
through strong food safety programs that
include regularly reviewed Sanitation Standard
Operating Procedures (SSOPs). Those SSOPs
are pivotal parts of food safety plans that help
processors adhere to legislation like the US
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and
standards from certification bodies like the
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
A CLEANER SLATE?
82
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
PSSI
Fortunately the global health crisis spurred
processors and suppliers to reassess risks and
SSOPs to safeguard people and products.
“Going forward, the potential for wearing
masks may continue for a time to come, but
I think it’s more about how plants can make
sure that they are going through steps and
procedures and asking, ‘How do we prevent
contamination?’” Barnhill said.
He cited an example of recent improvements
in sanitation that reflect such broader thinking
and planning. “Footwear sanitation has always
been a thing, especially in (plants with) raw
meat. But one thing we see a lot of is what we
call ‘splash and dash’ in which workers rub
water on their hands and think they are good to
go, and the same thing happens with boot dip
baths. Do you have contact with the bath for a
half a second? And was that at the right PPM?”
he said. “The challenge and the questions are
how many people have gone through it and if it
is starting to degrade?”
To address any vulnerabilities in boot
and sole sanitation, Meritech developed a
technology that enables workers to clean
their hands while sanitizing their footwear
with more than 12 times the contact time for
greater effectiveness. “You’re able to automate
it and keep that foot bath flush and clear,”
Barnhill noted.
Another area of sanitation that has gotten
more exposure is the use of ultraviolet light
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FOOD SAFETY
“Our team
focuses on
documenting
several key
factors that
can influence
a successful
cleaning
process.”
– JAKE WATTS
aiding sanitation. Many washers and washing
systems are already capable of automatically
dispensing sanitizers and disinfectants.
Innovations in this area continue. This
year, the grand prize winner of the RabobankMIT Food and Agribusiness Prize was Human
Dynamics, which has developed a robotic
drone, or “drobot” that dispenses cleaning
materials and disinfectants through the air
in a plant. The drone uses visual detection
technology to make sure each area is clean.
“They have to sanitize every night, and it’s
extremely labor intensive and expensive,” said
Tom Okamoto, co-founder and Massachusetts
Institute of Technology master’s degree
student, in a recent article.
A stringent sanitation program is also more
thorough. As part of its sanitation solutions,
PSSI of Kieler, Wis., offers an eight-step
sanitation process that covers several areas
for effective in-plant cleaning. That process is
customized for a plant’s operation and setup.
In addition, PSSI designs solutions based on
what’s happening in a plant with
different types of debris, soils and
equipment. What works in a readyto-eat area won’t necessarily work
in a raw material area.
At Meritech, Barnhill said that
creating hygiene zones covers
more vulnerability in a thorough
way.
“Every plant is different.
You might have to develop
supplementary hygiene zones –
having a main hygiene zone and
creating other zones for RTE or
allergens,” he explained.
As they reevaluate plant
sanitation efforts, processors
can choose from more materials
and equipment, as suppliers
upgrade their offerings. Sanitation
solution provider Birko, based
in Henderson, Colo., recently
introduced a new chlorinated
foam cleaner called PoulChlor for
poultry applications. The all-inFKLFNHQDQGEHHIVNHZHUV
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chemistry is a necessity in
technology. Germicidal ultraviolet UV-C
rays have been shown to mitigate pathogens
that cause foodborne illness, like E. coli,
Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and
others. Sanitron units from Atlantic Ultraviolet
Corp. of Hauppauge, NY, for example, are used
to disinfect clean-in-place water for processing
areas to help prevent cross-contamination.
Meanwhile, dry steam cleaning can be
deployed in meat and poultry facilities as part
of sanitation programs. This method, using
hot, low-moisture dry steam for cleaning
equipment and conveyors, is effective and
fast, without some of the downtime needed for
disassembly. Stamford, Conn.-based Goodway
Technologies Corp., which provides an array
of cleaning services for food plants, recently
introduced a new steam chamber that quickly
sanitizes and disinfects small parts and tools
through heat transfer.
Recent marketable challenges also have
accelerated interest in automation and robotics
that alleviate labor issues while speeding and
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fostering Category 1 status for
processors and preventing Salmonella
growth,” said Brad Bray, senior
formulation chemist with Birko.
THE VALUE OF VERIFICATION
In addition to new materials and
technologies, processors can leverage
technologies to ensure their sanitation
efforts are going to plan.
“Data and documentation are the
most critical components of managing
a food safety program,” said Jake Watts,
vice president of food safety for PSSI.
“PSSI provides audit-ready
documentation of all sanitation efforts
through Real-Time Performance Metrics
(RPM) to efficiently collect, store, visualize and
report on important sanitation data to keep our
customers facilities cleaner and safer.”
According to Watts, the RPM sends alerts and
notifications in real time so corrective actions can be
taken as soon as possible.
“Our team focuses on
documenting several key factors
that can influence a successful
cleaning process including
time, water temperature, water
pressure, chemical titrations and
cleaning, and safety hazards,” he
added. “We use data collected to
monitor trends to help us identify
areas to improve sanitation
efficiencies and recognize
hazards to prevent injuries for an
overall safer and more efficient
sanitation process.”
Finally, while the pandemic
may be waning, it’s no time to
waver on sanitation, Barnhill said.
“One of the challenges
processors will face coming up is
the fact that we’ve been inundated
with ‘wash your hands and shoes’
and had peak compliance, but
once things settle down, they may
become a little more lax,” he said.
“We have to keep the bar very high
by creating a hygiene culture.”
In tandem with automated
systems, training and onboarding
help that food safety and hygiene
culture stay top of mind.
Hands and
footwear cleaning
equipment, such as
Meritech’s CleanTech
automatic cleaning
station, have been more
commonplace in
meat plants.
