Meat Packing Journal Jan-Feb 2016

J O U R N A L
MEATPACKING
The international magazine for the meat and poultry industry
P.42Canadian turkey
farm does all P.16millennials need
a special touch P.62africa report –
future power
January~February 2016
volume 3 | issue 1
ISSN 2054-4685
poulty report
2016

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I
n what should go down as the biggest agriculture story of
2015, US officials in November cleared the way for genetically engineered
Atlantic salmon to be farmed for human consumption. This is the first
such approval for an animal whose DNA has been scientifically modified.
Why should we in the poultry and red meat industry care? Because rumor
has it, there are at least 35 other GMO animals in the pipeline, including cows,
pigs, and poultry. This could be the biggest game-changer in agriculture since
mankind got tired of chasing down game on the savannah.
The company responsible for the salmon, AquaBounty, has been one I’ve
been following for years, ever since I interviewed their lead scientist at the
company’s research laboratory. It must have been around 2006, already the
company had plowed through millions of investors’ dollars, and success was
within their grasp. They could have gone after an easy USDA approval, but
decided to take the high road and go after the harder to obtain US FDA
approval. This would prove there was nothing harmful from eating GM salmon.
Why did they choose salmon? Unlike chickens which can hit market size
in 45 days, six months for a pig - about the same for lamb - and around 18
months for cattle, it can take salmon anywhere from two to three years to
reach maturity. There is a lot that can go wrong in three-years-time, and when
something goes wrong in a fish pen, it tends to all goes wrong – kiss your
three-year investment goodbye. But if you could bring salmon to a normal
adult weight in less than nine months, you’d be so far ahead of the game in
saving time and resources, your investment would pay off, even if you were
raising your salmon in land-based pens – or so they say.
The fish they produced was essentially an Atlantic salmon with a Pacific
salmon gene for faster growth and a gene from the eel-like ocean pout that
promotes year-round growth, instead of slowing during winter months. Despite
what the press and environmental groups were claiming that the fish would
escape from sea-based pens, mate with wild stock, and create who knows what
monsters, the fish were engineered to be all sterile females. Although every ‘B’
science fiction movie shows GM animals to have never ending growth, after
the initial growth spurt, AquaBounty’s salmon grow rate slowed to normal.
And, while the company’s first attempts produced some strange, strange looking fish, looking more like boxes, what they finally
achieved appears pretty close to normal.
The lead scientist told me that in many ways what AquaBounty was doing, mankind had already been doing for thousands of
years to everything from chickens to olive trees. All AquaBounty did was to speed up the process. Who would want to stop them?
It turns out a lot would.
In 2004 a low-budget science fiction movie came out called Frankenfish – the press and environmental groups had their
nickname for AquaBounty’s salmon handed to them on a silver fish platter and the war began.
Investor money dried up, most staff left, and AquaBounty disappeared off the radar. However, hats off to them, their dream did
not die, new investment money was found, and it looks like now within a year or so, you’ll be eating genetically modified salmon.
You say you won’t? The FDA says that AquaBounty’s product will not require special labeling – something the company was
always willing to do just to get approval – because it is as safe as conventional farm-raised Atlantic salmon.
But, if AquaBounty now thinks the fight is over, it’s only just beginning. Already the usual suspects say they won’t be selling
it such as Whole Paycheck – I mean Whole Foods. Still for all the naysayers I keep thinking of my old man. When chicken from
the South first started appearing in California supermarkets, he wouldn’t buy it – how can you trust what they put in it? Oddly
enough, when he lost his job and money became very tight in our household, suddenly that much cheaper chicken from Arkansas
looked pretty good. If AquaBounty’s salmon is cheaper, people will buy it, just as they will any other GM modified protein source.
In most of Europe, where GM corn and soybeans are not allowed, it’s easy to say no to GM products when you have a
decreasing population. But to the rest of the world? I suspect strongly that pigs, cattle, and chickens that can grow even faster
while consuming less feed, will be hard to resist, no matter what label is on the package. You might not eat GM animals, but your
kids and grandchildren most definitely will be.
Velo Mitrovich
velo@meatpacking.info
@Meat_Packing
Gmo meat is here
Editor's choice
The world's last great opportunity
could well lay in the Sub-Saharan
meat markets. GDP in the last decade
has grown by 60% and the middle
class by 90%. MPJ looks at the
opportunity and the challenges that
come with it. Page 62
www.meatpacking.info January~February 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 3
C o M m e n t

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millennial beat
The 'Boomers' have become yesterday's
new, but the Millennials will take a
whole new marketing approach
safety
WHO pathogen report and the lastest in
Campylobacter success. It's all here.
Poultry report
This year is shaping up to break all
records in the world's poultry industry.
Now if only AI can stay away
Hayter turkey
This Canadian turkey farm does it all from
raising to processing premium birds
Processing
The latest in poultry processing - where
‘stats’ become food on table
200 million
A leading Saudi processor opens new
plant with 200m bird annual capacity
viv mea
New VIV show to open in Abu Dhabi
africa report
Ready or not, sub-Sahara Africa will be
joining the world meat stage. Will you
be ready?
Also in this issue
9 - News
12 - Marketing news
18 - World in weather
70 - Product news
72 - Directory
73 - Shows & events
16
31
42
In the next issue
A look at some of the latest developments in red meat. Also, Xray and
grading, a country profile of Latin America, and highlights from Atlanta's
IPPE
20
48
62
20
31
56
56
59
on the cover
A retro cover look designed by Jack Young in honor of IPPE and the
world's poultry industry
62
www.meatpacking.info6 | Meat Packing Journal | January~February 2016
C ONTENT S

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US Congress repeals
cool label demand
T
he US house of repre-
sentatives and senate
have repealed the highly
controversial mandatory country
of origin (COOL) labeling require-
ment which has hung over the
US meat industry for seven long
years. All that is required now is
for President Obama to sign the
bill which he is expected to do.
While the COOL act created
extreme controversy and had the
potential to cost the US billions in
penalities, what seems to have been
forgotten by all was one of the main
reasons for this bill was that US
consumers wanted to know where
their food was produced – and in
particular, if it came from China due
to its dubious food safety record.
But like an elephant in a room,
China wasn’t mentioned by name
then or now. Instead, the main
targets became Mexico and Canada
who suddenly found themselves
facing a thinly disguised trade
barrier which was going to lead
to increased bureaucracy for their
goods, drive up operating costs, and
make their products seem unsafe to
the world’s largest market.
Most US major meat compa-
nies were not in favor of it, unlike
northern US ranchers who compete
with the Canadian cattle industry.
Before COOL, cattle could be born
and raised in Canada, shipped to
the States for final fattening and
slaughtering, and be labeled US
beef.
COOL was implemented in 2009
and it’s been downhill ever since
after Canada and Mexico took the
USA to the courts of World Trade
Organization. In 2015 WTO ruled in
favor of Canada and Mexico, with
the two nations seeking around
$3 billion in annual tariffs. The US
House of Representatives quickly
voted to repeal COOL, but it then
languished in the US Senate. One of
the reasons for this was, while the
Senate wanted to appear stand-
ing tall against the WTO, the USA
has claims against other countries
at WTO so it had to support WTO
decisions.
The US appealed against WTO’s
decision and on 7 December, an
arbitration panel of the WTO’s
Dispute Settlement Body lowered
the amount to $1 billion for the two
countries, with Canada receiving the
lion’s share.
Before the Senate's decision, the
United States Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion President Danni Beer urged
lawmakers and cattle producers to
continue to support of COOL.
“The ruling represents a reduc-
tion of approximately $2 billion
from the originally submitted claims
by Canada and Mexico in the form
of retaliatory tariffs against COOL.
The new figure of $1.01 billion still
falls short of providing an accurate
representation of the actual ‘harm’
to Mexico and Canada via COOL."
However, US Senate Agriculture
Chairman Pat Roberts expressed
confidence that a repeal measure
would finally take place in the Sen-
ate. "Canada and Mexico recognize
that the US House of Representa-
tives repealed COOL for beef and
pork last June, and we renew our
call on the US Senate to quickly do
the same in order to avoid retalia-
tion against US exports," said Rob-
erts in a statement.
Canada lifts ban on EU beef
A
fter nearly 20-years,
the Canadian government has
taken the decision to re-open
Canada’s market for imports of Eu-
ropean beef from 19 Member States.
The Canadian market has been
closed to any EU beef, including
deboned beef, since 1996, when
Canada introduced import restric-
tions on meat of ruminants on the
basis of BSE concerns.
The EU Comission said it was a
welcome move, as EU farmers are
going through a particularly difficult
period due to weak Chinese de-
mand and the Russian import ban.
According to the Commission, the
19 Member States that have been
authorized to resume exports are:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lux-
embourg, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
and the United Kingdom.
The European Commission said
that EU single market has delivered
a high level of food safety for con-
sumers both in the EU and abroad,
based on international standards
and solid science. The agriculture
and food sectors must be able to
capitalize on this achievement. The
Commission also noted that the
market opening sends an important
signal to the EU’s trading partners
worldwide that EU beef is safe, and
that imports of EU beef should be
swiftly resumed.
n e w s

