Meat Packing Journal, Jan~Feb 2016, vol 3 iss 2

J O U R N A LMEAT PACKINGThe inTernaTional magazine for The meaT and poulTry indusTry

p.56 x-ray detectors for fat content p.26 the perfect steak is found p.46 mexico report change afoot

march~april 2016 volume 3 | issue 2

issn 2054-4685

the king of meats

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When I Was a kId groWIng up In san dIego, my dad used to take me fishing in the evening out on Shelter Island pier. The pier was located just inside the entrance of San Diego Harbor; the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean gave the area the smell of the sea a beautiful combination of salt, kelp, and minute algae. We would cast our lines out into the night darkness and strain our eyes trying to somehow see into the deep blackish water. If we turned around and looked shoreward, wed see a series of busy, lit-up steak and chop restaurants that put out the sweet aroma of fat and meat being grilled. Fifty-years later and I can still smell that combination of sea and steak; the ultimate surf and turf.

If nothing was biting, Id stare at the steak houses and the well-dressed customers going in and out. Completely beyond the means of my familys income, I could imagine couples sitting at tables, drinking cocktails whatever they were and cutting into thick, juicy, bloody, medium-rare steaks. And I thought: one day if I ever make it that will be me.

Last year it was finally me sort of.I was showing my wife Shelter Island pier, reminiscing about my dad, telling

her about the steak houses, and how one day Id eat at one when I made it. She thought about it for a moment as said: Well, I dont know if youve made it in your eyes but I think you have, lets go do it.

But there was a problem. To a one on this strip of Shelter Island, the steak houses were long gone. If you wanted to get a steaming bowl of kale with a dash of organic sesame oil you would have been in luck, but a thick juicy steak, you would have had better odds finding pork chops in Israel. However, doing a quick Google search we found a restaurant which served steak not an official steak house and not technically on Shelter Island but it was close enough in both aspects.

I wish I could say the steak lived up to all of my childhood dreams but it was so far removed from this it was staggering. It was truly, without doubt, the worse steak I have ever eaten in my life and you have to remember Ive been through US Army boot camp where on the box of steaks we had one day was printed: Suitable for prisons.

The steak had a layer of gristle that completely covered the plate-side-down side of my steak. Hand on heart, my steak knife could not cut through it I had to fillet the steak to get the gristle off. Flavor? There was none. Why I didnt send it back I dont know; I think it was the shock of my childhood dream ending so horribly.

But finally a steak did live up to my dream. About a month ago I was visiting HG Walters butchers in London, about a coin toss away from Barons Court Tube Station. The owner, Peter Heanen, his daughter Clare, and one of his sons, Adam, were showing me around the shop, explaining to me why their steaks were the best. As Ive learned over the years, talk is cheap but the family team was more than willing to prove their point. Adam selected two 45-day aged Scottish steaks and using the shops kitchen, cooked the steaks in a splash of Italian olive oil three minutes either side and seasoned with just freshly crushed pepper and salt. After letting them set for about five minutes, Adam thickly sliced them.

Put the San Diego steak at one end of the scale, HG Walters on the other. I never realized steak could have such complex flavors; I swear I could taste the grass the cattle ate and the Scottish rainwater they drank.

While Peter and Adam ate steak at least once a week, even they admitted these steaks were brilliant. Which got us all wondering, how come we remember that best or worse steak ever but not other meat?

The best chicken breast Ive ever had? Beats me? Best pork chop? I dont know. Ham, lamb chop, roast turkey, hamburger they all kind of blend into one. If pressed, the best roast chicken was from a chain restaurant in Paris; best leg of lamb from a neighbor in Greece who on Orthodox Easter wrapped it in in grape leaves and slow roasted it all day in an outdoor oven. But for almost all other meat Ive ever eaten, its just been something Ive put in my mouth and chewed.

But not steak. I swear I can remember each and everyone of them and Ive had a lot of steak over the years.I hope over the years you too have had wonderful steak dreams and realities. And if youre ever in London.

Velo [email protected]

@Meat_Packing

steak dreams

edItor's choIce

Steak is a theme this issue and if you like no, love the king of all meats, be sure to read the Back Page interview with author Mark Schatzker who wrote the appropirately named book, STEAK. Just don't read it on an empty stomach. Page 66

www.meatpacking.info March~April 2016 | Meat Packing Journal | 3

C o M M e n t

bEEf Is bACKafter a couple of tough years, beef is making a strong comeback in the amercias. But will the strong us dollar help or hurt the industry?

sTEAKThe perfect steak might have been found. and it's not in Texas

MAN IN JAPANTakemichi yamashoji job is to sell us beef to the Japanese market

bEEf PROCEssINGmpJ discovers the latest and greatest in beef processing equipment and gear

MExICO REPORT Changes are happening in a country seen by too many as 'south of the border'

165 hEAd/hOUR state-of-art cattle processing plant opens in durango, mexico

x-RAyall-purpose X-ray detectors can do more than spot metal and plastic

ThE sEARChhow one man set out to find the world's perfect steak

Also in this issue

7 - news10 - safety news12 - marketing news16 - World in weather18 - product news68 - directory69 - shows & events

20

34

38

in The neXT issueBillions are sold each year in the States, a look at chicken wings. Also, packaging, IFFA preview, and a country profile on the USA there's more to the land of 'Old Glory' than meets the eye

26

46

46

26

56

20

52

56

on The CoverAdam Heanen holding a beautiful piece of aged beef at HG Walter's butchers in London, UK

66

www.meatpacking.info4 | Meat Packing Journal | March~April 2016

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QVISION

cameras ordered for all slaughterhousesaImIng to curb abuse cases at the countrys slaughterhouses, the Israelis Agriculture Ministry has ordered the installation of cameras at all facili-ties. The devices will stream live footage to a central ministry control room, reports the Jerusalem Post.

The smart camera system, which will include about 400 cameras and 50 digital recording systems at about 50 slaughterhouses, will be filming workers as they handle animals on a 24/7 basis, says the Agriculture Ministry. A supervisory team from the ministrys Veteri-nary Services will be tasked with monitoring the video feed from the cameras at the central control room, the ministry adds.

Our inspection of slaughterhous-es is rising to the next level, says Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel. We were witnesses to various severe cases at slaughterhouses around

Israel. On the one hand, we cannot generalize, but on the other hand we must increase monitoring and enforcement or else these cases will not change.

Ariel first called for the instal-lation of cameras as well as the control rooms establishment after Israel's Channel 10 aired a report revealing abusive activities at a Soglowek poultry abattoir. The continuation of a Channel 10 inves-tigation shows images of employees dancing in circles with chickens and throwing them around to each other as if they were balls.

By installing cameras and height-ening supervision at the countrys slaughterhouses, ministry officials expresses their hope that the suf-fering of the animals will be mini-mized.

In order to expedite the matter, the ministry is currently publishing a tender for the supply, installation

and maintenance of the cameras. Over the course of 2016, all slaugh-terhouses and facilities that produce animal food products should have the systems installed.

Installation of cameras in slaughterhouses is a critical step that will increase control and deterrence, Ariel says. I have no doubt that the move will protect animals and prevent cases of abuse that should not happen in a Jewish state.

Veterinary Services director Dr. Nadav Galon stresses that the ministry adheres to a zero toler-ance policy regarding animal rights violations.

The ministry will continue to streamline the supervision and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Law, and perform various operations to eradicate this phenomenon, both through enforcement measures and advocacy, says Galon.

proteIn demand drIVIng neW campaIgn

tyson foods Is reVampIng its title brand, and aims to strengthen others, by intro-ducing a stream of new products this year and continuing to expand its prepared-food division. This, the company says, is to take advantage of consumer demands for more protein in their diets.

"We will reclaim our origin story, we will strengthen the founda-tion of the brand and we will use it as a springboard to the future," says Sally Grimes, Tyson's president of international and chief global growth officer.