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
85
S M A L L B U S I N E S S M AT T E R S
Learned
LESSONS
The fourth-generation owners of Holland Brothers Meats
had years of on-the-job training before taking the torch
BY S T E V E K RU T | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m
86
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Photos: Holland Brothers Meats
I
t’s a small, family-owned and operated
meat processing business now in its fourth
generation, and with the onset of COVID-19
over the past year, it’s a business that many
Central Pennsylvanians rediscovered.
Holland Brothers Meats, located in
Duncansville, Pa., not far from Altoona,
started out when William Holland, the greatgrandfather of the present owners, sold
strawberries at local markets but had a crop
ruined by bad weather.
He had 12 kids to raise and knew a lot of
the local farmers. To maintain an income, he
and his son, Terry Holland, began processing
livestock for farmers in the area. In 1964, they
peddled meats from a panel truck and later
operated a small stand at a farmer’s market to
sell retail meats with only a small display case
and a freezer. By 1968, they decided to buy
some land and build a small processing shop.
William’s son Lou joined the business
in 1967. Grandsons Steve Holland and Rick
Holland had returned from their military
service in Vietnam in 1969 and decided to
come to work for them, eventually buying
out Terry’s share in 1972, about the time meat
inspection oversight shifted to the Animal and
Plant Health Service (APHIS).
It was a single-story building erected on a
hillside. The processing, cooling and freezing
area was later moved to an additional lower
floor where the retail had once been – and was
then moved to the upper level.
Mike Holland, now 38, and his cousin Brock
Holland, 43, purchased the business from their
fathers. They both say they learned the trade
on the job.
“I know that they [their fathers] always
challenged us to do better,” Mike said.
“When we went to trade shows run by the
Pennsylvania Association of Meat Processors
(PAMP) and the American Association of Meat
Processors (AAMP) they always found time to
network with other small processors. These
folks were pouring out information that always
made us better. Dad used to say I had to listen
because ‘your ears aren’t working when your
mouth is talking.’”
LEARNING ON THE JOB
Mike does the cutting for retail and works on
the kill floor while Brock, who also works the
slaughter floor, is in charge of the growing
catering end of the business. What they learned
from other processors at seminars and trade
shows they began implementing to improve
and expand their lineup of smoked and cured
value-added products.
“One guy that I always listened to was Gary
Bardine, from Bardine’s Country Smokehouse
in nearby Crabtree, Pennsylvania,” Mike
explained. “He was the guy to beat in cured
meats competition and I think he knew I was
always anxious to learn. I suspect that he saw
in me himself from earlier years and he was
honestly trying to help me.
“We competed at the PAMP shows but
always seemed to finish second behind Gary,
who’s now in the AAMP Cured Meats Hall
of Fame. Then one year, we finished second
again to Gary in the ham competition. The
next announcement was for the bacon
championship. They announced us as the
producer of the Grand Championship bacon...
Gary was second. I knew we had arrived.”
Since then, Holland Brothers Meats has
gone on to win countless awards in cured
meats competition, including national
championships in bacon, hams, kiolbassa and
hot dogs. They continue to return the favors of
knowledge given to them years earlier. Mike
serves as 2nd vice president of PAMP and as a
regional director for AAMP.
“Dad used to
say I had to
listen because
‘your ears aren’t
working when
your mouth
is talking.’”
– MIKE HOLLAND
CATERING SUCCESS
Their catering business took off when, during
the struggling days, another processor told
them they needed to roast some pigs. Their
reputation for pig roasts and smoked hams
grew tremendously ever since. The catering
menu on their website, hollandbros.net, is a
veritable textbook of ideas for newbies and old
hands alike.
Under Brock’s tutelage, the catering
division has zoomed to represent 20% of the
company’s sales. Even during the COVID-19
pandemic, when many larger events were
cancelled or postponed, Holland Brothers
Meats put emphasis on their pick-up catering
program, including their renowned roasted
pigs. Indeed, they offer such staples as picnic
lunches, roasted turkeys and hams. About
10 years ago, the processing company began
featuring two versions of their Commercial
Breakfasts for area companies to entertain or
reward employees. Another specialty is their
From left: After years of
learning on the job, Brock
Holland and his cousin
Mike Holland purchased
Holland Brothers Meats
from their fathers.
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
87
S M A L L B U S I N E S S M AT T E R S
Holland Brothers Meats
features an expansive
fresh meat counter
in its retail store.
four styles of Commercial Lunches suitable for
40 to 100 persons.
A higher-end Deluxe Catering Premier
program features eight meat choices, two hot
veggie sides, two cold fruit or vegetable salads,
dessert and drinks. They also have a Wedding
Package Menu.
Mike explained some of the logic behind
their low-cost commercial breakfasts
and lunches:
“If we provide a meal that serves 100
people, chances are good that perhaps 30 of
them will come and shop with us for the first
time,” he said. “We deliver and serve but do not
cook off premises. We are closed on Sundays
but offer a pick-up service for larger events
scheduled for that day of the week.”
PANDEMIC SUPPORT
He noted that the pandemic left a multitude
of people in their area finding regular grocery
stores scarce or out of meats. Working with
local livestock producers like Angus View
Farms, for whom they processed about 50 beef
cows a year, they were able to obtain from
them some needed cattle during the shortage.
The generations-old business began promoting
on the internet and social media and attracted
throngs of new customers.
“We played on our quality and availability
of a large variety of meat choices in our
advertising,” he said. “We used an agent to
place our advertising on flyers, radio, some
TV spots and special events. Our ads let them
know that we had the country’s top awardwinning hot dog right here in our specialty
meat shop. Many folks came just out of
curiosity and most of them kept coming back
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MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
for the quality and personalized service. We
still hand-cut meats to their individual order.”
Mike and Brock used their business
growth proceeds to reinvest in their company.
They recently bought a new Enviro-Pak
smokehouse, giving them four, as well as a
recently purchased Kerres thermal processing
house, as they continuously upgrade the
company’s equipment.