Tesco to reach
Campylobacter target
Campylobacter by 2017.
New data compiled by Tesco,
has found that significant progress
has already been made in recent
months, with figures showing that
chicken which contain Campylobac-
ter at the highest level, has fallen to
less than nine percent in the third
quarter this year, compared with 15
percent recorded by the FSA for the
same period in 2014.
This means that in the last year,
the retailer has driven down levels
of the bacteria to below the current
FSA target of 10 percent and is close
to meeting its 2017 goal.
Tesco’s Group Quality Director
Tim Smith says: “Providing high
quality and safe food for our cus-
tomers is always our absolute priori-
ty. It has long been our commitment
to reduce levels of Campylobacter in
our poultry and we are now see-
ing real progress at all stages of the
supply chain, in tackling the issue
through the work we have done with
our suppliers.
“With over 91 percent of our
chicken now testing negative for the
highest levels of campylobacter, we
are clearly demonstrating our com-
mitment to tackle the issue and how
we want to remain at the forefront
of any developments to improve the
quality and safety of our chicken.
"It is also testament to the hard
work of our suppliers to tackle the
issue.”
For more on what retailers and
suppliers are doing in the fight
against Campylobacter, see this is-
sue’s Food & Plant Safety feature.
Consumers want food transparency
A
new study proves that
improved transparency
increases consumer trust
in food. The US Center for Food
Integrity’s (CFI) latest research, ‘A
Clear View of Transparency and How
it Builds Consumer Trust’, provides
proof that transparency builds trust,
and identifies the most effective
practices for building consumer
trust.
“Transparency works,” says
Charlie Arnot, CFI CEO. “We have
statistical data to show that increas-
ing transparency in farming, food
production and processing will
increase consumer trust.”
The 2015 research focused on
areas that are important to consum-
ers:
Impact of Food on Health
Food Safety
Impact on the Environment
Human/Labor Rights
Treatment of Animals Raised
for Food
Business Ethics in Food Pro-
duction
“The survey shows an organiza-
tion’s practices are most important
in five of the six topic areas,” says
Arnot. “Consumers want to know
more about what you are actually
doing in these important areas.
They also want the ability to engage
by asking questions through the
company website and they expect
straight answers in a timely fash-
ion.”
A company’s practices include
such things as the information
provided on product labels, offering
engagement opportunities through
company websites, making results of
third-party audits publicly available,
and protecting whistleblowers.
Survey respondents were asked
who they hold most responsible for
transparency – food companies,
farmers, grocery stores or restau-
rants.
“This study clearly shows con-
sumers hold food companies most
responsible for demonstrating
transparency in all six areas,” says
Arnot. “Even when it comes to on-
farm animal care, an area one might
assume people look to farmers to
provide, consumers told us food
companies are most responsible.
This could lead to food companies
requiring more information from
their suppliers and reporting more
information to consumers when it
comes to the treatment of animals
raised for food.”
B
ritish supermarket giant
Tesco has released new data
which shows that the retailer
is delivering on its commitment to
further reduce the levels of Campy-
lobacter in its fresh chicken.
Throughout 2014/15 the re-
tailer performed well in the Food
Standards Agency (FSA) year-long
survey, which monitored the levels
of bacteria in poultry, and was the
only major supermarket to consist-
ently have significantly lower levels
of Campylobacter in its chicken
compared to the industry average.
This last summer, Tesco pledged
to continue to work in partnership
with suppliers in order to meet a
new industry leading target, set by
the retailer, of at least 95 per cent
of chickens to have minimal levels of
n e w s

USA approves
GMO salmon
A
fast-growing salmon
has become the first geneti-
cally engineered animal to be
approved for human consumption in
the United States.
The decision, issued by the US
Food and Drug Administration on
19 November, releases the salmon
from two decades of regulatory lim-
bo, while the company came close
to going broke. The move was met
with opposition from some environ-
mental and food-safety groups.
But for advocates of the technol-
ogy, they say that it could spur the
development of other genetically
engineered animals and according
to some sources there are 35 in the
wings, including birds and mam-
mals.
“It opens up the possibility of
harnessing this technology,” says
Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal
geneticist at the University of Cali-
fornia, Davis.
The genetically modified fish,
called ‘AquAdvantage' salmon, were
engineered by AquaBounty Technol-
ogies of Maynard, Massachusetts,
to express higher levels of a growth
hormone than wild salmon. The fish
grow to full size in 18 months rather
than three years.
According to proponents of the
technology, these modifications
mean that the fish require smaller
amounts of food and other resourc-
es per kilogram of harvested fish,
and that the modified salmon could
ease pressure caused by heavy fish-
ing of wild populations.
For more on this and why it’s
important to the meat industry, see
this month’s Editor’s Comment.
True to form
Russia: Russia's Federal
veterinary oversight service
(Rosselkhoznadzor) is banning
imports of poultry meat from a
Turkish supplier because listeria
was found in the meat. This action
follows Turkey’s downing of a
Russian jet bomber. As EU and
USA meat suppliers know from
experience, the banning of meat
follows any disputes with Russia.
Ending poultry
subsidies
bahrain: Bahrain has ended its
government subsidies on meat
and poultry products as countries
across the Persian Gulf scramble to
deal with low global oil prices. This
has sent prices up three to four
times more than what they were.
Bahrain's government hopes to
save $200 million a year by ending
the subsidies. However, locals are
angry about the price hikes.
Brazil on up
Brazil: Bright prospects for
Brazilian poultry exports are
forecast by Fausto Ferraz, Cobb-
Vantress business director for the
country. "Exports gained steam
in the first quarter and are likely
to continue growing," he said.
"The export record of 440,000
metric tons in July shows an even
better prospect for the external
market. We may finish 2015 at 5
million MT exported, which would
result in less poultry meat for the
domestic market.”
Philippines chicken
philippines: The Philippines
Statistics Authority (PSA) says
livestock contributed 18.45 percent
of total farm production, despite
a punishing El Nino which has hit
agriculture. Poultry contributed
17.23 percent, with pork
registering almost four percent.
World pork prices
down on last year
G
lobal pork export prices
have been under continued
pressure throughout 2015,
according to the UK’s AHBD.
Prices dropped to the lowest
point of the year in April at $2.51/
kg, before picking up slightly during
May and June, only to continue the
downward trend in the third quarter
of the year. The average price, which
is based on export prices from the
four major exporters (the EU, US,
Canada and Brazil), fell to $2.56/
kg in August and again the follow-
ing month to stand at $2.55/kg in
September. In line with the rest of
the monthly prices from 2015, the
latest quote remains well below the
corresponding time period in 2014,
currently back by $0.71/kg.
Outbreaks of disease drove the
spike in prices but, as countries
continued their recovery and pro-
duction moved up, especially in the
United States, additional pressure
was placed on prices. Exports also
increased, especially from the EU,
with the opening of new markets
into Asia offsetting the loss of the
Russian market. Unit prices for Bra-
zilian pork rose during the second
quarter of 2015, before falling back
again in September and October.
The continued deprecation of the
Brazilian Real and the ongoing ac-
cess into the Russian market led to
the increase in the volume of pork
exported compared to 2014.
n e w s

Chicken Squad wraps up award
I
t’s not every day that
British Columbian chicken farm-
ers get to share the stage with
the BCAMA elite (BC Chapter of the
American Marketing Association)
– but that day has finally come.
The BC Chicken Squad and CREW
Marketing Partners were named as
finalists for the 2015 BCAMA Mar-
keting Excellence Awards.
The Chicken Squad campaign was
built to revolve around a parody
action movie featuring real BC
chicken farmers as the talent. All the
creative took on the look and feel of
promotions for an upcoming movie
release [see MPJ Mar/Apr 2015].
“We are honored to have been
selected as BCAMA Award Finalist,
and congratulate the winners” said
Cheryl Davie, manager of Strategic
Initiatives at the BC Chicken Mar-
chicken in BC.
CREW Marketing Partners is a
strategic marketing agency that
comes alongside clients to deliver
results-based solutions that are
beautifully designed.
keting Board. “But we would never
have made it to this caliber without
the team at Crew Marketing Part-
ners, who so effectively engaged
audiences through an action packed,
hair-raising story.”
To celebrate the BCAMA’s 60th
anniversary, three new recognition
awards were added to the line-up,
including the public relations and
experiential marketing campaign
categories which the BC Chicken
Marketing Board was nominated for.
Funding support for this project
was provided, in part, by the BC
Government’s Buy Local Program;
delivered by the Investment Agricul-
ture Foundation of BC with funding
from the BC Ministry of Agriculture.
The BC Chicken Marketing Board
promotes, controls, and regulates
the production and marketing of
Scotland Canada to promote red meat
S
cottish food secretary
Richard Lochhead has met with
Canadian retailers to highlight
the quality, taste and reputation
of Scottish red meat. The meeting,
which took place in Canada, comes
as the country announced it will be
removing a ban on European red
meat imports. The ban was put in
place in 1996 following the outbreak
of bovine spongiform encephalopa-
thy (BSE).
“The Scotch Beef and Scotch
Lamb labels are known as a true
stamp of quality with a reputation
that reaches far beyond Scotland. It
was great news that the export ban
to Canada was lifted and even better
news that exports are expected to
resume within the next few weeks in
Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink,”
says Lochhead.
“Getting our red meat back on
shelves in Canada is massively im-
portant for the industry and a great
opportunity to promote our prod-
ucts. With around 14 percent of Ca-
nadians claiming Scottish ethnicity,
we have a powerful diaspora market.
That’s why I’ve been speaking with
retailers and chefs today to encour-
age them to order Scotch Beef and
Scotch Lamb.”
He revealed that “high level dis-
cussions” will be held later this week
in Washington to promote Scottish
red meat to the US market.
Jim McLaren, chairman of Quality
Meat Scotland, who also attended
the Canadian meeting, said there
was a “genuine appetite” for quality
grass-fed hormone-free beef and
lamb in both Canada and the US.
“The farming methods behind
the production of Scotch Beef and
Scotch Lamb are very much a part
of our Scottish landscape and herit-
age and I believe the quality of the
meat we produce, coupled with the
great environmental and welfare
story behind the brands, places
Scotland in a very strong position to
develop these markets.”
McLaren also highlighted the
European Protected Geographic In-
dication (PGI) status of Scotch Lamb
and Beef, which reflects the prov-
enance and quality of the product.
m a r k e t i n g n e w s