The campaign also features a new line called Tyson Tastemakers, which are packages of pre-cut meat and other ingredients for home

cooks to create meals, including tandoori chicken thighs, pork carni-tas tacos and beef sirloin roast.

"We'll premarinate it and do a lot of the prep work," Grimes says. "We're combining the power of our poultry, pork and beef business."

Tyson is planning 12 major product introductions this year in the product lines the company has decided have the most opportunity to grow. These core nine lines come from the Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, State Fair, and Aidells brands.

"We're a different company," says Donnie Smith, Tyson CEO. "Different from what we were, and different from everyone else."

Consumer demand for protein is

up, Smith said. About 54 percent of consumers say they are deliberately increasing the amount of protein they buy and consume, and 78 per-cent say protein is a critical part of a healthy diet. In the past year, 8.5 million households have increased their protein intake.

"We are positioned to grow," says Andy Callahan, president of retail packaged brands for Tyson. "From all measures, protein is on trend."

However, the demand for more protein by consumers must come with a caveat.

Phil Lempert, reporting for Forbes, says that consumers are looking for proteins which are more sustainable and affordable than those coming from animal sources.


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bIg opportunItIes for World's renderIng

ogy to eliminate odors; and carbon footprint, aquaculture and lifecycle analysis for greenhouse gas emis-sions.

Kent Swisher, National Renderers Association, focused his presenta-tion on opportunities and risks in the global market, remarking that one persons opportunity might be another persons risk. He iter-ated that the strategic intention for the global market is to promote the demand and market access for rendered products to domestic and international customers.

From a global perspective, Swisher observed that 25 percent of domestic rendered fat goes to bio-fuel and 19 percent goes to overseas biofuel production.

Indeed, biomass-based diesel continues to be a significant and re-liable source of demand for rendered fats and oils. In the USA, production of biomass-based diesel was around 1.8 billion gallons, a slight increase

from 1.75 billion gallons in 2014. It has proven to be an advanced bio-fuel and most believe it is poised for sustained growth in the USA..

Swisher mentioned that there is an opportunity for rendered protein meal in the poultry and aquaculture sectors, with great demand from Asia, Mexico, and Chile.

During his presentation on Qual-ity Assurance in the Rendering Industry, Dr Ansen Pond, Darling Ingredients, described the rendering process and quality hazards that can occur, observing that the render-ing industry has implemented food safety controls for many years to reduce these hazards.

Pond said: Our industry pro-vides a cycle of sustainability to the food industry, ensuring safety throughout the food chain. Custom-ers expect the rendering industry to provide safe ingredients, with materials from a traceable and sus-tainable source.

outlook good for global poultry

the outlook for the global poultry industry is gradually improving after challenging conditions in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Rabobank's poul-try quarterly report.

Rabobank says that the main factors driving the recovery are increasing demand, lower sup-ply growth in key regions like the US,China,Thailand,andEurope, and price support from recovering red meat markets.

The biggest factor to watch for in 2016 is the Asian supply, given restrictions on breeding stock will reduce production primarily inChina, and also inThailandand

Korea.Global poultry meat trade will

remain highly affected by avian in-fluenza which is currently hitting Nigeria hard and foreign exchange volatility. Prices for the main traded poultry cuts have dropped by 20 percent for breast meat, whole birds and processed, and up to 50 percent for leg quarters. This freefall has now stabilized and will gradually recover in 2016, Rabobank forecast, although avian influenza outbreaks in key export markets are a wild card.

Although the global outlook for feed costs is for corn and soybean to be range-bound at current lev-

els, big differences exist between regions, depending on foreign ex-change and local crop harvest con-ditions. Regions likeIndiaandSouth Africaare hit by adverse crop conditions, whileBrazilandRus-siafeel the impact of negative foreign exchange impacts; inBrazil, this means a more than 30 percent increase in feed costs compared to last year.

BrazilandThailandare the big winners in trade in the short term, but changes are in the pipeline, with newcomers likeMalaysia, Rus-sia,andUkrainecurrently being approved for exports to key import markets.

although nobody Wants a rendering plant in their back-yard, rendering is an impor-tant part in using the whole hog with more and more opportunities for rendering companies around the world. These include everything from biofuel to aquaculture and poultry feed.

That was the message from a se-ries of speakers during the Interna-tional Rendering Symposium at this years IPPE show in Atlanta.

Jessica Meisinger, of the US Na-tional Renderers Association, gave an overview of the Fats and Proteins Research Foundations mission and described several research projects that are currently in development.

These included studies on validating rendering temperatures; the impact of rendered protein meal levels of oxidation on pet food shelf-life; the development of a potent antioxidant from animal byproducts; the use of nanotechnol-


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polIsh processor InVests bIgsuperdrob sa, polands largest meat processing com-pany, is investing PLN200 mil-lion ($50.7 million) into a new plant in the Lodz Special Economic Zone, the company has announced.

The new plant will slaughter, cut, and package chicken, and is anticipated to create 650 new jobs. According to SuperDrob, the project will start in August this year and finish no later than December 2017.

This investment continues Po-lands expansion in poultry. Poland has became the leading producer of poultry meat in the EU, with an annual growth in poultry of four percent. In the last 10 years Polish poultry production doubled, and

reached 2.2 million metric tons in 2014, according to the US Depart-ment of Agriculture. The higher output of poultry meat is being stimulated by growing export demand and domestic consumption although pork still reigns as Poles favorite meat. The USDA says that while the majority of poultry meat exports are directed to the internal EU market (the UK, Germany, and Czech Republic), the Polish industry and government are trying to open new markets, including obtaining eligibility to export to the United States.

Outside of the EU, Poland sells poultry to China, Hong Kong, Bela-rus, and the Congo.

US chicken Sold in SA

south afrIca: After nearly 17-years and a long battle with threats of benefit cuts, US-grown chicken can be found on supermarket shelves in South Africa, according to the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council. Five containers of US bone-in chicken leg quarters and drumsticks from Tyson Foods and House of Raeford Farms have arrived, cleared, and been repackeaged under the Jwayelani Butcheries brand. South Africa imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of US chicken in 2000. The US quota will be 65,000 metric tons.

hoMe-cooked no longer firSt

usa: US consumers spent more for food in away-from-home establishments than for meals prepared and consumed at home for the first time in 2014, according to a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture. Spending at food-away-from-home establishments restaurants, school cafeterias, sports venues, etc. accounted for 50.1 percent of the $1.46 trillion spent on food and beverages by US consumers, businesses, and government entities. The remaining 49.9 percent took place at grocery stores and other retailers.

Uk red MeAt ProdUction UP dUring 2015

brItaIn: Beef production in the UK rose 0.6 percent and sheep meat production 0.5 percent during the twelve months of 2015, according to the latest market analysis by Hybu Cig Cymru-Meat Promotion Wales (HCC).Some 883,200 metric tons of beef and 300,300 metric tons of sheep meat were recorded through UK abattoirs for the 12 months January-December.

World pork market Weak

the global pork market will remain weak in the first quarter of the new year, with the Rabobank five-nation hog price index hitting its lowest point since 2006, according to new research by the ag financial services firm.

The second quarter will bring some improvement, some of which will be a regular seasonal upturn, according to the "Global Pork Quar-terly Q1" report.

"Recent positive demand and price developments in importing countries will start to support prices in exporting countries during Q1," said Albert Vernooij, analyst Animal Protein at Rabobank, in a news release about the report.

In China, imports are expected to further increase, supported by strong domestic prices and further destock-ing of the herd in 2016, which is be-ing driven by stricter environmental regulations, the report said.

In the U.S., industry expansion is

expected to slow after near-record supply growth in 2015, while pack-ers' margins will remain strong due to limited available capacity. Exports are expected to pick up, supported by low prices, the repeal of country-of-origin labeling leg-islation and relisting of plants for export to China.