“It was a tough year for many of our
customers, new and old,” Mike said. “But we
could see there was a strong comfort level with
us when they came here and when they left.
“As for the future, we might add some wall
freezers to give us more display and storage
area in our retail shop, which represents 70% of
our volume. The facility is located on a slope,
with most of the processing done on the upper
level. Guess you could say it has its good and
bad points, but there is little room to grow the
present building. We are looking at developing
more frozen prepared meals. I don’t think it’s in
the cards for a plant expansion. We would have
to go up and aren’t really interested in being a
skyscraper specialty meat processing shop. I’d
say we are there,” Mike explained.
Whether or not they decide to expand in
the future, Mike credits most of the company’s
success to his employees and co-workers.
“I’ve got to add a very special note of
thanks and appreciation to our 16 employees,”
he said. “Without them we would be just two
guys trying to do the impossible. So much of
our success is attributable to those workers
every day.”
Holland Brothers Meats does a steady
business in seasonal game processing, taking
in only boneless trim, which they turn into
replicas of their award-winning products.
Among the firm’s best sellers are their hot
dogs, smoked hams and bacons, but among
their best features is their tradition of honesty.
The company has a few Pennsylvania favorites
such as scrapple and pork pudding, as well
as an ox roast sandwich composed of slow
cooked chuck roast with the juices kept inside
the meat. They’ve also erected an outdoor
pavilion where customers can enjoy their
products on site.
“Honesty still lives and thrives in small
meat processing businesses where the lines of
communication and straight talk and quality
products and service remain open,” Mike said.
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2019
LABOR
Job duty details matter
Choosing not to develop job
descriptions fails to recognize how
critical they can be to numerous
operational and legal workplace issues.
Accurate and up-to-date job
descriptions are implicated even
before the employment relationship
begins, at the hiring stage. A wellwritten job description should guide
the employer in crafting effective
interview questions. Additionally,
for applicants with a disability, the
“essential functions,” which are the
most fundamental part of an effective
job description, should serve as
the objective criteria to determine
if the applicant can be reasonably
accommodated in the position, as
required under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), or if the
employer can decline to hire the
applicant on the basis of such a
disability. An employer can decline
to hire an applicant who cannot
perform the “essential functions”
when no reasonable accommodation
is available, as that applicant is not
qualified for the job under the ADA.
An employer is not required to employ
a current employee if the employee
cannot fulfill the essential functions.
Job descriptions supply the list of
objective criteria for a wide variety
of decisions made in the workplace.
Performance evaluations should
measure how effectively an employee
completes the duties outlined in the job
description including essential duties.
The typical job description has
four primary areas of focus: 1) A brief
description or overview of the job;
2) A list of the job requirements such
as skills needed, level of experience,
educational requirements, and similar
information; 3) A list of the essential
functions or core duties of the position;
and 4) Job-related information such
as hours of work required, physical
requirements, and general working
conditions (such as hot/cold work
environment and indoors/outdoors or
required travel).
In addition, well-written job
descriptions serve as the primary
justification an employer can rely
on when classifying an employee as
exempt from overtime pay under one
of the “white collar” exemptions under
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The FLSA provides for overtime
pay exemptions for “executive,”
“administrative,” “professional,”
“computer professional,” and “outside
sales” employees. The job description
outlining such employees’ job duties
is the first line of defense when
this exempt status is challenged to
demonstrate that these employees
perform the duties required under
the FLSA.
The “essential functions” element
of any job description sets out the
core of the job. Sometimes overlooked
in listing the essential functions is
the ability to work more than 40
hours per week. In addition, most
courts have agreed with employers
that included “regular attendance”
or some similar requirement in the
essential functions of the job. However,
it should be noted that the Equal
Opportunity Commission, tasked with
enforcing the ADA, takes the opposite
position on regular attendance as an
essential function.
One additional factor to consider
including in the essential functions is a
description of the safety requirements
applicable to the job. For example,
circumstances can arise where an
employee’s disability prevents him or
her from safely performing job duties.
In one recent case, the federal Fourth
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that
the ADA provided no protection to an
employee, who because of a disability,
was unable to comply with a job safety
requirement that all employees wear
steel-toed shoes. The court ruled that
the employee was not a “qualified
individual” because she was unable to
comply with a valid safety requirement.
This case underscores the need to have
current and inclusive job descriptions
with a thorough discussion of the
essential functions, including valid
safety requirements necessary to
perform the job safely.
R I C H A R D D. A L A N IZ | m e a t p o u l t r y @s o s l a n d.c o m
Job descriptions supply the list of objective
criteria for a wide variety of decisions made
in the workplace.
dizain - stock.adobe.com
90
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
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View Jarvis tool information on our website
33 Anderson Road, Middletown, CT 06457
Telephone: (860) 347-7271
Fax: (860) 347-9905
E-mail: sales@jarvisproducts.com
Website: www.jarvisproducts.com
SHOWCASE
Spray system
Vacuum packaging
Extrusion technology
Rollstock’s RM-100 vacuum packaging
machine is available at 420-mm web
width and cut-offs are available from
200 mm to 300 mm. The RM-100
features programmable PLC controls
with readable diagnostics and a vacuum
leak check program. The chain system
is guided and has an auto-tensioning
system to reduce stretch and wear. Dies
are manufactured in Rollstock’s facility
from solid aluminum block and lifted
by a triple knee lever system, driven
by a 4-inch air cylinder with variable
height control. Each machine comes
with training from a factory technician
and a one-year warranty or 1 million
cycle warranty – whichever comes first.
PreciPak now offers its US and
Canadian customers Powerheater
Technology from Source Technology of
Denmark. Meat processors can utilize
the equipment to upgrade meat trim
and create higher value products, or
enter the vegetarian market creating
analogues with the shape, texture,
appearance and bite of natural meat
products. Other related technology
that will be available includes FlexiCut
patented technology and a line of
infeed bins. Ambient product is fed
into the Powerheater with cooked
and cut product exiting at the desired
temperature and at speeds of up to 1.2
tons per hour (depending on model
size). The Powerheater offers fully
automated process control and is
easy to maintain and clean. A flush
system generates a high-pressure
water flow to flush the machine
as part of its CIP technology.