One month to devour 29 million Sliders
O
n 31 August, Arby's
introduced Sliders, a lineup
of mini sandwiches featur-
ing five of the same high quality
proteins offered on the core menu:
roast beef, chicken, corned beef,
ham, and jalapeno roast beef.
In one month’s time, Arby's
guests responded to the mini meat
marvels by purchasing 29 million of
them – that's nearly 1 million Sliders
per day and roughly 300 Sliders sold
daily per Arby's restaurant across
America. That is a ton of meat.
Literally.
The following are just a few stats
proving good things come in small
packages:
The combined weight of all
Sliders sold in September equals the
weight of five Statues of Liberty.
If you were to eat one Slider per
day, it would take you 79,452 years
to consume the 29 million Sliders
Arby's sold in September.
Arby's sold enough Sliders in
September to feed the entire popu-
lation of one of the world's most
populous cities, Shanghai, and still
have 3 million Sliders left over!
The US state with the most
Roast Beef Slider orders was South
Carolina.
Chicken Sliders had more action
in Connecticut than any other state.
New Yorkers love their Corned
Beef, and that trend continued with
more Corned Beef Sliders ordered
in New York than any other state.
The state with the most Ham
orders was North Dakota.
Guests in New Mexico ordered
more Jalapeno Roast Beef Sliders
than any other state.
"Our Sliders bring the magic of
Meatcraft to a smaller sandwich,"
said Rob Lynch, chief marketing of-
ficer and brand president of Arby's
Restaurant Group, Inc. "Sliders
combine snack-sized value with the
high-quality proteins we're known
for and this is a winning proposi-
tion with our guests. We're selling
an average of several hundred per
day, per restaurant, with our current
one-day record at nearly 1,500 in a
single day."
Arby's plans to feature Sliders as
a permanent menu item, and is even
offering "Happy Hour" in participat-
ing markets, where guests can enjoy
Sliders, a Small Curly Fry or Small
Drink or Shake each for only $1.00.
bad for boys, healthy for girls
A
re advertisers telling
us that healthy food is inher-
ently feminine and unhealthy
food is masculine, or is this some
ingrained, preconceived notion from
deep inside each of us?
Reporting in the journal Social
Psychology, researchers at Canada’s
University of Manitoba said in an
article titled ‘Macho Nachos’ that
while they don't have the answer,
they have confirmed that people
don't like it when food is packaged
with messages that defy or mix
gender stereotypes.
In fact, they dislike it so much
they say the food tastes worse,
even when it's actually the same,
reports Munchies Vice.Com.
"With packaging, we expect
healthy eating to be associated with
femininity," said lead researcher
Luke Zhu. "But what if healthy food
is packaged in masculine packaging?
That’s an expectation violation."
To test this, Zhu's team turned to
93 adults to conduct several experi-
ments, one of which involved pack-
aging Entenmann’s mini blueberry
muffins with ballerinas and the word
‘healthy’ or football players and the
word ‘mega.’ They also mixed the
two, producing ‘mega’ ballerinas
and ‘healthy’ football players, and
included gender-neutral packag-
ing with a nondescript field and no
qualifiers.
The participants liked the mixed
packaging the least, even ranking
it lower in taste than its otherwise
identical counterparts. "For market-
ers, there’s a pretty clear implication
that you want to frame the product
consistently with the primed gender
stereotype," says Zhu.

Stack packing sells more bacon
O
scar Mayer’s change
in packaging of its thick cut
bacon is proving to be a hit,
with results exceeding company’s
expectations with estimated sales of
nearly $855 million in 2015.
About three years ago Oscar May-
er introduced its Butcher Thick Cut
Bacon to a retail market. The mar-
keting strategy was laser-focused;
the processing steps and packaging
distinctive and purposeful.
“With Butcher Thick Cut Bacon,
we are targeting meat enthusiasts
who are already buying bacon regu-
larly,” says Crystal Van’t Hof, brand
manager for Oscar Mayer Bacon.
“We’re focusing on those who not
only want bacon, but want the best
bacon available.”
In the bacon category, stack
packed connotes a higher quality
with many consumers and typically
each package weighs more than
the traditional one pound shingle-
packed varieties. How the meat is
sliced, using a blade cutting per-
pendicularly to the belly, and hand
stacked before packaging is intend-
ed to convey an old-school appear-
ance to a mass-produced product.
“We wanted to present bacon in
the same way you would get it from
your local butcher shop. It’s an au-
thentic, original cut for bacon that
we wanted to present within our
portfolio of real meats from Oscar
Mayer,” says Van’t Hof.
As the name implies, the packag-
ing of the Butcher Thick Cut Bacon
was designed to resemble how ba-
con was purchased from throwback,
traditional meat shops.
“We developed packaging that
closely mimics butcher shop paper to
resemble the way your grandma or
grandpa would have picked up their
bacon years ago,” says Van’t Hof.
...and so does bacon humor
M
onogram Foods, a
leading manufacturer and
distributor of meat snacks
and other food products, an-
nounced that it has partnered with
comedian Steve Harvey's HarCal
Enterprises to create an innova-
tive line of wholesome and hearty
smoked meats headlined by a
roasted bacon called Easy Bacon by
Harvey Foods.
Designed to bring ease and con-
venience to the world's most popu-
lar meat, Easy Bacon is real bacon,
cut into thick savory slices, hickory
smoked and roasted to reduce the
cook time and amount of grease
for the consumer. Easy Bacon can
be prepared from skillet to plate
in less than two minutes, giving
real home cooked bacon back to a
“time-constrained America”.
Easy Bacon also boasts a clean
ingredient label, meaning the bacon
is cured with simple ingredients
like salt and hickory smoke, versus
preservatives that are complicated,
and hard to pronounce.
Commenting on the product
debut, Monogram Foods Presi-
dent and co-founder Wes Jackson
stated, “We are thrilled to partner
with beloved comedian and Fam-
ily Feud host Steve Harvey on the
debut of what is certain to be a
game changer in the world of bacon
products.
“In 2011, we were the first to
introduce bacon jerky to the con-
sumer marketplace and today we
continue Monogram’s tradition of
seeking new and innovative prod-
uct lines through the introduction
of the faster cooking, less mess
Easy Bacon product. Through our
proprietary roasting process, we are
able to offer consumers a product
that not only cooks in an average
of two minutes versus eight to 10
minutes for traditional raw center
cut bacon, but also results in an
approximately 80 percent reduc-
tion in the amount of grease and
unwanted smoke created during
the cooking process.”
Easy Bacon by Harvey Foods
went on sale in mid-October in
all major retailers in the greater
Atlanta area, with plans to launch
nationally in the spring of 2016.