EU pork market recovery during the first weeks of 2016 will back-track in the weeks to come, due to the suspension of the European Commission's Private Storage pro-gram in January. The program was intended to take excess pork off the market and support prices, but the target volume of pork was reached within just a few weeks.

In Brazil, the market is forecast to follow the trends seen last year, due to continuing good domestic and export demand. This will, however, not result in higher prices due to the challenging domestic economy and low international prices.


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PlAStic cAUSeS 25,000 lb Pork recAlled

usa: Illinois-based McCain Foods USA, Inc. is recalling a massive 25,215 pounds of bacon fritters that may be contaminated with extraneous plastic materials, the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

AlbertA oUtbreAk ProMPtS orgAn recAll

canada: Hillview Meat Processor in Ottawa has recalled raw pork and pork organ products from the marketplace for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reports. The recall was triggered by findings of the CFIA, Alberta Health Services, and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry investigation into an Alberta outbreak involving at least 14 confirmed E. coli infections earlier this month.

chicken SAlAd recAll dUe to PlAStic

usa: Winter Gardens Quality Foods of Pennsylvania, USA, is recalling 3,710 pounds of chicken salad products that may be contaminated with extraneous plastic materials, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

Uk SnAckS recAlled

brItaIn: Easy Eats UK is recalling various Snacksters, Snax on the Go, and Best In Chicken Tikka products, due to the possible presence of salmonella. It is feared that the salmonella is in the tikka powder ingredient used to manufacture these products. No quantity of the products being recalled was given.

reduced antIbIotIc use In 2015

poultry farmers In brItaIn during 2015 have reduced the usage of antibiotics by 28 percent, when compared to 2014s figures, according to the British Poultry Council.

BPC chairman John Reed said that he believes the industry will continue to make further improve-ments following on from analysis of the data.

Our sector has led the way, with

real progress seen since the forma-tion of our BPC Chicken Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme in 2011. The data shows that the industry is holding to its commitment.

Over the past four years, the industry has reported reducing the use of antibiotics while earmarking Colistin as a target for future reduc-tions. In 2012, BPC members signed up to a voluntary ban on third and fourth generation Cephalosporins.

record fIne recallcompensation.

Lawyer Clint Docken says hun-dreds of people in Canada and the United States could apply by the 17 August deadline.

Under the agreement, which refers to possible E. coli contamina-tion, XL Foods does not accept any wrongdoing or liability.

XL Foods recalled more than 1.8 million kilograms of beef in Canada and the United States, and the plant in Brooks, Alta., was later sold to JBS Canada.

Its all In the packagIng

British retail giant Tesco believes its use of robust leak-proof packaging for all raw poultry, which also contains customer information on safe food handling and cooking instructions, is whats leading its reduction in Campylobacter.

According to the retailer, Campy-lobacter at the highest incident level has fallen to seven percent in the final quarter of 2014/15, compared to almost nine percent for the previ-ous quarter.

As it stands, Tesco is on course to meet the target it set itself last sum-mer, which will deliver a reduction

in the presence of Campylobacter at the highest level in at least 95% of chickens by 2017.

Tim Smith, Tescos group qual-ity director, says: With 93% of our chickens now testing negative for the highest levels of campylobacter, our customers can be confident of the quality and safety of the poultry we sell in our stores.

"The latest results are testament to the hard work of our suppliers and clearly demonstrate our ambi-tion to remain at the forefront of any developments to improve the quality and safety of our Tesco chicken.

an alberta court has approved a CA$4-million ($2.92m) settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed after an E. coli outbreak that sparked the larg-est meat recall in Canadian history.

The lawsuit was against XL Foods Inc., which operated a meat-packing plant in southern Alberta during the tainted beef recall in the fall of 2012.

People who became sick af-ter eating the beef or people who purchased the beef can apply for


S A F e t Y n e w S

neW measures to reduce salmonella/campylobacter

the us department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced the finaliza-tion of new federal standards to reduceSalmonellaandCampylobac-terin ground chicken and turkey products, as well as in raw chicken breasts, legs, and wings.

Based on scientific risk assess-ments, FSIS estimates that im-plementation of these standards will lead to an average of 50,000 prevented illnesses annually.

As part of this move to make chicken and turkey safer to eat, FSIS has also updated its microbial testing schedule at poultry facilities and will soon begin posting online individual companies' food safety performance.

"Over the past seven years, USDA has put in place tighter and more strategic food safety measures than ever before for meat and poultry products. We have made strides in modernizing every aspect of food safety inspection, from company record keeping, to labeling require-ments, to the way we perform

testing in our labs," says Agricul-ture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "These new standards, in combination with greater transparency about poultry companies' food safety performance and better testing procedures, will help prevent tens of thousands of foodborne illnesses every year, reaching our Healthy People 2020 goals."

FSIS uses pathogen reduction performance standards to assess the food safety performance of establishments that prepare meat and poultry products. By making the standards for ground poultry tougher to meet, ground poultry products nationwide will have less contamination and therefore result in fewer foodborne illnesses.

The service implemented perfor-mance standards for whole chick-ens in 1996 but has since learned thatSalmonellalevels increase as chicken is further processed into parts. Poultry parts like breasts, wings and others represent 80 percent of the chicken available for Americans to purchase. By creating a standard for chicken parts, and

by performing regulatory testing at a point closer to the final product, FSIS can greatly reduce consumer exposure toSalmonellaandCampy-lobacter.

For chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey, FSIS is finalizing a pathogen reduction performance standard designed to achieve at least a 30 percent reduc-tion in illnesses from Salmonella.

For chicken parts and ground chicken, FSIS is finalizing a patho-gen reduction performance stand-ard designed to achieve at least a 32 percent reduction in illnesses from Campylobacter. Because FSIS has found the prevalence for Campylobacter in ground turkey to be already low, the reduction for this product is estimated to be 19 percent.

Once establishments have com-pleted a full set of testing under the new standards, the agency will also begin posting online which facilities pass, meet or fail the new standards.

An estimated 1.2 million food-borne illnesses are thought to be caused every year bySalmonella.

osha targets poultry plantsthe us department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) education and outreach pro-gram for southern chicken process-ing plants is over; now comes its targeted enforcement period.

According to OSHA, poultry workers are twice as likely to suffer serious injuries and six times more likely to get sick on the job than other private sector workers, facts that are leading federal safety and health inspectors to act in four southeastern states to reduce mus-culoskeletal disorders and ergonomic

stressors affecting industry workers.The program began in Octo-

ber with a three-month period of education and prevention outreach activities to share safety and health information with employers, as-sociations and workers. Employers were encouraged to use this period to bring their facilities into compli-ance with OSHA standards, if they are not already.

OSHA has now begun its tar-geted enforcement phase, including on-site inspections and a review of poultry processing production operations, working conditions,

recordkeeping, chemical handling and safety and health programs to ensure compliance.

"The Regional Emphasis Program is designed to reduce employee exposure to crippling injuries, such as musculoskeletal disorders, and to ensure the industry records all occupational injuries and illnesses accurately," says Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA's regional administrator in Atlanta.

The emphasis program ends this October unless extended. OSHA will continue to open inspections in re-sponse to complaints and accidents.


S A F e t Y n e w S

Wasted money In dIgItal campaIgns

marketIng leaders are looking for more visibility and efficiency across all digital marketing activity, according to over 3,000 business-to-business (B2B) companies that took part in a recent survey by Gleanster Research which went into marketing effec-tiveness.

But, Gleanster Research also found that although a third of average firms and two-thirds of top performing firms are using content management tools, every B2B firm wastes time andmoney on ineffi-cient contentproduction processes. In simple terms, a lot of wheel reinvention is evident, even in the new world of digital communica-tions and this comes at a price.