(800) 295-2949
www.rollstock.com
With its innovative spray system,
Multivac Sustainable Liquid
Interleaving, Multivac is introducing
a sustainable solution for packaging
thinly sliced or highly sticky
products. There is no requirement for
conventional interleaving film between
the slices of products. The new system
can be integrated into existing slicer
lines. Precision nozzles on the spray
system atomize a liquid interleaving
medium, which is both odorless and
tasteless and can be tailored to the
particular properties, such as fat
content, of the sliced product. It is
applied evenly to the underside of
the slices. The adhesion between the
individual slices is therefore reduced,
but the product itself (taste, smell,
color) is not altered. Thinly sliced
cheese, ham or vegan products are
presented very attractively in the
pack, and the individual slices can be
removed cleanly by the consumer.
+49(0) 8334 601 1544
www.multivac.com
(847) 949-2800
www.precipak.com
Spiral freezer
Safer saw
The JBT Northfield CleanFREEZE
Spiral Freezer delivers sanitary
design, superior performance and
easy maintenance for high-volume
freezing, chilling and cooling a wide
range of packaged and IQF products.
The spiral freezer features a system
that gives complete sanitation in less
than four hours for most models. The
new 90 GPM pump cabinet allows
running of multiple cleaning circuits at
once, reducing overall clean-in-place
time by 60 minutes or more. Uptime is
optimized with cold-to-cold turnaround
time. Externally-mounted fan motors
make access fast and easy and stairs
instead of ladders provide safer, more
efficient access for maintenance.
Hollymatic’s
Defender Band Saw
can stop the blade
10 times faster than
the blink of an eye.
The band saw uses
a new high-speed
camera processing
algorithm at 500 frames per second and
a total processing and output time of
under 4 milliseconds. Blade stopping
speeds are under 40 milliseconds.
That’s .040 seconds with a proprietary
low inertia high horsepower servo
motor. Additional benefits include
fast reset times and the ability to
archive emergency stop images.
(312) 854-8447
(708) 579-3700
(800) 883-4411
www.jbtc.com
www.hollymatic.com
www.spiraxsarco.com/us
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MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Clean steam generator
The Spirax Sarco Clean Steam
Generator (CSG-FB) for food and
beverage is supplied as a packaged
solution ready to install and
commission. This new solution satisfies
applications under 3,200 lbs per
hour. Its compact design is equipped
with an intelligent PLC with SIMS
technology for easy maintenance
and advanced diagnostic capability,
providing an early indication of any
potential operational issues. The
CSG-FB has a reliable and easy-touse interface, providing connectivity
as required to local networks.
Food forming system
Checkweigher
Slicing applicator
Nutec Manufacturing offers the 710
Forming System in two models, the
710/45 and the 710/60, to better fit
processor production requirements.
Both models feature 100% mechanical
drive and forming processes. They also
provide exceptional weight control
for a wide variety of product types.
The two models offer a fixed rate of
45 strokes or variable 45 to 60 strokes
per minute, respectively, and can
produce from 2,700 to 3,600 portions
per hour. Multiple fill systems are
available to match your product blend.
The HC-A-V Checkweigher from
WIPOTEC-OC features a customerspecified high-tech Electro-Magnetic
Force Restoration (EMFR) weigh cell,
which is a differentiating engineering
design that guarantees precise weighing
results. The HC-A-V builds upon
this precision checkweighing with
a vision control system that checks
items from both above and below.
The HC-A-V Checkweigher can handle
up to 200 items per minute, and is as
versatile as it is exacting. WIPOTEC
can customize the machine’s various
configurations – including weigh
cell type, conveyor types/lengths/
widths, product eject mechanism, and
product handling – to meet unique
customer and product requirements.
The Grote Co.’s Slicer/Applicator
is designed for the production of
jerky, sandwiches, bread snacks and
frozen and to-go meals. The design
features an open-channel frame
with no hollow tubing, a watershed
electrical enclosure, IP69K motors
and easy access for maintenance
and set-up. An updated blade guide
mounting system allows for quick
changeouts and sanitation. The
AccuBand Blade System has been
redesigned to maximize blade life.
(815) 722-2800
www.nutecmfg.com
(614) 868-8414
www.grotecompany.com
(678) 344-8300
www.wipotec-ocs.com
Parts washers
Mobile robots
Eliminating contamination, debris and
bacteria from equipment, tools and
parts is tedious. Douglas Machines
Corp. builds a line of clean-out-ofplace (COP) Parts Washers that takes
the effort out of cleaning crucial
components. Money, energy, labor
and time are saved while increasing
productivity. The parts washers are
designed to clean all types of irregular
shaped components in a recirculating
wash tank with continuous jet action.
They are also ideal for difficult to
reach surfaces that are inaccessible
with conventional spray patterns
or manual washing. Models are
available in 4- to 10-foot sizes with
optional parts baskets and data
loggers for automated reporting.
FPS Food Processing Solutions
introduces the Spiral Immersion
System. Utilizing the efficiency of
liquid versus air, heat is transferred
25 times faster in water or brine
solution and is more flexible as
compared to chilling or freezing in air.
By employing a spiral conveyor in a
tank of liquid, continuous immersion
processing is possible in temperatures
ranging from -40°C to +90°C. The
technology first developed in 2018 is
used not only in chilling and freezing
food products but in pasteurizing,
cooking and sous vide applications.