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Marketing to a
Millennial beat
M
illennial is the buzz
word of the moment and
why not. Millennials, those
born roughly between 1980 and
2000, make up about a third of the
world’s population – that’s 2.43 bil-
lion people.
Aside from being the first genera-
tion which never knew a world with-
out the Internet and Google, they
are also the largest, most educated
generation in history. The Millenni-
als’ digital nativity has allowed them
to span the globe, transcending
country borders, oceans, and cul-
tures. They are truly the first global
generation.
While the characteristics of this
generation are not completely
universal—a study from Pricewa-
terhouseCoopers, the University of
Southern California and the Lon-
don Business School suggests that
“cultural views can trump Millennial
views” in certain regions—they cer-
tainly share more in common with
each other than previous genera-
tions do. That gives them a sort of
global bargaining power, especially
in the long term. Consider this: by
2017, the Millennials in the US alone
are expected to spend $600 billion
annually and $10 trillion in their
lifetimes.
But if you’re a Boomer and think
you know best how to market to
them, it just might be time to hang
economic hardship and, unlike the
Silent Generation, being saddled
with huge student loans, Millennials
tend to marry and have children late
(over 30-years-old as opposed to
23), rent instead of buying a home,
and prefer to live in cities instead
of the suburbs so they don’t need
to own a car. This could have an
ultimate impact on the US economy
which is highly dependent on con-
sumption.
Just how big of problem are
student loans in the USA? Around
40 million Americans have student
load debt with the average loan debt
being $26,000 to $29,000. With
only 37 percent are making pay-
ments on time and reducing their
balance, this is forcing well over a
quarter of all Millennials to live with
their parents. Unless the winner of
the next US presidential election
decides to tackle this problem and
help Millennials move on with their
lives, this lack of population growth
will ultimately become a problem in
the USA. Countries such as Ger-
many, Japan, Singapore, Russia,
and Greece are already experiencing
negative or near-negative growth in
population, which is why Germany
was so quick to roll out the welcome
mat – initially – to Syrian refugees.
While their respective Millennials
might be making up the popula-
tion statistics today, by starting late
the ‘Going out of business’ sign on
your front door. This generation
actually has more common with
older generations than they do with
yours.
While look at the Millennials
globally it’s hard to make a one-
size-fit-all generalization, it’s much
easier to do this if you’re just look-
ing at the USA and to a large extent
western Europe.
This generation’s formative years
were spent during a time of a major
economic crisis, just like the Silent
Generation who were born from the
mid-1920s through the early 1940s,
grew up during and after the Great
Depression but were too young to
fight in World War II. While Boomers
seem to think credit cards are a free
pass to spend, Millennials – like the
Silents – have conservative spend-
ing habits, holding more than half
of their assets in cash, less than a
third in equities, and 15 percent in
fixed-income assets, according to
Beth Ann Bovino, Standard & Poor’s
US chief economist.
“Millennials are going to be
making up half the workforce in
just five years, they’re already the
largest cohort of American workers,”
says Bovino, explaining the impor-
tance of this generation to the US
economy.
Bovino says that because of
growing up during a period of
Say goodbye to the Boomers and Generation X, the Millennials have arrived in force and
now make up a third of the world’s population. But, if you think that Millennials and
their dollars are soon parted, think again. This generation has much more in common
with the Silent Generation – those whose lives were shaped by the Great Depression
– than anyone else. If you’re going to go after this market – and you are more than
foolish if you don’t – it’s time to rethink your strategy.
n e w s i n D e p t h

to have children and to have fewer
children than previous generations,
the labor force, consumer num-
bers, and tax base will be shrinking
throughout Europe, the USA, and in
many Asian countries. Exceptions
to this will be in sub-Sahara Africa,
India, and Indonesia.
Generation Cynical
A
nother name for this
generation could easily be
the Cynical. While Boomers
had a habit of filing for bankruptcy
immediately upon university gradu-
ation (a ploy no longer allowed by
law) and Generation X was still able
to experience relatively low cost
education, the Millennials have been
left holding the check for these
excesses.
The Silent Generation benefited
from the boom in industry, the
Millennials are the ones who will
need to find a solution to global
warming. Even the bank bail outs of
2007-2009 will ultimately be paid
for by the Millennials. No wonder
their favorite TV shows are satirical
news such as The Daily Show and
The Colbert Report.
According to the Mintel Group’s
report, The Millennial Impact: food
shopping decisions, the Millennials
product preferences, food shopping
habits, and attitudes toward food
differ greatly from previous genera-
tions and “meeting and understand-
ing this generation’s needs will
remain important to manufacturers,
retailers, and marketers”. This is a
bit of an understatement.
Indeed, in surveys conducted by
Mintel itself, it found that almost
half of older Millennials don’t trust
large food manufacturers such as
General Mills, PepsiCo, Kraft, etc.
Nearly 70 percent believe that food
companies try too hard to be genu-
ine, and more than 75 percent wish
food companies were more trans-
parent about how they manufacture
their products.
So, how do you tap into this
jaded generation?
According to Mintel, Millen-
nials are taking a more proactive
approach with their health which
impacts how – and how frequently
– they shop for food, product
preferences and the brands they
support.
“Millennials don’t want to be
sold to; they want brands to form a
genuine connection.
"Retailers and manufactures
have many opportunities to reach
Millennial shoppers because of
their diverse food shopping habits
and preferences. Appealing to this
generation’s needs and gaining their
trust will remain vital to the food
industry.”
marketing tips
In talking with leading processors,
MPJ offers the following five tips:
Get away from the family
size packs. Households of only
one to two people do not want
packs of 10 chicken thighs. Also, if
you don’t have a car, you’ll want
smaller, lighter packages.
While Millennials like to show
off cooking skills, push value-
added to the extreme so the entire
meal has already been marinated,
sliced, and diced.
Ready-prepared meals need to
be both healthy and tasty. Try to
find natural alternative ingredients,
eg, concentrated celery juice
as opposed to sodium nitrates.
Remember Millennials were
brought up scanning the Internet.
They can quickly scan – and reject
– your ingredients.
Not only are Millennials the
largest generation, they are also
the most diverse. In the USA, 21%
are Hispanic and one-quarter is
non-white. All are willing to try
new and exotic flavors.
Focus on freshness. Millennials
are more likely to shop in only
the fresh foods section of a
supermarket and many avoid
buying processed foods.
millenNial way of
promoting brands
70% think it’s their responsibility
to share feedback with companies
after a good or bad experience
with them
43% have liked more than 20
brands in Facebook
91% make their Facebook Places
public
66% would look up a store after
learning their friends had shopped
there
29% visit a social networking site
several times a day and another
26% visit at least once a day
Nekervis
n e w s i n d e p t h

As another bumper harvest is gathered,
US Midwest grain warehouses are filling
up quickly. This is forcing elevators to store
soybeans and corn out in the open, despite
the risks, and storage facilities to turn away
farmers that do not have binding contracts.
High record yields and softening exports are
causing the grain supply chain to scramble
for storage for a third consecutive year.
bumper crop
Wildfires that have ravaged the
drought-stricken Western USA
in 2015 have caused millions of
dollars in damage and impacted
the livelihoods of American
ranchers. Fires in 2015 wiped out
9,407,571 acres of grazing land
and forest, that’s equivalent to
the landmass of New Hampshire
and Connecticut combined. These
disasters also took a toll on
ranchers who had to find ways to
feed their cattle immediately after
the fire and will impact them for
years to come.
Fires hurt ranchers
Brazil increased its forecasts for
what’s already expected to be a
record season for soybean output
and exports as farmers expand the
planted area while yield prospects
rise on above-average rainfall.
Growers may reap between 101.2
million to 102.8 million metric
tons of the oilseed in the 2015-
2016 season. This is slightly less
than the USDA estimated earlier.
Rain brings soybeans
European wheat production for 2015/16 is
estimated at a record 157.3 million metric
tons, up 2 million from last month, and up 0.8
million tons from last year’s record. Despite
early-season concerns, the summer heat and
dryness did not damage the wheat crop. Well-
timed rainfall along with stored winter soil
moisture was beneficial in achieving above
average winter grain yields. Almost all EU
wheat is autumn sown.
EU wheat record
world in
w e a t h e r

The strength of this year’s El Niño has
decimated rainfall levels across large
stretches of Ethiopia and, in a cruel twist,
may also bring flooding to some areas
in the coming months. More than 80
percent of Ethiopia’s population works
in agriculture and this makes the country
especially vulnerable to drought. The
Ethiopian government announced that
about 8.2 million people are in need of
food assistance, up from the 4.55 million
estimated in August.
Drought then flood
Rapeseed sowing in India’s top
producing regions has been delayed
by weeks due to scorching heat,
limiting the expansion of acreage
despite prices that are nearing record
highs. The delays could likely lead
to India, the world’s top edible
oil importing country, to increase
import volumes of canola, soybean,
and sunflower oils while it helps to
support high rapeseed prices.
India buying oils
Wildfires in Western Australia, the country’s top crop producing
state, could destroy four percent of the country’s grain output.
In November three large wildfires burned 300,000 hectares
across Western Australia’s southwest region, killing four people,
and forecasters are predicting that the arid and dry conditions
that caused the fires are expected to extend eastward.
Wheat burned
China was expecting an all-time record corn crop
this year. However, output is now expected to fall
5.8 percent –the biggest decline in 15 years. This is
due to drought this last summer, followed by rains
late in the season which delayed the harvest and
stunted plant growth. China consumes more corn
than any country except the US – mostly to supply
feed to its hog industry.
Drought hits corn
weather
w e a t h e r