The overall amount wastedeach year in inefficient and ineffec-tive content marketing spend for mid-to-large B2B organizations is estimated to be a staggering$958 million and thats just in the USA, Vicki Robson of Wireless Economics tells MPJ.

What's the main contributor to such waste? While is it expected that in todays fast-paced, techno-logically advanced society, produc-tivity and effectiveness is mapped at every stage by companies, However, its not, says Robson.

We are visible, constantly avail-

we evaluate. With consumers placing more

focus on what is in their food and the industry demanding transpar-ency on safety, more facets of the food industry are working closely together.

Global companies working with food production animals while still working with producers to eradi-cate disease on the farm are placing equal focus (and spend) on sup-porting processors to enhance food safety protocols.

Long gone is the time where we focused solely on the quality of the product, says Robson. Sustainabil-ity, pathogen management, antimi-crobial resistance, health benefits, welfare issues are all now an integral part of buying decisions.

Digital media gives us the op-portunity to build that relationship between product and consumer while connecting all of the subse-quent partners to address these key issues.

By identifying who your key partners are, and what your target audiences need, only then can you build a digital marketing strategy that suits.

Wireless Economics makes Grav-ity, a digital asset management system for food production and animal heath.

able, and switched on. Our world is more connected and more real-time than ever before, she says.

Tools do exist to manage the growing need to turn multiple content types by subject mat-ter and formats into ready to use new materials. In most businesses these are disparate systems that all compete and ultimately can have a negative impact on productiv-ity. Our experience is showing this to be commonplace throughout all industries.

Robson says that its fair to say that these are perfectly adequate systems per se but, as Gleansters survey reveals, over half of the 3,000 firms frequently miss dead-lines from approval delays, collabo-ration, and the general chaos in content production processes.

Its clear that a wider view would be helpful in plotting future perfor-mance improvements, she says.

If we start with with the Forbes view on what success looks likein their 2015 Leadership Market-ing Trends report; Market Leaders will be those most adept at agility marketing. Being capable of faster adaptation, shorter lead times, al-ways-on, real-time marketing, she quotes. Those leaders will need the tools that deliver these outcomes. This is true no matter which sector

kfc launches nashVIlle hot chIcken

frIed chIcken gIant kfc will introduce its Nashville Hot Chicken in all of its 4,300 US restaurants after months of testing the product in regional markets.

The YUM! Brands chain is promoting the national release of the product with a description on its website that the authentic chicken brings the spicy, smoky flavor featured in the original ver-

sion created in Nashville.KFC reportedly began develop-

ing Nashville Hot Chicken in March 2015 and tested the product in Pittsburgh last fall after making 50 to 70 versions to get the flavor right, KFCs corporate chef told CNN Money.

A two-week promotion last month featured a KFC-branded food truck offering the product in towns called Nashville in several

states, but not in Nashville, Ten-nessee.

Nashville Hot Chicken is the fourth chicken flavor added to the menu in the restaurant chains 86-year history and comes in meals and tenders that include a dipping sauce.

Traditionally, Nashville's hot chicken's key factor is its layer-ing, with each bite giving a new crunchy, spicy taste.


M A r k e t i n g n e w S

teachIng Japanese men roast beef

us meat export federa-tion (USMEF) teamed with a popular Japanese mens fashion and lifestyle magazine for a mens cooking event at a kitchen studio in the fashionable Daikany-ama district of Tokyo. Featuring US beef as the main dish for the upcoming holiday party season, the event offered an opportunity to cook thick-cut U.S. beef. Funding support was provided by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP).

More than 100 applications were received from readers of Oceans magazine. The 15 partici-pants chosen were working men in their 30s and 40s who regularly

cook at home. Most of the men were married and wanted to learn how to prepare US beef for their families.

As peoples lifestyles are chang-ing, many Japanese men are now keen on cooking, said Satoshi Kato, USMEF-Japan marketing manager. According to a consumer survey conducted by Macromill, 40 percent of men 20 to 50 cook once in a week, and 60 percent cook at least once in a month.

To capitalize on this trend and in-crease awareness of US beef among Japans male consumers,

USMEF chose Masashi Miura, a fashion model popular among

Japanese men, as the instructor. A licensed chef, Miura is also known as a cooking specialist who has his own blog to introduce original recipes.

Following Miuras demonstration, participants prepared roast beef using thick-cut U.S. rib-eyes with sauted onions as a side dish.

The men learned about U.S. beefs attributes and high quality, and they enjoyed cooking in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, said Kato. They were also im-pressed with how easy it is to pre-pare roast beef using a frying pan, as well as the gorgeous presentation of thick-cut U.S. beef.

farmers targets classrooms

the us farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has launched an educational ini-tiative called Discovering Farmland, which is designed to provide high school students with a first-hand glimpse into modern agriculture.

Growing out of USFRAs 2014 documentary film, Farmland, the program was created in conjunc-tion with Discovery Education, a provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms.

Discovering Farmland offers interactive resources that allow teachers and students to experi-ence the industry through the eyes of six young farmers and ranch-ers, all while learning about food production's connection to science, economics, technology and sustain-ability.

Designed by Discovery Educa-tion's curriculum experts, the resources aim to stimulate thought-ful conversations between educa-tors and students about key issues including innovative use of tech-nology on farms and how it has

transformed the industry, challenges farmers face such as weather and growing conditions, common stere-otypes around farmers and ranchers, and market supply and demand.

"Since the theatrical release of FARMLAND, we have held hun-dreds of screenings of the film and have often been asked by teachers for content they can share in their classrooms," said USFRA Chair-woman, Nancy Kavazanjian. "The expansion of the film's distribution to high school teachers and students across the country will continue to give more people the opportunity to better connect with their food and farmers and ranchers."

clUeleSS MArketing

uk: A UK marketing firm tasked with promoting 'dream pork pies' didn't do its homework when it contacted a Jewish newspaper for a plug the Jewish faith has banned pork consumption for approximately the last 3,000 years. Bosses at KR Public Relations were "mortified" when they realized where their press release for British Pie Week had been sent.However, a spokesperson for the London-based Jewish Chronicle said they took it well. "We all found it very funny."

'reSeArch' cAfe oPenS

usa: Cooked meat producer Deli Star has opened a research cafe. The new Innovation Center is located in downtown St Louris, Missouri, and features a restaurant-style kitchen for R&D. Lucky customers will work side-by-side with Deli Star's R&D team and chefs, fueling collaboration in creating "innovative protein solutions" for the foodservice industry, or in other words, new types of sliced ham.



burger chaIn pulls offensIVe ads

In a clear case of polItIcal correctness gone amok or mar-keting done well UK restaurant chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen

(GBK) has withdrawn three ads shown across London after just two days, due to offending the vegan community.

One of the ads pulled showed a young cow with the caption: They eat grass so you dont have to. Another read: You always remem-ber the time you gave up being vegetarian, while the third said Vegetarians, resistance is futile.

Our new adverts have purely light-hearted intentions and were not meant to cause offence, said a statement issued by GBK.

Weve been serving beef as a core part of our menu for the last 15 years and while were carni-vores at heart, we have an exten-sive range of vegetarian options

available. We value our vegetarian customers and their views, and have therefore made the decision to remove three of our five ads from the campaign.

Jasmijn de Boo, chief executive of The Vegan Society, claims GBK is out of touch, and its advertise-ments are outdated and highly offensive.

If they wanted to bring in new custom to boost a slow Janu-ary, they ought to have embraced Veganuary rather than alienate a growing section of society and offered some more vegan options, said de Boo.

Thats what their competitors, Handmade Burger Co, have done this month with enormous success.

pulled pork campaIgn set to return

after the success It brought last year in the UK, a pulled pork advertising cam-paign is set to return next month.