Kivnon’s three new models of
autonomous vehicles – the K03 Twister,
the K50 Pallet Truck and the K55 Pallet
Stacker – are capable of circulating
around the environment using magnetic
guidance or mapping navigation, based
on SLAM technology. The new K03
Twister is a rotational mobile platform
with dimensions of 700 x 500 x 280 mm,
making it the smallest AGV of Kivnon’s
mobile robot portfolio. The new Forklift
mobile robots autonomously transport
palletized loads of up 1,000 kg and lift
heights of up to 1 meter. The new K50
Pallet Truck and the new K55 Pallet
Stacker have the ability to move in both
directions of travel and are equipped
with lifting forks to transport and handle
loads vertically and horizontally.
(800) 331-6870
(604) 232-4145
+34 618 47 00 65
www.dougmac.com
www.fpscorp.ca
www.kivnon.com
Spiral immersion system
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.21 | MEAT+ POULTRY
93
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Mark Turnham
Dante Pietrinferni
Marlen International Inc.
Riverside, Mo.-based Marlen
International Inc., part of the
Duravant LLC family of operating
companies, announced the
appointment of Mark Turnham to
Director of SupportPro Operations,
where he will be responsible for
overseeing Duravant’s SupportPro
aftermarket services at Marlen.
In other news, Duravant announced
its acquisition of Foodmate, a
manufacturer of poultry processing
equipment based in Ball Ground, Ga.,
and Numansdorp, the Netherlands.
Middleby Food
Processing
Souderton, Pa.-based Middleby Food
Processing announced the promotion
of Dante Pietrinferni to president
of Pacproinc LLC – Packaging
Progressions and Nate Riordan to
the role of executive vice president of
global sales.
Cargill
Cargill, Wichita, Kan., announced the
promotion of Hans Kabat to the position of group leader and president of
its North American protein business,
succeeding Jon Nash, who was named
president of the company’s global protein and salt enterprise in March.
Wayne Farms LLC
Oakwood, Ga.-based Wayne Farms
LLC, a subsidiary of Continental
Grain Co., has named Kevin McDaniel
chief operating officer. McDaniel will
94
Nate Riordan
Hans Kabat
oversee fresh and prepared foods
business units across the company’s
nine production facilities.
Urschel
Urschel, Chesterton, Ind., announced
Tim O’Brien moved to the position
of North American sales director,
focusing on strategically strengthening
sales initiatives in the United States
and Canada. Alan Major will direct
Urschel global operations in the role of
chief sales officer.
George’s Inc.
George’s Inc., Springdale, Ark.,
announced the promotion of two
executives. Devin Cole will take
over as chief operation officer for
George’s and Susan White has been
named chief financial officer/chief
administrative officer.
DecisionNext
San Francisco-based DecisionNext,
recently partnered with sausage
maker Johnsonville LLC. The
DecisionNext technology provides
Johnsonville insights into sourcing,
harvest planning and pricing.
Multivac USA
Kansas City, Mo.-based Multivac USA
announced the addition of Cecily
Pickering to its Marketing team.
JBS USA
JBS USA, Greeley, Colo., announced
Kevin Arquit will be joining the
company as chief legal officer.
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Kevin McDaniel
Conagra Brands Inc.
Alexandre “Ale” Eboli has been
named executive vice president and
chief supply chain officer at Chicagobased Conagra Brands Inc., effective
Aug. 2. He succeeds Dave Biegger,
who will retire from the company at
the end of the fiscal year. In addition,
Chaly Jo Moyen has been named
chief strategy officer and president of
Foodservice & International.
Busch Vacuum Solutions
Busch Vacuum Solutions USA,
Virginia, Beach, Va., has opened a
new service facility in Tampa, Fla.
The facility, in addition to seven
other Busch national service centers,
supports the field service specialists.
Tyson Foods Inc.
Tyson Foods Inc., Springdale, Ark.,
has announced Britney Banuelos
will join the beef and pork subsidiary,
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. as senior
brand manager, Fresh Meats Marketing.
Golden State Foods
Irvine, Calif.-based Golden State
Foods promoted Campbell Cooper to
corporate vice president and president,
International Business Group.
Kemin Industries
Kemin Industries, Des Moines,
Iowa, acquired food technology
and ingredient company Proteus
Industries Inc., Gloucester, Mass.
Kemin plans to rebrand the ingredient
technology as Proteus.
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CLASSIFIEDS
EQ U I PM E N T
FO O D SA FET Y
CO U R S E S
George Lapsley
Enterprises
Meat Laboratory
Food Safety Specialist
glapsley@comcast.net
T: 267-221-2426
HACCP / SSOP / 3rd Party Audits
SQF Practitioner FSMA PCQI
Recall Technical Assistance
USDA Assistance
Basic Sausage Short Course
Cured Meat Short Course
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Snack Sticks Short Course
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HACCP Workshop
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CORPORATION
WASHERS – SANITIZERS FOR CHICKEN
CRATES/COOPS/CAGES
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REDUCES BACTERIA COUNT TO NEAR ZERO
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96
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
GRAB ATTENTION in the
CLASSIFIEDS
Contact: Lily Alvarez, 816-968-2815, Lalvarez@Sosland.com
Or go directly to our website to include your classified ad
online https://www.meatpoultry.com/classifieds
ADVERTISERS
Jarvis Products Corp.
American Association of
Meat Processors
67
Kerres USA
www.aamp.com
AmTrade Processing Solutions
31
Automated Food Systems, Inc.
84
BAADER
64-65
Becker Pumps Corp.
63
Commercial Dehydration
Systems, Inc.
11
Emeat
41
Nu-Meat Technology, Inc.
62
15
www.vandergraaf.com
Wire Belt Co.
3
51
www.urschel.com
Van der Graaf, Inc.
5, 75
www.multivac.com
www.decisionnext.com
21
www.wirebelt.com
www.nu-meat.com
https://emeat.io/
FPEC Corp.
43
Ossid Corp.
36, 45
www.ossid.com
www.fpec.com
Fusion Tech
70, 71
PGP International
44
www.pgpint.com
www.ftiinc.org
Handtmann, Inc.