un pathogen stats
paint bleak picture
A
lmost one third (30%)
of all deaths from foodborne
diseases are in children under
the age of five years, despite
the fact that they make up
only nine percent of the
global population. This is
among the findings of WHO's
"Estimates of the global burden of foodborne
diseases" – the most comprehensive report to
date on the impact of contaminated food on
health and well-being.
The report, which estimates the burden
of foodborne diseases caused by 31 agents –
bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals
– states that each year as many as 600 million,
or almost 1 in 10 people in the world, fall ill
after consuming contaminated food. Of these,
420,000 people die, including 125,000 children
under the age of five years.
“Until now, estimates of foodborne diseases
were vague and imprecise. This concealed the
true human costs of contaminated food. This
report sets the record straight,” says Dr Margaret
Chan, Director-General of WHO. “Knowing
which foodborne pathogens are causing the
biggest problems in which parts of the world
can generate targeted action by the public,
governments, and the food industry.”
While the burden of foodborne diseases is a
public health concern globally, the WHO African
and South-East Asia regions have the highest
incidence and highest death rates, including
among young children.
The World Health Organization estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases
show almost 1 in 10 people – about 600 million – fall ill every year from eating
contaminated food and 420 000 die as a result, with children under 5-years-old at high
risk. MPJ looks at the facts
“These estimates are the result of a decade
of work, including input from more than
100 experts from around the world. They are
conservative, and more needs to be done to
improve the availability of data on the burden
of foodborne diseases. But based on what we
know now, it is apparent that the global burden
of foodborne diseases is considerable, affecting
people all over the world – particularly young
children and people in low-income areas,” says
Dr Kazuaki Miyagishima, Director of WHO’s
Department of Food Safety and Zoonosis.
Diarrheal diseases are responsible for more
than half of the global burden of foodborne
diseases, causing 550 million people to fall
ill and 230,000 deaths every year. Children
are at particular risk of foodborne diarrheal
diseases, with 220 million falling ill and
96,000 dying every year. Diarrhea is often
caused by eating raw or undercooked meat,
eggs, fresh produce and dairy products
contaminated by norovirus, Campylobacter, non-
typhoidal Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli.
Other major contributors to the global burden
of foodborne diseases are typhoid fever, hepatitis
A, Taenia solium (a tapeworm), and aflatoxin
(produced by mold on grain that is stored
inappropriately).
Certain diseases, such as those caused by
non-typhoidal Salmonella, are a public health
concern across all regions of the world, in high-
and low-income countries alike. Other diseases,
such as typhoid fever, foodborne cholera, and
those caused by pathogenic E. coli, are much
s a f e t y

more common to low-income countries, while
Campylobacter is an important pathogen in
high-income countries.
The risk of foodborne diseases is most severe
in low- and middle-income countries, linked
to preparing food with unsafe water; poor
hygiene and inadequate conditions in food
production and storage; lower levels of literacy
and education; and insufficient food safety
legislation or implementation of such legislation.
Foodborne diseases can cause short-
term symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting
and diarrhea (commonly referred to as food
poisoning), but can also cause longer-term
illnesses, such as cancer, kidney or liver failure,
brain and neural disorders. These diseases may
be more serious in children, pregnant women,
and those who are older or have a weakened
immune system. Children who survive some of
the more serious foodborne diseases may suffer
from delayed physical and mental development,
impacting their quality of life permanently.
Food safety is a shared responsibility, says
WHO. The report’s findings underscore the
global threat posed by foodborne diseases and
reinforce the need for governments, the food
industry and individuals to do more to make
food safe and prevent foodborne diseases. There
remains a significant need for education and
training on the prevention of foodborne diseases
among food producers, suppliers, handlers and
the general public. WHO is working closely with
national governments to help set and implement
food safety strategies and policies that will in
turn have a positive impact on the safety of
food in the global marketplace.
illnesses and causes
F
oodborne illnesses are usually
infectious or toxic in nature and caused
by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical
substances entering the body through
contaminated food or water.
Foodborne pathogens can cause severe
diarrhea or debilitating infections including
meningitis.
Chemical contamination can lead to acute
poisoning or long-term diseases, such as cancer.
Foodborne diseases may lead to long-lasting
disability and death. Examples of unsafe food
include uncooked foods of animal origin, fruits
and vegetables contaminated with feces, and
raw shellfish containing marine biotoxins.
Bacteria:
Salmonella, Campylobacter, and
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli are among
the most common foodborne pathogens that
affect millions of people annually – sometimes
with severe and fatal outcomes. Symptoms are
fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal
pain and diarrhea. Examples of foods involved
in outbreaks of salmonellosis are eggs, poultry
and other products of animal origin. Foodborne
cases with Campylobacter are mainly caused
by raw milk, raw or undercooked poultry
Above:
Campylobacter
jejuni
spkeenan
s a f e t y

and drinking water. Enterohaemorrhagic
Escherichia coli is associated with unpasteurized
milk, undercooked meat and fresh fruits and
vegetables.
Listeria infection leads to unplanned
abortions in pregnant women or death of
newborn babies. Although disease occurrence
is relatively low, listeria’s severe and sometimes
fatal health consequences, particularly among
infants, children and the elderly, count them
among the most serious foodborne infections.
Listeria is found in unpasteurized dairy products
and various ready-to-eat foods and can grow at
refrigeration temperatures.
Vibrio cholerae infects people through
contaminated water or food. Symptoms include
abdominal pain, vomiting and profuse watery
diarrhea, which may lead to severe dehydration
and possibly death. Rice, vegetables, millet
gruel and various types of seafood have been
implicated in cholera outbreaks.
Antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, are
essential to treat infections caused by bacteria.
However, their overuse and misuse in veterinary
and human medicine has been linked to the
emergence and spread of resistant bacteria,
rendering the treatment of infectious diseases
ineffective in animals and humans. Resistant
bacteria enter the food chain through the
animals (e.g. Salmonella through chickens).
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the main
threats to modern medicine.
Viruses:
Norovirus infections are characterized by
nausea, explosive vomiting, watery diarrhea
and abdominal pain. Hepatitis A virus can
cause long-lasting liver disease and spreads
typically through raw or undercooked seafood
or contaminated raw produce. Infected
food handlers are often the source of food
contamination.
Parasites:
Some parasites, such as fish-borne trematodes,
are only transmitted through food. Others, for
example tapeworms like Echinococcus spp,
or Taenia solium, may infect people through
food or direct contact with animals. Other
parasites, such as Ascaris, Cryptosporidium,
Entamoeba histolytica or Giardia, enter the food
chain via water or soil and can contaminate
fresh produce.
Prions:
Prions, infectious agents composed of protein,
are unique in that they are associated with
specific forms of neurodegenerative disease.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or
"mad cow disease") is a prion disease in cattle,
associated with the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (vCJD) in humans. Consuming bovine
products containing specified risk material,
e.g. brain tissue, is the most likely route of
transmission of the prion agent to humans.
Chemicals:
Of most concern for health are naturally
occurring toxins and environmental pollutants.
Naturally occurring toxins include mycotoxins,
marine biotoxins, cyanogenic glycosides and
toxins occurring in poisonous mushrooms. Staple
foods like corn or cereals can contain high levels
of mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin and ochratoxin,
produced by mold on grain. A long-term
exposure can affect the immune system and
normal development, or cause cancer.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are
compounds that accumulate in the environment
and human body. Known examples are dioxins
and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are
unwanted by-products of industrial processes
and waste incineration. They are found
worldwide in the environment and accumulate
in animal food chains. Dioxins are highly toxic
and can cause reproductive and developmental
problems, damage the immune system, interfere
with hormones and cause cancer.
Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and
mercury cause neurological and kidney damage.
Contamination by heavy metal in food occurs
mainly through pollution of the air, water and
soil.
Left: Dr Margret
Chan , Director-
General WHO
who
s a f e t y

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offices and testing facilities around
the world. Recently in the UK it has
launched an expert Campylobacter
testing facility for all poultry processors
and manufacturers, to support the
supermarket industry, and help reduce the more
than 280,000 suspected cases of Campylobacter
food poisoning in the UK that happen every year.
Over the last few months, Intertek has
been working with leading food manufacturer
Faccenda, which supplies chickens to
supermarket chains such as Asda, to deliver
expert Campylobacter testing into the supply
chain. Intertek says that it has increased its
facilities and expertise to launch a wider testing
program for the poultry industry, as it commits
to tackling the most common source of food
poisoning in the UK.
Intertek Derby now offers a comprehensive
and industry leading testing facility and staff
with over 30 years poultry testing experience
to support the increased demand this food
poisoning threat is causing in the food industry.
For a global look at Campylobacter, Yvonne
Wood, laboratory manager for Intertek UK food
testing facilities, and Bonnie Larson, Intertek site
manager for Canadian food testing facility, their
views.
Just for background, last year all the UK
media outlets ran stories on Campylobacter
contamination in supermarket poultry, with
Governments want it, major stores such as Walmart are demanding it, and the public –
fueled by the media – are outraged about it; a question & answer with two of Intertek's
Campylobacter experts and what are the latest developments in controlling the
pathogen
Q&A
78% of Asda chicken testing positive for
Campy down to 64% at Tesco’s. If the same
tests were run 10-years-ago, would the results
been the same, or has there an actual increase
in Campylobacter problems in poultry fuelled
by an increase in chicken production?
Yvonne Wood: It is impossible to say what the
results would have been in 2005 as the poultry
industry and emphasis from the media was
not centred on Campylobacter. The concerns
highlighted in the press focused more on issues
like Salmonella or E.coli. Additionally the tests
that exist today for Campylobacter were not
carried out 10 years ago as the bacteria hadn’t
been identified as a cause for concern. Now,
however, Campylobacter is better understood
and bio security has greatly improved. Without
these steps put in place it’s possible that the
situation could have been much worse. Poultry
production is increasing meaning chickens are
being processed a lot faster which increases the
risk of cross contamination.
Bonnie Larson: The consumption of chicken
has increased, so it could be assumed that the
problem of Campylobacter has increased since
then. Media attention has certainly helped to
drive awareness as has the freedom to share
information around the world within seconds via
social media. It isn’t to say that Campylobacter
didn’t exist 10 years ago, it’s more that it’s
wasn’t the focus of the stories in the media,
which then placed pressure on the governments
to increase their requirements and educate the
consumer.
s a f e t y