Developed by AHDB Pork, the second phase of the campaign will depict the simplicity and taste of pulled pork. It will air in two suc-cessive bursts; first during Febru-ary and March, and then during April and May.

The first set of advertisements has been scheduled to coincide with specific dates in the calendar, such as Valentines Day, Mothering Sunday and Easter. Meanwhile, the second screenings are set to coin-cide with the May Bank Holidays. AHDB Pork identifies these times as prime occasions for roasting joints and cuts. Screenings will be supported by social media and PR activity, as well as the development of a selection of new recipes which can be found at www.lovepork.co.uk.

Were excited to see a second phase of pulled pork activity tak-

ing place during February/March and then again in April/May, said Kirsty Walker, head of marketing for the levy board.

Naturally, we are looking to build on the success of the first phase, which ran for six weeks from 27 April 2015.

Data collection body Kantar Worldpanel showed that the first campaign that took place in 2015, increased pork shoulder sales by 19.2% year-on-year. It also revealed that an additional 206,000 house-holds purchased pork shoulder.

The pulled pork campaign is

the first part of a long-term plan to rejuvenate the image of pork among 25-to-55-year-old consum-ers, added Walker. Indicators of success will be more people trialing pork and having a positive expe-rience and, slowly and steadily, changing perceptions of pork from negative to positive.

To celebrate the dates on which these advertisements will be shown, AHDB Pork has created specific recipes. These include: Valentines Day pulled pork pot pies and sweet spiced pulled pork with plum compote for Mothers Day.

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Concerns are being raised about this years Midwest winter wheat crop after an extremely mild December gave way to a very wet and cold January. The worry is that fields, which had not yet entered dormancy, were damaged by the water. But, just how much damage wont be known until spring.

US winter wheAt

After four years of drought, this years El Nino is bringing much needed rain and snow fall, breaking records in some areas of the Golden State. The drought has affected food prices throughout North America. In Canada, California shortages combined with a weak Canadian dollar has brought the price of staples like cauliflower up from CA$2.50 last year to CA$8.00 this year.

cAliforniA wet

The worse locust swarms since 1954 are threatening to devour crops in Argentinas three northern provinces. Farmers complain they had to fight the infestations on their own until the swarms grew so large that the government finally stepped in.

ArgentinA SwArMS

World In


w e A t h e r

South Africans, already facing a weak currency, will soon feel the effect of rising food prices as the country will most probably have to import

corn (maize), warned Agricultural Minister Senzeni Zokwana. The major cause of the country's agricultural problems is the long-standing

drought, which has reached its driest and hottest levels in over a century. Cattle farmers in particular

are being hit hard and are having to sell their animals due to a lack of feed and water.

SA droUght

The UN reports that a food crisis is looming in Ethiopia after the worst

drought in 50-years, destroying wheat, corn, and sorghum crops across the African country. Already among the worlds poorest countries, Ethiopia will see the number of people that

need food aid double this year. Africas second most populous country after Nigeria will need to buy millions of

tons of wheat.

food criSiS

Much-above normal temperatures in early winter maintained mostly

favorable conditions for winter crops over central and northern Europe

except for those crops requiring a cold dormancy period. January rains eased

dry conditions in Spain and Italy.

eUroPe PleASAnt

WeatherScientists report that 2015 was the hottest year in the historical record by far, breaking a mark set only the

year before a burst of heat that has continued into this year and is roiling

weather patterns all over the world.In the United States, the year was the

second-warmest on record, punctuated by a December that was both the

hottest and the wettest since record-keeping began.

hot world


w e A t h e r

product neWs

Mixing company Admix has made two flagship products the DynaShear emulsifier and the Rotomixx portable batch mixer available through its new Quick Ship program. According to Lou Beaudetter, president and CEO of the US-based company, both products are available to ship within 14 days of order receipt. Both the DnyaShear and the Rotomixx meets 3-A Sanitary Standards as well as USDA-AMS and AG-Canada hygienic standards for meat and poultry processing equipment. In Europe, Admix conforms to EC standards.Both units are all stainless steel, clean-in-place, and constructed with FDA-approved materials. "Partnering with Admix provides complete access to our expertise and our fully equipped pilot labs in N.A. and Europe. Your new products move from development to full production faster and more cost effectively," says the company.

Quick-ship program

Worximity, a sensor system designed in Montreal, allows processors to see what is happening on the production line in real-time, including productivity, downtime, and yields from raw materials. Worximity sensors are installed on production equipment and capture information such as the weight of products or the number of boxes filled.This data, along with data collected by the processing machines already installed, is then sent to the Worximity application called Tileboard, which works with PCs, tablets, and smart phones. The data is stored in the Cloud so it can be accessed anytime from anywhere. We estimate that this technology can improve productivity by at least 2% over the next year, says Billy Dedes, president of Canadian chicken processing company Viandes Central Bernard.

Monitor in real-time

The CSK-2 Skinner from Prime is the next generation of the industrys most successful skinner. In addition to Primes patented skinning system, the CSK-2 features precisely adjustable air cylinders that allow the upper belt to follow product contours for optimal skinning of whole or split breasts, and bone-in legs and thighs. Designed for ease of use, the CSK-2 can be fully opened for sanitation in 15 seconds, and a quick-change skinning assembly cartridge that can be swapped in under 15 minutes. Additionally, the pinchblock is automatically air-adjusted to prevent over-tightening, extending service life. Primes new CSK-Auto Skinner, designed for bone-in legs and thighs, uses two of Primes patented skinning heads, configured so that a loader is not needed to present the product a specific way to the skinner.

New Prime skinner


p r o d u C t n e w S

Cantrells new Gizzard Harvester CGH-9600 has several new, innovative features such as a newly-designed infeed guide, outlet guide, spreader bar, water manifold, safety screen, transport and pinch-off rollers, and peeler rollers.The innovative infeed guide provides a more centered gizzard cut and an outlet guide which allows the machine to better handle variations in product size.Its newly-designed spreader bar allows for higher product recovery rate. The water manifold provides even more accurate pinpointing of water in the process, improves splitting of the product and aids in the servicing of the machine.New peeler rollers have been designed for better peeling of the product and the new design for the transport and pinch-off rollers improve performance. And a safety screen was added to allow for examination of the CGH-9600s performance.

MaxiMiser says that its waste water heat recovery systems and boiler stack gas heat recovery systems allows you to heat process water up to 140 F by utilizing the waste energy normally lost to the atmosphere in your boiler stack exhaust or down the drain with your waste hot water. The US-based company offers clients turn-key systems which will start paying back its costs the first time it is used. MaxiMiser uses 100 percent stainless steel construction with all metal parts, using a 11-gauge stainless steel shell. In examining the construction of MaxiMisers sytems, MPJ found the welding in particular to be of very high quality. The company offers full systems designed, made specifically for your application.

Pays for itself

Gizzard harvester

QST Ingredients and Packaging of California wowed the crowds at Atlantas IPPE show with its natural smoke flavors. With multiple samplings of QSTs chicken pieces cooked with its smoke products, MPJ found it to be extremely natural tasting and subtle enough to allow the flavor of the chicken to come through. The company manufactures a full line of natural smoke flavorings for meat and food processing, with each product customized for a particular application. The smoke products can be atomized, drenched directly, added directly to meat emulsions or brine formulations, incorporated in a seasoning blend, or sprayed on either pre or post cook. QSTs smoke products are available in both water-based and oil-based mediums, with a smoke flavor ranging from light to heavy. MPJ believes your customers will have a hard time deciding it the product was smoked over wood for 12 hours or flavored.

Smoke tastes natural


p r o d u C t n e w S

beef Is back


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jorg

e ro

YAn

at the recent Ippe shoW in Atlanta, a chicken producer was standing with a friend in front of a companys massive stand that displayed the latest and greatest in chicken processing equipment. There was equipment for wings,

legs and thighs, backs, gizzards, and every other conceivable part of a bird.