2
Poly-clip System
77
www.polyclip.com
www.handtmann.us
www.handtmann.ca
Provisur Technologies, Inc.
Hawkins, Inc.
9
Heat and Control, Inc.
47
25
13
72
53
www.riscousa.com
Rollstock, Inc.
www.dnatraceback.com
89
www.reiser.com
Risco USA
www.hollymatic.com
59
www.qmsintl.com
Reiser
www.heatandcontrol.com
28, 73
www.provisur.com
QMS International Inc.
www.hawkinsinc.com
J V Hurson Associates Inc
Multivac
81
www.treif.com
Urschel Laboratories, Inc.
7
www.middprocessing.com
Decision Next
IdentiGEN North America
The Middleby Corp.
19
www.thomaspump.com
TREIF USA, Inc.
99
85
www.sweetenersupply.com
Thomas Pump & Machinery
61, 100
95
www.spartanchemical.com
Sweetener Supply
46
www.meyn.com
24
www.dryer.com
Hollymatic Corp.
Spartan Chemical Company Inc
37
www.marel.com
Meyn
www.beckerpumps.com
www.purchasingseminar.com
www.lighting-etc.com
Marel
www.baader.com
29
www.kohlerindustries.com
Lighting Etc. Incorporated
www.afstexas.com
Sosland Publishing
Purchasing Seminar
www.kerresusa.com
Kohler Industries
www.amtrade-systems.com
91
www.jarvisproducts.com
www.rollstock.com
www.hurson.com
30
MEAT+POULTRY (ISSN 0892-6077)
Volume 67, Issue 06 is published monthly
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97
THE INSIDER
Temple says
‘go outside’
Working from home during the pandemic
has led to new activities and hobbies for
many. Temple Grandin, PhD, animal welfare
expert, autism advocate and long-time
MEAT+POULTRY contributing editor, used
her time at home during 2020 to finish writing
her latest book, “The Outdoor Scientist: The
Wonder of Observing the Natural World.” The
book, written for children, encourages young people to head outside where they
might discover a love of science.
“If you are fascinated by clouds or the spots on a ladybug’s back; if you
like to split open rocks and see what’s inside, then you’re already an outdoor
scientist,” Grandin wrote in her book.
The book includes 40 ideas for hands-on activities for children that can be
done outside.
The School Library Journal said in a review of the book, “Grandin’s words
are a rallying cry for budding scientists and she serves as a role model for
young readers with autism. This is an important STEM and STEAM resource for
every collection.”
Dickey’s heads to ‘land of the rising sun’
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opened its first location in Tokyo on May 12. The
Texas-style barbecue brand partnered with Sunsheng (Jason) Lin, owner of
Japan Barbecue Franchise Company, to open its first Japanese location in the
Kamiosaki District of Tokyo.
The new restaurant will offer third-party delivery, takeout and limited
dine-in seating for on-the-go guests.
“We are thrilled for Dickey’s first Japan restaurant to open in such a
well-known metropolis,” said Roland Dickey Jr., chief executive officer of
Dickey’s Capital Group. “Working with Jason enables us to continue driving our
international expansion efforts and rapidly grow as the world’s largest barbecue
concept. With so many different, convenient ways to order at the new Tokyo
restaurant, we are confident that people in Shinagawa-ku and its surrounding
communities will become big fans of Dickey’s pit-smoked barbecue.”
Dickey’s plans to open a second location in Japan sometime this fall.
Shots for ‘Za
Meat processing companies
aren’t the only ones providing
incentives to get the COVID-19
vaccine. Ledo Pizza and Maryland
Governor Larry Hogan are
offering free pizza. The Maryland
pizza restaurant plans to give
away free pizza to people who
completed their first dose of
the vaccine throughout May
and June.
The deal lasts through June
30 or until 10,000 free pizzas have
been given away at all Ledo Pizza
locations. People in Maryland
can sign up for its free pizza at
Ledo4Vaccines.com. After filling
out the necessary information,
Ledo Pizza will send a coupon for
the free pizza via text within 24
hours. The coupon will be valid
for online orders only and must
be redeemed within seven days
of receiving it.
OVERherd
– James Naugle, assistant sheriff with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office in Santa Rosa, Calif., said about animal
rights protests when speaking at the virtual Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in May.
98
MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Penguin Random House: Ledo Pizza
“The main question becomes when does that balance
tip? When does it go from someone exercising their
First Amendment right to breaking the law?”
CUT-UP
PRODUCT
ALL SIZES
FIT ONE
up to 4.3 kg
Meyn releases self-adjustable
Physic wing cutter
Poultry processors require more flexibility to deal with breed
variation and ever-increasing bird weight. Meyn listened and
responded with the Wing Cutter HY Pro, the first self-adjusting
Physic cut-up module. Suitable for grillers up to 4.3 kg. Able to
process a 1.5 kg variation within one setting. As a result, flock and
breed variations do not cause extra challenges at the processing
line anymore. Learn more about this innovation on www.meyn.com
Innovating the future
SMART LABOR
SOLUTIONS
Meyn America LLC, 1000 Evenflo Drive, Ball Ground, Georgia 30107, USA. T: +1 678 865 8600
F: +1 678 865 8601 E: sales.usa@meyn.com I: www.meyn.com, Toll Free: 1 888 881 MEYN (6396)
www.meyn.com
A Subsidiary of CTB, Inc.
Continuously
forming.
Continuously
performing.
The new RevoPortioner 1000
For processors who want to increase output as well
as product quality, the new RevoPortioner 1000 is the
perfect solution.
It builds on the proven technology of previous
generations, and incorporates innovative new features,
to offer a significant increase in volume with unrivaled
consistency in product shape and weight.
Contact your Marel representative for more information:
info.us@marel.com or call 1-888-888-9107
marel.com
Connect
June 2021
Seeing is believing
Virtual demos
Join us at one of our demo or innovation
centers here in the US to experience how
Marel solutions can meet your processing
needs. Our demo centers bring food
processors together with Marel experts
to experience the full potential of our
equipment, integrated systems and
software in a hands-on environment,
during demonstrations, training seminars,
ShowHows and other live and online
events.