What do you see as the biggest challenges
the poultry industry is facing in regards to
Campylobacter?
YW: Campylobacter is very difficult to eradicate
at farm level, as it is a gut organism, so
identifying the source can be challenging. A
flock tends to become infected around the time
of depopulation when the birds become stressed
and release the bacteria spreading it from flock
to flock. This is then the passed on at the
processing plant. Improved bio security has been
critical to keep birds negative, plus boot swab
testing can determine which if a flock is positive
or not. One possible area to encourage is to
process the clean flocks prior to infected flocks
to avoid cross contamination. The UK industry is
doing a lot to ensure the safety of their products
and it is a shared responsibility across the entire
chain to take responsibility; from the farms to
the consumer.
BL: There are challenges for the processing
plants to manage their risk by ensuring they
keep their lines and equipment clean, in order
to prevent cross-contamination, and enable
them to track the source of any detected
Campylobacter. For example, there was a
serious Listeria outbreak back in 2008 when
the bacteria was present within the equipment
itself, in places which couldn’t be reached to
be cleaned. The situation could be the same for
Campylobacter. The Canadian Food Inspection
Agency (CFIA) is currently undertaking a
Pathogen Reduction Initiative of the four
key pathogens in meat and poultry that have
the greatest impact on public health and the
economy.
When you test for Campylobacter, are you
looking at the farm, the processing plant or
the supermarket?
YW: Intertek UK provides Campylobacter services
to the poultry industry at processing plant and
retail level to help reduce the threat of the
bacteria reaching the consumer.
BL: Intertek Canada typically provides support at
processing plant level.
Likeablerodent
Above: Not
a model. A
child suffering
from real food
poisoning
s a f e t y

Have your tests shown there to be one part
of the poultry chain in particular where
more effort needs to take place to remove
Campylobacter?
YW: I believe there isn’t one specific part of
the chain which isn’t doing all it can to reduce
Campylobacter and I have to reiterate that it’s
a shared responsibility. The poultry industry as
a whole is working hard to reduce the risk of
Campylobacter along its entire supply chain.
BL: Within the area covered by Intertek Canada,
further improvements could be made at
processing plants where it’s difficult to track and
trace the source of Campylobacter.
What efforts can processing plants increase to
reduce Campy numbers?
YW: All poultry processing plants are taking the
problem of Campylobacter extremely seriously.
UK agencies including the Food Standards
Agency (FSA) and Departments for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are working with
the industry by running trials to try and reduce
the threat. The results of these trials are due to
be published shortly and should hopefully show
a reduction of Campylobacter in British poultry.
BL: In Canada, processing plants have to ensure
that they have basic hygiene protocols in place
and reinforce these. For example a routine
swab testing could include the introduction of
Campylobacter detection.
What link do you think is the weakest in the
poultry chain? [In talking to one of the lead
researchers at IFR, he said consumers could
do the most in removing the Campy threat,
but are willing to do the least.]
YW: The UK poultry industry is taking the
situation very seriously with organizations like
Intertek supporting these businesses as well as
official agencies such as the FSA and DEFRA.
I believe that the greatest opportunity for
improvement lies with the consumer themselves,
by increasing their awareness to correctly and
safely handle fresh meat they can diminish
the risk considerably. Consumers can look at
implementing a number of hygiene practices
which would significantly reduce the number of
illnesses caused by Campylobacter. These include
basic practises from ensuring that raw chicken is
not washed, washing their hands after handling
raw chicken and sanitising the area where raw
chicken has been prepared. There are also “cook
in the bag” chicken products available on the
UK market today, which minimise the handling
of raw chicken by consumers completely, as the
chicken is contained within the bag throughout
the storage and correct cooking process.
BL: I agreed that the education of the consumer
is one important area to consider for Canada as
well, as the sharing of knowledge in this area
through basic consumer hygiene and raw meat
handling practices as well as correct cooking
could virtually eliminate the risk through
consumption.
USDA
intertek
s a f e t y

safety equipment
Icicle app provides automated allergen control
Almost half of all recalls in the USA and more than half
in Canada last year were caused by undeclared allergens. Allergen
labelling and control has become an increasingly critical part of
food safety as both consumer awareness and regulatory action
related to food allergies builds. Canadian company Icicle’s food
safety app now provides automated allergen control that is
integrated seamlessly with the rest of your food safety program.
“Food allergies are on the rise. About 30 000 people in the USA
seek emergency medical treatment every year due to food
allergies, most commonly allergies to eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, tree
nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans - which make up 90% of food
allergies,” says Steven Burton, developer of the Icicle food safety
system.
“For a small number of food producers, allergen control is not a big
issue. If your facility only produces rice, it is unlikely that allergen
control is at the top of your list of priorities. But if you are a bigger
plant with multiple products, or your facility handles any common
allergens, the potential for contamination is especially present
and dangerous to consumers and to your company.
“You can put general label warnings to protect yourselves
from legal liability [May include peanuts], but that is a blunt
instrument solution that limits the market in a time when
consumer awareness of food allergens is growing. The more
pragmatic approach for food producers is to maintain effective
segregation of allergens from non-allergenic products to avoid
any risks of cross-contamination and benefit from both regulatory
compliance and increased market share,” he says.
According to Burton, there are four main ways that allergens can
make their way into food products:
Ingredients may contain allergens
Food processors need to have a system in place to approve
vendors, define their products, and flag those products that do
contain allergens. This system must begin at the receiving phase.
When a product is received by a facility, you need to be able to
bring up the ingredient record and know right away if there’s an
allergen so you can segregate the product immediately. Icicle’s
new allergen control feature does this with prominent color-coded
warnings.
Formulations may inadvertently include allergens
The creators of product formulations may inadvertently include
a product with an allergen. To guard against this problem, Icicle
provides visual warnings if a formulation contains allergens
and the product is automatically flagged to notify the user that
there is an allergen in the product as a result of any particular
ingredient or ingredients.
Cross contamination in the facility
Cross-contamination from within the facility, first and foremost,
must be managed by procedures within the organization. Icicle
allows users to define appropriate sanitation procedures required
to avoid cross-contamination as well as to confirm and validate
that the procedure has been implemented using checklist
inspections. In addition, users can confirm that sanitation
workflows have been completed before the next product batch is
run.
Poor employee training and protocols
Employees are the last issue that most manufacturers must
consider when ensuring allergen controls. As a general best
practice, employees should be forbidden from bringing any food
onto the production floor. This is more common than you’d think,
and remember that just a few sesame seeds can result in the recall
of an entire batch, costing anywhere from $25 000 to $25 million.
“While facilities should consider how technology can automate
processes to reduce the risk of human error, allergen training is
also an important component of any allergen control program.
Icicle manages employee training by indicating which employees
are trained on specific allergen prevention procedures, according
to the needs to the facility,” says Burton.
Icicle
s a f e t y

bandsaw blade within 15 milliseconds (about the fastest beat of
a hummingbird) when the unit senses that a person has come in
contact with the blade.
The units have been developed by Scott Automation +
Robotics with funding from Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and
the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC).
Southern Meats processes 3,000-5,000 lambs per day and
employes about 320 staff members, depending on the season. The
majority of the meat is exported to North America as well as the
European Union and Muslim countries, while domestically they
process lambs for Costco Australia.
They were one of the first abattoirs in Australia to be approached
by MLA about 11 years ago to become directly involved in the
research and development of BladeStop.
Graham says prior to the new technology it was hard to
encourage people to learn how to operate the bandsaw.
“Nobody wants to learn a more dangerous job that can potentially
cause amputation of fingers and loss of income – which can
lead to added stress for those that have families. Now a lot more
staff members are interested in learning the ropes on the new
bandsaws.”
Southern Meats employee Fred McGregor is living testament to
the potential dangers of the conventional bandsaw.
“I severed a tendon in my thumb when the blade went through
the top part of my knuckle while I was cutting a sheep spine. I’m
now back at work and using both types of machines, and think
the new technology is amazing. It gives all of us a greater sense of
confidence,” McGregor says. "You feel a lot safter....and know you'll
get home to your family at the end of the day in one piece."
Failure prevention
US-based company CAT²’s Food Safety and Quality Management
Tool (FSQM) focuses on controlling processes and preventing
failures.
Using FSQM, CAT² guarantees that products meet your company’s
and your customers’ standards for safety and quality; you may
configure checks per your company’s HACCP, HIMP, USDA, FDA,
QA, QC, and SSOP/GMP specifications.
Employees can collect weight, size, temperature, grading, and
defect data on the plant floor as well as perform yield, retention,
and AQL checks. Touch-screen, hand-held, or tablet computers
capture this data, eliminating manual data entry and reducing
paperwork.
Unmanned devices, such as wireless sensors, record temperatures
or transmit pH, flow, pressure, and humidity levels. Production
data for formers and other processing equipment may also be
monitored and recorded in the system.
Production downtime can be captured in two ways: Operators
may use FSQM’s touch-screen application to manually record
downtime duration and causes, or sensors may be installed in the
equipment to automatically record downtime when there is a gap
in productivity.
When values enter an alarm state, a page, text message, email, or
scoreboard alert can be used to notify plant personnel, allowing
them to proactively respond to the process, reducing failures and
downtime and improving efficiency.
All data can be viewed in real time, including a failure ranking
report, pre-shipment review, and compliance reports. Data can
also be shown on charts and graphs enabled with SPC analysis
and Six Sigma capabilities. FSQM turns plant floor data into
actionable, process-improving intelligence.
“Protecting the public and providing confidence to the consumer
are top priorities for CAT² software solutions,” says Vernon Smith
of CAT². "Our customers span six continents and include 60
percent of the top 50 meat and poultry companies in the United
States and Canada.".
Stops blades in milliseconds
Bandsaw safety technology is providing assurance for employees
in the Australian meat processing sector, while reducing lost
production time and compensation claims from injuries.
Southern Meats, based at Goulburn in southern New South
Wales have invested in several BladeStop bandsaws. Manager
Claire Graham said four major incidents in five years involving
traditional bandsaws resulted in 827 hours of lost time, and more
than AUS$100,000 in worker compensation claims.
“In one incident, the employee lost partial movement in his thumb,
while another required a skin graft,” Graham said.
“In contrast, the only incident on a BladeStop bandsaw resulted
in a small cut on the operator’s thumb which was dealt with at
our on-site medical center and the employee was back at work
straight away.”
This new technology has been designed to mechanically stop the
s a f e t y