There is a sense in order in the chicken world from egg to packaging, all taking place within 45 days. Get knocked down by disease? Dust yourself off and youre back in a production cycle within two months. Over-or-under production, again, easy to regulate. Sales sluggish? Change from fried chicken to Memphis

fried chicken.But suddenly you could almost feel the

shudder as a thought crossed the chicken producers mind. Those beef guys, I just dont get them, he was overheard telling his friend. Theyre a bunch of mavericks.

You can understand the chicken producers lament. While worldwide producers of chicken produce more protein than any other meat source at figures which will continue to rise at least until 2025 chicken is seen as a commodity, its what consumers eat. But beef, thats what consumers demand and are willing to pay for with high prices.

And yes, beef producers are mavericks. In the US, well over half of all cattle farmers have 50 head of cattle or less, with most having other

After several years of low production and high prices which drove consumers to other proteins sources, beef is coming back strong in 2016. throughout the world, production is up and so is demand.

Above: A cattle yard in Argentina. Production will finally be up this year.


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jobs to support this passion. Deserved or not, much of the world sees something romantic about how cattle are raised, something not shared with the much more efficient poultry industry.

world Scene

many analysts are predIctIng this year that although the worlds beef supply is increasing, prices should remain firm throughout most beef-eating countries. However, there are two wild cards in this deck and theyre the two largest import markets: the USA and China. The US dollar is continuing to grow in strength, making it an importers dream, which should reduce some beef prices at the US checkout counter. At this point pundits are saying the only thing which can derail the dollar will be if a real wild card wins the US presidential election in November.

Despite the world press claiming that Chinas economy and stock market are in near freefall, MPJ believes the news is exaggerated. While President Xi Jinping is not the strongest leader

China has had, never-the-less, with China exerting itself in the South China Sea and projecting itself on the world stage, it cannot afford to appear weak either militarily or economically. Its economy will only be allowed to fall so far.

USA

a predIcted usa upsWIng In supply of beef, poultry, and pork this year means tougher competition among meat producers and leading to lower prices for consumers, analysts claim.

Ranchers are continuing to regrow cattle herds after a drought shrunk the industry during the last six years, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. Export bans on poultry products have meant a flooded US chicken and turkey market, and an influx of pork imports from Canada, along with record-high hog litter rates, also will help increase US meat supplies, according to the same report.

Travis Justice, chief economist at the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said this will drag down prices at grocery stores and in restaurants.

nev

inh

o

Above: Brazilian Caracu are multiuse cattle


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"The protein competition will be stiffer as we go through 2016," he says. "Given our production increases across all the protein products, we are going to expect retail prices to be trending lower."

US beef imports are off to a slow start this year and there is broad expectation that import volume will decline sharply in 2016. This is expected to offset in part the increase in domestic production. USDA forecasts domestic beef production in 2016 to increase 3.7% from 2015 levels and yet per capita consumption is forecast to increase just 0.7%.

brAzil

brazIl Is expected to access the USAs fresh beef market this year. This will not only provide entry into the US market but will also facilitate the South American giants entry into other markets.

According to Rabobank, Brazil has the potential to deliver an additional 1 million metric tons of beef to the international market in the coming years, but there are issues which will need to be addressed before this can happen.

Rabobank says that although Brazil is already a key global player in the sector, the structure and coordination of its beef value chain is still less developed than that of other important beef exporters. This situation limits Brazils production potential, and it increases both costs and risks along the chain. It cites better management as perhaps of the most critical ways in which the Brazilian beef industry could reach this goal.

AUStrAliA

accordIng to meat & lIVestock Australia (MLA), the Australian cattle industry will be influenced by a number of extreme forces in 2016.From a cattle supply point of view, numbers

over the coming two years will fall to levels not seen in more than 20 years. This alone will more than likely stimulate strong competition between re-stockers, feedlots, and processors for the limited availability.

The national herd is estimated to fall to 26.2 million head by 30 June 2016, before declining slightly again in 2017, to 25.9 million head. If this occurs, it will represent a 3.4 million head, or 12%, fall since 2013 and become the lowest national herd for 24 years (1993).

Australian beef and veal exports are expected to fall as a result of lower production, not due

to waning demand. The prediction of the A$ to average between $0.66-69 is a significant positive. But this needs to be balanced against the heightened competition from Brazil in many markets, the expectation of high US poultry and pork production, higher year-on-year US beef production, and significantly weaker US beef markets compared to 12 months ago.

JAPAn

australIan and the usa WIll be duking it out this year for Japans market. In 2014, Japan imported nearly $3.5 billion of beef and beef products, making it the third-largest beef importer in the world. The United States and Australia are the primary suppliers, and together represent roughly 90 percent of Japans 2014 beef imports. From 2004 to 2006, Japan banned imports of U.S. beef due to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, boosting imports from Australia and making it the top supplier of beef to Japan. The US share of this market has since recovered but imports remain below pre-ban totals. The 2015 Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA) significantly reduces tariffs on Australian beef, potentially at the expense of US beef. USDA research shows that providing similar market access to both the US and Australia would result in a significant net gain in Japanese imports of US beef.

new zeAlAnd

for neW zealand beef producers it looks like there will be a more settled situation for the meat processing part of the sector now that Silver Fern Farms' equity courtship is over, according to MeatExportNZ.

"Overall, it means global business for the 25,000 strong workforce can really get underway in 2016, into whatever economic climate we have in front of us," says MeatExportNZ.

"Pre-Christmas analysis from the Meat Industry Association signaled the likelihood that there will be atighter supply of New Zealand beeffor customers into 2016.However, what we have will be going out into a freer trade world after the signing of significant free trade agreements, such as with Korea and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) last year."

The Kiwi meat industry has also welcomed the news that a EU-NZ FTA is on the cards though a lot of work will need to be done to achieve a satisfactory deal, especially with pressure from some European producer groups.


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centrAl And SoUth AMericA

the us department of agrIculture projects that beef consumption in Mexico will increase seven percent from 2014-2019 due to rising incomes. While some of the increased demand will be supplied by a larger Mexican cattle herd, imports are also expected to increase by over nine percent over the same period. If the USDA is correct, this will reverse a declining trend in Mexican beef consumption.

In a way that seems like a case of selling ice cubes to Eskimos, paperwork is underway in Argentina to allow Uruguay to import beef to the beef-crazy country, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.

During a press conference, Argentina's Agriculture Secretary Ricardo Negri said: "We had beef imports for years in the north-east so it should not be hard to reestablish them."

The Agrenine Ministry's Cabinet Chief Guillermo Bernaudo said that he expected pork sales to replace declining beef consumption in the coming months. Beef prices rose in the past few weeks as producers bet on breeding larger cattle to sell abroad, reducing the amount of slaughters for local consumption.

In November 2015 beef prices shot up by 40%. Pressure from the new government has brought beef prices down 10% from this high, but it is still expensive for the average consumer who has seen the value of the peso drop.

Despite the difficulty in supplying beef to its own people, Argentine beef exports in 2016 are forecast up to 280,000 tons carcass-weight equivalent (cwe) says the USDA.

This will be the the highest volume since 2009-2010 and some analysts indicate that exports could be even higher, depending on the policies that could be implemented by the newly elected government in December 2015. There is currently a lot of uncertainty in the sector, but many players point out that adjustments will be needed to improve the countrys export competitiveness.

Local beef traders believe that export limitations, export taxes and the strong local currency could be revised. Through July 2015 Argentine beef exports increased eight percent compared to the same period of last year.