Customized demonstrations
Work side by side with our experts to
explore the best Marel solutions for your
specific production needs. Our demo
center facilities can simulate a variety of
food processing environments, providing
a space where you can see how our
state-of-the art equipment and software
will enhance your production, staff
knowledge, operational outcomes and
product range.
Schedule virtual or in-person demo
today
For additional information and bookings
at our Des Moines, IA or Lenexa, KS
facilities please connect with your local
Marel representative: 1-888-888-9107,
info.us@marel.com.
Foreword
Find the right
solution
to working with the food service
market. In addition, our line of Maja Ice
machines, which are used throughout a
plant, ensure your ice meets the highest
hygiene standards.
We know how important it is to feel
confident in the equipment you
place in your facility. That is why the
systems and solutions explained on
the following pages can be tested at
one of our two Demo Centers located
in Des Moines, IA or Lenexa, KS. A live
demonstration brings you together
with our experts and will give you the
assurance Marel equipment is the right
choice for your processing lines.
We look forward to connecting with you
and showing you the potential of our
systems and equipment.
Contents
Preface: Einar Einarsson
2
Poultry processing
3
Meat processing
4
Ice machines
6
Marel Live
8
2
In this edition of Connect, we present
systems and solutions focused on Food
Service and Quick Service Restaurants.
Our innovative TrimSort solution
provides poultry processors with an
answer to customers asking for a
high volume of products like tenders
or strips. Our reliable I-Cut 55 gives
processors flexibility when it comes
Einar Einarsson
President/General Manager
North American Region
1-888-888-9107
marel.com
Poultry processing
I-Cut 122 TrimSort sorts it out
Multi-cut process not only trims but
sorts multiple valuable products too
Poultry processors are facing QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) and
retail customers asking for high volumes of typical portioned
products such as crispy tenders, medallions, strips, nuggets, cubes
and more. They can now automate many manual portioning and
sorting processes. Marel’s I-Cut 122 has always been able to
perform multiple cuts. It is now able to sort different cut products
produced in the same integrated process. From a single stream of
incoming products, I-Cut 122 TrimSort can make two separate
streams of cut products and the trim cut from them. This further
reduces giveaway with no need for human intervention.
So far, I-Cut 122, combined with SpeedSort, was able to separate
cut products into two conveyor belt streams. Now, the integrated
TrimSort functionality and smarter software allow for the
distribution of many more combinations of cut product to the
two integrated belts. All of this is done in one smart system with a
small footprint, without the need for a separate SpeedSort. I-Cut
122 TrimSort can generate various high-value products while
accurately splitting the product flow at the highest speeds.
Fillet, offcuts and trim
I-Cut 122 TrimSort can portion a fillet into a smaller fillet, useful
cut-offs and trim, while sorting the cut items properly on two
conveyor belts.
When a fillet enters the I-Cut with its ‘short edge leading’, a proper
cutting angle can create a number of medallions, a smaller fillet
and trim. The fillet continues on its way to retail packing by robot.
Medallions and trim are accurately separated from the fillet and
land safely on the separate lower internal conveyor belt, which
takes them to another process.
outfeed belt. The smaller fillet can be used in many QSR products
such as a whole muscle meat burger. Portioned strips often end
up as QSR whole muscle chicken wraps, chicken salads or ‘crispy
tenders’.
Automated trim removal
When customers ask for chicken nuggets, strips or other small
bites in QSR restaurants, these are easy to produce with the I-Cut
122 TrimSort. An inner fillet or half fillet is cut precisely several
times and at high speed. The super-fast opening and closing belt
does a reliably meticulous sorting job. It drops the tip, leaves
perfect cubes on the upper belt and drops the tail too. Such a job
needs no operators to separate quality products from trim,
making the I-Cut 122 TrimSort a labor-saving solution.
I-Cut 122 TrimSort’s ability to cut and sort in so many different
ways will handle the majority of portioned fillet products
demanded by retail, QSR and catering customers.
How does it work?
Equipped with the latest handling and communication software,
I-Cut TrimSort now has additional functionalities, which have not
necessitated any mechanical modifications to the machine. One
of the software’s main tasks is to keep the collected dataset
connected to each product on the belt, allowing the distribution
to its best destination. Sensors in the system help the software
recognize the ID, weight, position and many more details of
products on the belt. Sharing product data through the process
allows Marel machines to work together to achieve feedback
loops and product-specific distribution.
Using a different fillet infeed and a different cutting angle, I-Cut
122 TrimSort will cut a fillet into a smaller fillet plus a number of
strips, which together with trim will be diverted to the lower
3
Meat processing
Updated and upgraded
American Custom Meats from Tracy, California
knew it was time to upgrade their old B55
portion cutter to a new Marel I-Cut 55. Now they
wish they had done it sooner. The results have
been unbelievable, and American Custom Meats
are singing the praises of Marel’s portion cutters
and this particular upgrade.
“Seems like Marel listened to their
customers’ feedback on the B55 and
fixed all the troublesome issues and
produced the I-Cut 55,” said Johnny
Valencio, floor manager of American
Custom Meats.
American Custom Meats (ACM)
specializes in providing high quality,
full-line, and portion controlled meat
products for the retail and food service
markets. ACM strives for the most
efficient manufacturing techniques to
drive exceptional quality and
competitive pricing, while their
personalized approach delivers
unmatched customer service.
It’s hard to improve
on perfection, but this
Marel cutter sure did.
4
Meat processing
ACM is located in central California in its
state-of-the-art facility. They have
combined cutting-edge facility design,
refrigeration and freezer systems,
processing equipment, and
implemented the strictest food safety
and sanitation considerations. ACM is
also banking on another key ingredient
in their success— experience. They have
a team of culinary, manufacturing, and
food safety experts on staff to deliver
exceptional products and service to their
customers.