Processors use SonoSteam to reduce Campy levels
Poultry giant Cargill has announced it will introduce an innovative
technology, SonoSteam, at its Hereford primary chicken
processing plant in the UK as part of its farm-to-fork action plan
to tackle Campylobacter.
SonoSteam, a process developed by the Danish company Force
Technology, uses a combination of steam and ultrasound to
kill microorganisms such as Campylobacter on the skin and
internal cavities of chicken. This new technology is expected to be
operational at Cargill’s Hereford facility as MPJ goes to print.
Cargill is not the first UK poultry processor to use SonoSteam.
Faccenda Foods, which supplies poultry to Asda and other
supermarket chains, installed the first continuous SonoSteam line.
Chris Hall, fresh chicken director for Cargill Meats Europe, says:
“We have been following the development of new technologies
very closely and made the commitment that we would adopt one
as soon as it proved effective. We are very excited to be taking
these next steps with Force Technology.”
Niels Kreb, vice president of Force Technology says: “SonoSteam
has only just recently been introduced as a technological
intervention against Campylobacter but has already been used
to process millions of birds in the UK alone. This technology
has proved itself capable of working day in and day out in
a production environment and is not only cost effective but
has been proven effective at reducing Campylobacter in an
environmentally friendly way without chemicals, only water and a
modest amount of energy. By installing this technology, Cargill has
shown that they are at the front edge of innovation.”
Force Technology claims that the combination of steam and
ultrasound kills bacteria within one to two seconds and the
combined steam-ultrasound treatments are usually no longer
than just two seconds. At such fast rates, the disinfection
or decontamination with steam and ultrasound combined
reaches up to 7-8 logs on non-food products and up to 2-4 logs
on certain food products.
According to the Cleaning Industry Research Institute,
‘Log reduction’ is a mathematical term (as is ‘log increase) used
to show the relative number of live microbes eliminated from
a surface by disinfecting or cleaning. For example, a "5-log
reduction" means lowering the number of microorganisms
by 100,000-fold, that is, if a surface has 100,000 pathogenic
microbes on it; a 5-log reduction would reduce the number of
microorganisms to one.
The catalyzing effect of ultrasound accelerates heat from the
steam to the surface of any object and this results in an instant
increase in temperatures on the surface. The decontamination
or disinfection treatment is halted before heat penetrates the
product and causes unwanted thermal damages.
Force Technology says that the “catalyzing” effect of ultrasound
disrupts heat restricting air layers that protects the bacteria on
the surface. The zone of air closest to the surface serves as a
protective mantel, restricting vapor and heat exchange across the
surface. This layer is often referred to as the laminar sublayer.
Ultrasound sets the air of the laminar zone in a state with
intensified molecular oscillations. This result in a destruction of
the protective characteristics of the laminar sublayer and hot
steam can now reach microstructures and pits in the surface and
secure rapid heat transfer. The continuous pumping of new steam
creates a fast, substantial flux of heat to the surface structure.
The company found that microorganisms are killed more rapidly
with steam-ultrasound compared to steam treatment without
ultrasound. The small size of microorganisms makes them
particularly sensitive to the concentrated steam treatment.
Microbe elimination happens so quickly that the depth of heat
entrance into the surface of the product is kept at a minimum.
The treatment can be stopped before the surface is thermally
damaged. That is why the effective processing time in a
SonoSteam treatment is very short and for some applications
even shorter than one second. This means that the method gently
handles the decontamination of heat sensitive products, such as
fresh and processed food products, where sensory changes are not
acceptable.
Steve Wearne, UK Food Safety Authority’s director of policy,
says: “We welcome Cargill’s introduction of SonoSteam to its
Hereford plant as part of its farm to fork action plan to reduce
Campylobacter on chickens.
“SonoSteam is an innovative and effective way of reducing
Campylobacter levels and Cargill should be applauded for making
this investment in the fight against the bug. We look forward to
seeing lower levels of Campylobacter on chickens sourced from
Cargill on sale in shops and supermarkets.”
BothSonoSteam
s a f e t y

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the poultry
report 2016
Shoppers might eye over the T-bone steak but at the end of the day, they go home
with the chicken. Pound for pound, poultry is seen as healthier than other meats, less
expensive, and comes in hundreds of value-added versions for the dinnertime table. No
wonder it remains the world’s favorite protein
p o ul t r y r e p o r t

L
ast year MPJ described
the easiest job in the world
as being the person at FAO
who creates growth charts for
poultry. For the last 20 years
it’s been the same – upwards
– and this year it shows no
sign of change. While avian
influenza (AI) gave the world industry a beating
in 2015 and it remains a threat, unlike the cattle
or salmon industry which can take years to
recover, knock chicken down today and it’s back
on its feet tomorrow.
An old US expression is ‘chicken feed’,
meaning something doesn’t cost very much.
Lately that expression is very much ringing true.
While the US western drought has played
havoc with California alfalfa and hay, another
bumper grain harvest was gathered in the USA
– for the third year in a row. Midwest grain
warehouses filled up quickly in 2015, forcing
grain elevators to store soybeans and corn out
in the open, despite the risks. European wheat
production for 2015/16 is estimated at a record
157.3 million metric tons; up 0.8 million tons
from last year’s record. Despite early-season
concerns, the summer heat and dryness did not
damage the wheat crop. Well-timed rainfall
along with stored winter soil moisture was
beneficial in achieving above average winter
grain yields.
According to FAO Agricultural Outlook 2015,
favorable meat to feed price ratios over the
next 10 years will support production growth
“particularly in industries such as poultry”
which rely on intensive use of feed grains in the
production process.
“A short production cycle allows the
poultry sector in particular to respond quickly
to improved profitability and underpinned
by robust demand, production is projected
to expand by 24% over the outlook period.
Consequently by 2024, 26 million metric tons
of additional poultry will be produced globally,
capturing more than half of additional meat
production,” states the report.
short term
W
hile long term forecasts
are good, what about the here
and now? AI remains a major
concern for the global poultry
industry, with new outbreaks in most regions in
the world except Australia and South America.
However, the industry is booming, according to
Rabobank's latest Poultry Quarterly Q3 report,
which states that despite the global AI challenge,
the margin outlook for the global poultry
industry is still strong.
Rabobank’s analysts say that the industry
is benefitting from “ongoing bullish market
fundamentals”, with balanced supply in most
regions, high beef prices, and low feed costs.
With China as a major exception, the industry
is profitable and growing in almost all major
regions in the world.
"The performance in most regions is currently
improving, but the industry should have optimal
biosecurity as its first priority, as avian influenza
pressure is still significant. Any new case can
have a big impact on regional and global trade
streams, as we have seen in the past months, in
which Brazil and Thailand have taken further
market share in global poultry trade from the
US and China," says Nan-Dirk Mulder, animal
protein analyst at Rabobank.
The current worsening of economic
conditions — especially in emerging markets
in Asia and Latin America — has little serious
negative impact on the chicken industry. Chicken
is the cheapest meat protein, and consumers
logically shift from more expensive proteins like
beef and pork to chicken in times of economic
downturn. This sort of trend is currently visible
in Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Russia.
rise in the eu
P
oultry meat production across
the EU rose by 3.6 percent in the
first half of the year and is set to
continue to increase due to affordable
feed prices, according to the latest European
Commission Short Term Outlook report.
Latest figures show the largest rise to be in
the EU-N13 nations, which are mostly eastern
European countries that recently joined such
as Poland. These countries have seen over a 10
percent jump in production. At the opposite end
of the scale there was a small drop in production
in Germany (-0.4%). European growth will
continue in 2016 albeit at a slower pace.
EU wheat production has once again topped
300 million metric tons. With global harvests
also strong, there are comfortable levels of
world wheat stocks (456 million metric tons),
meaning cereal prices remain under downward
pressure. Protein crop supply, notably soy beans,
has also continued to rise in 2015. According
to the report, a good harvest internationally,
coupled with lower demand from China due to
the slowing of its economy, means prices will
continue to be beneficial to the livestock sector.
EU poultry meat exports rose by 2 percent in
the first half of 2015, and may be 3.5 percent
higher by the time December’s figures are
factored in, at around 1.4 million metric tons.
Right: Chicken
hanging in a
public market in
Sinaloa, Mexico