Exports to China (plus Hong Kong) increased 61 percent in this same period. China has become the countrys number one destination. On the other hand, beef exports to the Russian Federation dropped 61 percent. Exports to China, the EU, Chile and Israel currently account

for more than 80 percent of Argentinas beef shipments. Local exporters expect that once the US market for fresh beef is open, it will become an important export destination. In June 2015, USDA announced the reopening of the market to fresh and frozen beef imports from Argentina.

cAnAdA

Its a good tIme to be a canadIan beef producer but a bad time to be a Canadian beef lover. The Canadian dollar has been dropping in value against the US dollar, leaving Canadian cows a bargain when priced in US dollars. The end to US rules that required imported meat be labeled and handled separately is expected to drive up Canadian exports of beef even more.

Canada, the worlds seventh-largest beef exporter, saw prices surge earlier in 2015 amid tighter supplies, with the cattle herd dwindling to the smallest in 22 years after a decade marked by mad cow disease, floods, droughts, and labor shortages.

Uk

While the UKs National Farmers Union seems stuck in the past, organizations in Scotland are charging ahead. For example, at a recent meeting which brought together all UK stakeholders in the meat supply chain, NFU livestock adviser John Royle is reported as having given a marketing suggestion which sounds 25-years out of date. We heard that the retail sector is changing where shoppers seek out meals that can be prepared in 30 minutes as opposed to an hour in the 1980s," say Royle.

The whole supply chain needs to react and that starts with clear market signals to producers, and for processors and retailers to develop and put to market new innovative cuts and products that resonate with the British consumer.

Further north, however, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin one of Scotlands most noted chefs is taking the message of what makes Scotch Beef PGI a cut above the rest, from the heart of rural Scotland to the city center of London.

The top chef is reminding consumers of what sets Scotch Beef apart in a new Quality Meat Scotland campaign. The 13-week campaign is showcasing Scotch Beef and the flavor, provenance, traceability and integrity


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which underpin the brands PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status.

With the strapline of Theres beef, theres Scottish beef, then theres Scotch Beef, the campaign will target English consumers to inform, educate and inspire them to use Scotch Beef when they cook. The campaign will also run in Scotland.

A key objective of the 2016 campaign is to clearly differentiate Scotch Beef, and the marketing push will include billboard and press advertising as well as on-line activity.

indiA

IndIas beef/buffalo market WIll run into more problems this year as Hindu hardliners supported by the government are trying to get the slaughter of cows banned.

The issue is complicated at best. While cows are considered sacred in the Hindu religion,

some Indian states allow certain cattle to be slaughtered, depending on factors like age, sex, and continued economic viability. The slaughtering is done by Muslims which adds to the religious problem.

Although India is the largest beef exporter in the world, all of its export sales are of buffalo beef, which can legally be slaughtered. The total herd size of its buffalo population is around 110 million head, with China and Vietnam being the largest export markets. However, once slaughtered most cannot tell the difference between buffalo beef and regular beef. How much of the buffalo beef is actually male calves from Hindu dairy farms is anyones guess.

According to a report by Reuters, buffalo beef exports have fallen over the past six months as traders struggle to source sufficient supplies. It claims that religious activists, alleging that cows are being killed and then falsely labeled as buffalo beef for export, have been targeting meat processors and transporters, and disrupting the whole supply chain.

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the perfect steak


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You say its not possible, its only a dream, but Mpj will let you in on a secret, you can find the perfect steak. You only have to know where to look and have the airfare to get there plus bring your own frying pan. but trust us, it will be the best money youve ever spent

hg wAlter


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a recent neW york tImes article delved into the family affairs of 92-year-old billionaire media mogul Sumner Redstone, his daughter Shari Redstone, and a mistress or two.

One of the moguls lovers, Manuela Herzer, became angered after finding out she was being cut out of his will and responded with a lawsuit, alleging that Sumner Redstone was mentally incompetent and had an insatiable appetite for sex and steak.

While it is not the purpose of this article to question how it is possible to be considered even for a second mentally incompetent if you have an insatiable appetite for sex and steak, it is important to note that Sumner Redstone was not being accused of having an insatiable appetite for boneless chicken breasts or pork chops.

What is it about steak that makes most of us start salivating at the thought? Why do so many romantic evenings that end in bedroom bliss start with a piece of medium rare? After all, steak is the number one dish on Valentines Day.

Is it the perfect aroma of fat and meat while its being grilled? The thought of just how good this piece of beef will taste? Is there something primeval in our genetic makeup that steak unlike coq au vin touches perhaps days gone by, sitting around a cave fire and eating grilled mammoth steaks with our tribe.

But truth be told, much of what passes for steak at leading supermarkets and even many restaurants can hardly be considered the subject of gastronomical fantasies. Indeed, if it was so easy to find a good steak, would author Mark Schatzker have travelled the world searching for one in his brilliant book STEAK (see this issues Back Page Interview).

What most supermarkets pass off to consumers is tray-packaged steak that is red with freshness and lacks decent marbling and flavor. While it is difficult enough to find a supermarket which actually sells aged beef, even steak restaurant chains that do have perfectly aged beef, first season the steak to oblivion, or worse cover it with green pepper or Cabernet sauce, leaving you with a very tender piece of seasoning. And if chefs arent reaching for sauces, we are. Kraft Foods, maker of sauces and condiments including world famous A1 Sauce (it dropped Steak from the title in 2014), was worth $52.2 billion last year.

Even a vegan could summarize the obvious: that somewhere over the years in our quest for USDA Prime tender steaks we lost the most important factor in a good steak taste. However, some butchers are fighting back.

A Gucci or Pravda shopping bag may get looks from those concerned about fashion, but nothing draws stares of envy from the meat crowd in London like a bag from HG Walter at least those in the know. And it takes being in the know because the butcher shop, besides being off the beaten path, is a study of contradictions.

To begin with, HG Walter is located about a spit away from Barons Court Tube Station. While this isnt a shabby part of town, it definitely isnt Mayfair and it isnt even nearby Earls Court which at least gets an apostrophe in its name.

There is the size of the shop. From the outside it looks small. On one side its flanked by a real estate agent, on the other is a tiny corner shop where you can buy Walls ice cream bars and a lottery ticket. If this is your first time to HG Walter, its hard not to double and triple check your address this cannot possibly be one of Londons leading butcher shops which has won awards for being Best small butcher in Britain and Best butcher in London and Southeast.

And then there is the subtitle: The Family Butcher. In the United Kingdom, that on a shop window means you can expect sawdust on the floor, a tip of the butchers hat, and a staff saying ello madam, fine day for a bit of kidney pie. Nothing can be further from the truth except for the fact that is is a family run business: founder Peter Heanen who is now stepping back slightly and leaving three of his grown children to run it: Adam, Clare, and Daniel.

The shop itself has recently had a 1 million ($1.45m) refit, giving it a stylish, very upmarket look, which culminates at the far end of the retail counter with a very high, very large glass enclosed beef aging locker in which the Mona Lisa would not look out of place. Despite what the shop looks like to the customer, behind the scenes it occupies three floors, with space out to the sides, has 40 people working there and an operation going on 24/7, including a three-hour clean-down every day.

You quickly realize that this is the sort of place where meat is revered and honored.

the beginning

sIxty-eIght-year-old peter greets you with a warm smile and handshake. While hes slim and not very tall; you have no doubt that he can put a full beef carcass across his back and haul it up the narrow staircase from the basement to the second floor in record time. Its something hes


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Peter Heanen holding a beautiful piece of beef.

hg

wAl

ter


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been doing since he was 14.When I first started as a butcher I worked

for a large company that had around 300 shops around Britain with each and every one now closed; it was excellent training of what not to do, he says.

When I look back at the shops we had, they were low-end. Meat was sourced from Latin America or Australia and we got it on the bone. This changed after a hoof and mouth disease scare and it became vacuum sealed.

We sold packaged beef and always seemed to have special offers going on to attract customers. Across the street was a traditional butchers where the beef was hung to age, there were no special offers, and the place was packed.