Easy to operate
ACM uses their I-Cut 55 to process a
variety of pork and beef products.
Depending on the day, the order may
call for the I-Cut 55 to run 4oz pork chops
and then switch to run 5 lbs. loins and 4
oz. chops off the same loin. The I-Cut 55
allows the team at ACM to switch
between the two different runs in less
than 30 seconds—a significant
timesaving. The quick change over is due
to the simplicity of switching between
programs on the I-Cut 55. ACM was
pleased to see that the programming of
the new portioner was simple to
transition to because it was very similar
to their old B55. It is actually so easy,
they have programs that have never
used, but they are ready just in case an
order comes in that calls specifically for
one of those available programs.
Better yields make the
machine
Another area the new I-Cut 55 has proven
its worth is in overall yields. Before the
installation of the new Marel portioner,
most of ACM’s pork products were run on
another brand of equipment. The yield
advantage was immediate once the I-Cut
55 was installed. “We will run 53,000 lbs. in
eight hours and will experience three
times, or more, better yield compared to
our other portioner,” Johnny Valencio
explained. The significant increase in yield
is due to the 360° 3-D scanning of each
product by the three camera system. The
yield gains add up quickly and make the
return on investment of the I-Cut 55 much
faster.
Johnny is impressed with how the
placement of the cameras on the I-Cut 55
are ideally positioned to ensure they do
not get as dirty as other models.
portioner. They knew it was time for an
update, but they were not sure how
much of a difference they would see.
What they did not expect was the overall
upgrade in all areas of their cutting
operations after they installed their new
I-Cut 55. As Johnny clearly puts it, “It’s
hard to improve on perfection, but this
Marel cutter sure did.”
I-Cut 55 overview
The I-Cut 55 is designed for the accurate
portion cutting of boneless meat
products, such as beef, pork, veal and
lamb. The portion cutter will cut to fixed
weight or length.
The I-Cut 55 features 360° 3-D scanning,
which results in exceptionally accurate
and stable measuring results that do not
require future corrections from weighing
equipment. It provides better yield, easy
operation, and is simple to set-up and
programming with unbeatable overall
performance.
One upgrade, overall
improvements
ACM had been running their old B55 for
years along with another brand of
5
Ice machines
Ice production
with optimal
hygiene
6
Ice machines
We currently find ourselves in
a situation where hygiene is
at the forefront of everybody’s
mind. For us, it’s always been
the number one priority. We
regard it as a critical part of the
ice production process.
Whether you use ice for rapid cooling, as a key
component in your production process or as a way to
preserve perishable goods, one of Marel’s MAJA ice
machines will ensure your ice meets the highest
hygiene standards.
We focus on hygiene so you don’t
have to
For many years now, we have been investing heavily
in developing technology to improve hygiene in ice
production. We’ve focused on areas such as ease,
automation, digitization and sustainability to create a
range of methods and features that ensure you can
meet and exceed food safety standards with minimal
effort. This is something that really has set us apart
from the rest of the market.
Making cleaning as easy as
possible
MAJA flake ice machines are designed in such a way
that even the smallest screw is manufactured to
meet with strictest hygiene requirements. We also
understand how important it is to make the cleaning
process as simple and effortless as possible and
incorporate this in all design aspects. The innovative
tank in our flake ice machines, made entirely from
plastic, can be removed for manual cleaning more
easily than any other available on the market. Besides
that, the evaporator is accessible from all sides and
the machine’s water tank is free from integral built-in
parts, avoiding hygiene-critical angles and edges and
making systematic cleaning easier than ever before.
MAJA’s patented self-cleaning system is an option for
all flake ice machines. It has an automatic sanitizing
cycle that greatly reduces the time required to clean.
Most importantly, the machine runs the process
unattended, leaving operators free to do other tasks.
What might look at first glance like a luxurious
optional extra, will in fact pay for itself after a
relatively short period.
Simple solutions for everyone
The MAJA ozone module perfectly sanitizes our ice
machines, including pipes, machine parts, chutes and
ice storage bins. It is a simple solution that connects
safely and with ease to the water supply of all MAJA
ice machines and only requires a permanent 230 V
source of electricity. It is compatible with all MAJA ice
machines and can be retrofitted to older models.
The reactive active oxygen O3 is a popular choice
in the food industry as an environmentally friendly
oxidation and disinfecting agent. It disperses without
residue and reliably eliminates microorganisms
and odors, both in water and pipes, on machine
components and ultimately in the ice.
Is your ice machine up to scratch?
If you would like to know how you can make your ice
production as hygienic as possible, talk to our experts
today. They can help you find a solution.
Web Shop
Automatic sanitizing to reduce
time and effort
Even though modern ice machines have a sanitationfriendly design, allowing for quick and easy cleaning,
the staff and working hours must still be scheduled. If
the machine is not easily accessible, perhaps in a
suspended ceiling or installed on a silo, it can take an
hours work to gain access, remove, clean and then
reassemble components.
Looking for an easy way to order ice machines
and other standalone products?
Visit Marel’s new webshop at shop.marel.com
to learn more and browse through a variety of
products that are available.
7
Marel Live
For the past year, we have offered virtual events and
meetings that allow you to learn about our newest
innovations for food processing.
Recent events have had hundreds of individuals
participate in a mixture of live and virtual
presentations about premium labeling solutions
and the newest software solutions that enhance
plant operations. Each of our virtual events allowed
participants to connect with Marel experts and dive
into new ways to transform food processing.
Upcoming Marel Live broadcasts will continue
to highlight new systems and solutions and offer
detailed explanations through demonstrations and
animations. Our planned topics will cover software
solutions and new systems for poultry and meat
processing. To keep up to date and register for any
of Marel’s events by visiting marel.com/events.
We look forward to connecting, sharing, and
transforming the way food is processed.
8
marel.com