jameswatkins
A striking photograph of summer wheat in Kansas

This is due to strong demand from some Asian
and African countries, including South Africa,
Benin, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines.
As demand rises for poultry in the EU with an
increase in consumption, imports have moved
in with Thailand strongly increasing its sales
and taking some share from Brazil. Often times
poultry coming from outside the EU, Thailand in
particular, is used in restaurants such as Indian
takeaways where country of origin labelling is
not a factor for customers.
us growth
F
rom 2015 through 2025, the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA) sees
poultry production rising, with both
broiler and turkey meats projected to
expand. Production growth is expected to come
from both higher numbers of birds and higher
average weights at slaughter.
What will be driving this steady growth is US
per capita consumption of poultry rising over
the next 10 years and, in contrast to red meats,
surpassing the levels of the past decade.
A problem with this future decade of higher
production will be nominal prices broilers, and
indeed in terms of relative dollars, prices might
actually decline. However, the USDA believes
production levels will slow down towards 2025,
which should lead to a gain in prices.
It’s expected that US broiler exports will
rise during the next 10 years. Major US export
markets include China and Mexico, but US
broiler exports also have been increasing to a
number of other countries. Longer term gains
in these markets reflect their economic growth
and increasing consumer demand. International
demand for broilers also remains strong because
of its lower cost relative to beef and pork.
However, US poultry producers continue
to face strong competition from other major
exporters, particularly Brazil, and this is expected
to continue.
new gains
F
or poultry companies looking
at long term investments, the world is
covered in chicken feathers and to find
a region where poultry growth is not
expected is a genuine challenge.
Brazil will continue to dominate in South
America, exporting poultry throughout Latin
America and the rest of the world. Being seen
as politically neutral in the current East/West
struggle allows Brazilian products to enter
markets where American or EU products are
banned such as with Russia.
However, if Mexico could ever end its
ongoing drug war, MPJ believes it could become
the Latin American powerhouse [see below].
China should be a poultry giant [see MPJ
January 2015] but chicken will always be a
runner-up to pork. India, however, has the
potential of becoming the chicken giant of Asia.
With a population that is expected to overtake
China’s by 2022, it has no choice but finding
ways to provide protein for this population.
Already new modern poultry processing plants
are being installed in India to supply demand for
its growing middleclass.
Indonesia remains an enigma. Why local
chicken powerhouse CP Indonesia isn’t listed in
the world’s top poultry producers is a mystery
for the ages and in going to the company’s 2014
annual report for answers, it seems to be instead
an exercise of excuses.
Indonesia has a population of 250 million,
making it the world’s fourth most populous
country. A growing number of it citizens
(estimated to number 140 million by the next
decade) are expected to reach middleclass
status, with this group characterized by greater
spending power, a pronounced shift from
a plant-based diet to animal protein, and a
growing appreciation for processed food.
Compared to similar economies in the region,
Indonesia’s consumption of poultry meat per
capita is one of the lowest. At the same time,
about 90% of Indonesians are Muslim, whose
choice of animal protein is limited to beef,
mutton, poultry and seafood with poultry the
most affordable. All of these conditions favor
greater consumption of poultry, which leaves
MPJ wondering if Indonesia’s poultry industry
could be ripe for the taking. Saudi Arabia’s
mammoth chicken farms and ultra-modern
processing plants, producing 100 percent halal
chicken, must be watching Indonesia closely.
In Africa, while Nigeria’s growing population
will increase a demand for chicken, South
Africa’s more stable government will allow it to
become the chicken factory for Africa. However,
after losing its recent poultry trade war with the
USA, there is a danger that cheaper imports from
the USA will stymie its local industry and setback
its development.
mexico - the one to bank on
P
ity poor Mexico, so far from
God, so close to America.” These oft-
quoted words of the late Mexican leader
Porfirio Diaz often come to mind when
reading about the latest horrific report from
Mexico. Gangs of Mexican narcotics traffickers,

(North American Free Trade Agreement) is a
big advantage compared to China. This means
goods exchanged between the United States and
Mexico aren’t subject to the myriad barriers and
tariffs imposed on goods flowing to and from
China.
In looking at GDP trends, Goldberg points
out that China’s growth rate has been falling
steadily for almost a decade from double digits
to 7 percent. Mexico’s GDP growth, on the other
hand, is at a lower 3 percent but has been stable
for years.
According to the US Department of
Agriculture’s GAIN Report, the Mexican economy
has underwhelmed in 2015. Hard-fought reforms
throughout the public and private sectors
have yet to completely take effect and global
financial uncertainty has slowed investment
and weakened confidence in future economic
growth. The Mexican peso hit a record low of
17.50 pesos to the dollar on August 25, 2015,
dropping 15 percent since the beginning of the
year.
However, the silver lining to all of the turmoil
is that Mexican products are significantly
cheaper compared to foreign goods. Prices for
products in the “Canasta Básica”, the price index
for basic foodstuffs, have decreased four percent
since the beginning of the year and appear to be
headed down even further. Mexican agricultural
producers are poised to take advantage of the
exchange rate and export a record amount of
agricultural products to the United States in
2016.
consumption
T
he Mexican 2016 broiler meat
consumption forecast is a record
3.92 million metric tons, as increased
production (3.16 million metric tons)
and affordable prices keep broiler meat as
consumers’ preferred protein. Industry sources
report that the Federal Type Inspection
establishments’ share of domestic production
is 53.45 percent and the 2016 forecast
represents the sixth-consecutive year of record
consumption.
While broiler meat consumption growth
slowed to almost zero during the 2012-2013
HPAI outbreaks, it has since regained the ground
it lost in Mexico. Multiple private sources concur
that overall consumption is growing and per
capita consumption levels are on the upswing.
Although broiler meat prices will not be as low
as in the past, given increasing beef prices they
will continue to be the most affordable source
of protein followed by pork, especially for low-
medium income consumers..
competing for which of their products end up
on American streets, have turned huge swaths
of their own country into killing grounds. And,
perhaps ironies of ironies, while US demands
for Mexico to do something about the flood of
drugs northwards makes the news, the Mexican
demands for the US to do something about
the flood of US-made weapons southwards
somehow gets ignored.
But, despite how the media and Hollywood
portrays Mexico, it’s a country of extremely hard
workers who are concerned about creating a
decent life for themselves and their families in
trying times. When – and it is a case of ‘when’
– Mexico’s drug lords are banished forever,
stand back and watch out because MPJ believes
Mexico will become the Latin American poultry
leader.
Mexico’s production over the next 10 years is
projected to grow by 2.95 percent – among the
highest poultry production rates in the world –
to more than 3.9 million metric tons by 2024.
Indeed, Shelly Goldberg of Wall Street
Daily believes Mexico already trumps China
in the emerging market (EM) pecking order
and sees Mexico as a safer, stronger, and more
competitive place for investors.
Goldberg says: “Investors are increasingly
concerned about the growing vulnerabilities in
emerging market economies, particularly China,
as they reassess the global growth outlook.
China’s equity markets plunged in June and
early July, fracturing investor confidence and
weighing on asset prices worldwide.
“Emerging markets typically invite volatility to
your portfolio, more so than usual now.
So what else looks good in the EM world and
offers return opportunities with less volatility?
Mexico.”
According to Goldberg, from a foreign trade
standpoint, Mexico’s association in NAFTA
usda
Above: Chicken
feed. The world
feed price
should remain
low thanks to
bumper grain
harvests in the
USA and EU

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read it first
online
www.meatpacking.info

poultry
processor
ranking
It’s hard seeing anyone beating Tyson Foods to the top of
the poultry producing list. Ranked by a leading business
magazine as one of America’s most admired companies, Tyson
Foods has that rare ability to look beyond its own borders
and see the entire world as its market. Another factor seems
to be the esprit de corps of its workers. Be it CEO Donnie
Smith or the person working the midnight shift cleaning
equipment, all wear the same work shirt with pride. With
MPJ’s list of companies to watch, political or social issues will
help to fuel their growth. In Europe, refugees and economic
migrants are entering in a mass movement of people not
seen since the Second World War. If history repeats itself,
these 1st generation immigrants will provide low-cost labor
not dependent on language skills and with Germany the
destination of so many, companies there will benefit.

Meat Packing Journal Jan-Feb 2016

Meat Packing Journal Jan-Feb 2016

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