The thing is, people in the UK have always cared [about beef] but the markets havent. My god, British beef is the king of all meats with the right fat on it. Weve always had grass fed cattle and have always grilled and roasted the beef, thats been our tradition for thousands of years. The French, on the other hand, get a piece of beef and they stew it in a pot all day.

In 1972, 24-year-old Peter bought HG Walter and kept the shops name. Success did not come right away and it remained a struggle for sometime, not least because he was a single father with four young children. Because steak only took minutes to cook, his children ate a lot of steak during that period a lot of steak says Adam. Peter paid the previous owner in monthly

payments, sometimes using meat for payment if he didnt have the cash on hand.

In 2000 Peter had a moment of epiphany. I woke up and realized I decided to identify what market I wanted to be in the high end. He gave the shop the first of two massive overhauls, upped his game, and never looked back. According to Adam, trade almost doubled overnight.

My friends thought I was crazy; butcher shops were disappearing across the UK and people were buying their meat at supermarkets, and here I was putting a lot of money into this one to make it the shop it should be, says Peter.

According to the Independent newspaper, the number of British butchers has fallen from 30,00 to only 6,000 in the last 20-years. From his years of experience, Peter knew that the secret would be to find the right niche which would make his shop stand out from the seemingly all-powerful supermarket chains.

That niche was buying from small, specialty farmers around the UK who raise free-range, organically fed, hormone-free animals in the traditional way which means grass fed as opposed to being fattened with corn in a feedlot.

Peter, or one of this children, have visited every farm they buy from to ensure that the meat will be at the quality they expect. We dont chop and change, its very important to us the relationship we have with our beef producers. I dont feel the need to try others for the sake of change, he says.

How an animal is fed, raised, butchered, and cook is all part of a chain and were in it, says Clare.

Adam echoes this comment, adding that as romantic as it sounds dealing directly with farmers, more often than not, they deal directly with agents who know exactly what they are looking for.

Peter says that 90 percent of what the big farms produce is not what they want. What they do, its not bad beef, its just not great.

What he looks for is a steer with a lot of fat, 18 to 24 months old, weighing from 150 to 180 kilos side dressed. The actual breed comes second.

Weve done different breeds, but flavor is everything. No two animals taste exactly the same so if we had to choose between marbling or breed, we would go with marbling.

While HG Walters buys from farms throughout Britain, most of its beef comes from Scotland and is an Aberdeen Angus cross, raised in open fields.

Peter speculates that the long Scottish winters and the days of constant rain encourages Scottish cattle to put on the firm succulent fat

Mpj

Above: Beautiful marbeling in sirloin and rib-eye steaks


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Adam Heanen slicing two 45-day aged steaks he had just fried in a cast iron pan

Mpj


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he wants.HG Walters dry ages prime cuts on the bone

for a minimum of 28 days and certain cuts such as sirloin are aged for up to 45 days whereas many butchers dont do so, in order to keep the costs down. Quality and perfection isnt cheap: sirloin steak, for instance, costs around35/kg ($23/lb), and fillet steak 50/kg ($33/lb) at HG Walter.

About 40 percent of its trade is retail, with a mixture of home deliveries and walk-in. While they will do mail order, its not something they go after. The remaining 60 percent is commercial with sales to around 200 restaurants, with 30 of these having a Michelin Star.

A big selling item they have for restaurants is their hand-packed burgers made with a mixture of 80/20 beef to fat, with zero fillers. Peter is hesitant to tell the exact number of burgers they sell weekly only to say its in the thousands. The fat for the burgers comes from beef that has been aged giving them a unique flavor.

In addition, HG Walters sells other beef cuts, pork, lamb, sausages, and poultry. It has a large cheese counter, sells cooked-on-premises items like sausage rolls, Scottish eggs (a boiled egg covered in sausage meat, rolled in bread crumbs

and fried) and other traditional butcher fare. Peter says the future looks rosy for HG

Walters and a huge reason for this is down to his children.

While Peter laid the foundation, Adam, Clare, and Daniel are the ones building on it. In too many family-run businesses, children are working there only because theyre too lazy or incompetent to work anywhere else. With Peters children, theyre butchers because theyre fanatics about beef and the business, and its almost difficult to hear yourself think as they discuss their favorite subject meat.

Peter and Adam both say that training staff is one of the key factors in HG Walters growth, along with giving a good wage and showing respect. Besides providing staff with breakfast or dinner, staff can also take things home within reason.

While Adam is more ready to talk about it and Peter less, it is extremely evident that their current location is too small. Beef is aged in different lockers around the three floors and it doesnt take an efficiency expert to point out that staff time could be better utilized if meat wasnt being schlepped around. In addition, the shop has seven delivery vans with issues

The retail beef counter at WH Walter.

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common to any congested city.Again, depending on who you talk to, they

are either actively looking for a wholesale space outside of London, or theyre actively thinking about it.

What concerns me about a split of the shop is that what makes us strong now is that all staff are in the same location; we all know each other. If we move part of our operation outside of London, will we lose this advantage? says Peter. The only way I could see of getting around this would be to rotate staff around between the two locations.

the tASte

When asked about hoW good their steak taste, both Adam and Peter are quick to show you. Adam selects a 45-day aged sirloin and a similarly aged rib-eye for a comparison.

The Heanens believe that simpler is better when it comes to cooking steak and Adam cooks the two the same way. He first heats up a cast iron frying pan over a gas fire, puts in a splash of excellent quality Italian virgin olive oil, and

slides the steaks in the pan before the oil has a chance to start smoking.

He allows for three minutes per side and seasons only with freshly crushed salt and black pepper. Peter, looking on with a critical eye, says to cook the fat on the sides first will increase flavor.

Once off the stove Adam lets the steaks rest for about five minutes and then slices them into strips. Even if you have eaten well aged steaks, or grass fed steaks, or a combination of both, its almost bet-worthy to say youve never eaten steaks like these before.

The first bite gives you such an eruption of flavors that it doesnt seem like youre eating steak it tastes too amazing and too different from typical bland steak. Much like how wine and even olive oil picks up tastes from the soil and region in which it is grown, there must be something special in the small farms of Scotland where HG Walters source its beef.

Of the two steaks, three people thought the rib-eye, which had a slightly more grainer texture, tasted best; Peter went with the sirloin.

A steak for everyone should be a treat, says Peter. We have high expectations with the beef we sell.

Street view of HG Walter in London's Baron Court

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US Meat'sman In Japan

the us meat export Federation (USMEF) has recently promoted Takemichi Yamashoji to the position of Japan director. Yamashoji has been with USMEF since 1999, serving most recently as senior marketing director. As director

of USMEFs Japan operations, he will now be responsible for managing market development programs for US beef and pork, identifying emerging opportunities for US exporters, monitoring regulatory and public policy proceedings and evaluating economic trends and conditions in the Japanese market.

USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng says: At a time when the Japanese beef and pork markets are extremely competitive and USMEF must battle each and every day to expand and defend US market share, our Japan operations could not be in better hands.

Japan is the leading value market for both US pork and beef, with 2015 exports (through November) totaling $1.46 billion and $1.19 billion, respectively. MPJ talks to Yama-san.

mpJ: Japans own domestic beef production is unlikely to expand, but can the demand for beef increase?

yama-san: I think total beef demand is gradually increasing in 2016, and demand for US beef is edging higher as well.

Just how competitive is the Japanese meat market?

Current US beef market share (muscle cuts only) in Japan is about 20% and Australian, Canadian, Mexican, and domestic beef are all aggressively trying to expand market share. Recently some EU member countries also received approval to export to Japan. Japan is a high-value market so it is a prime target for any beef-exporting country.

American beef was banned for some time in Japan; do Japanese consumers still associate

BSE with American beef?

US beef was banned from Dec. 2003 to June 2006, so almost for two and a half years. These days, consumers are much less concerned about BSE and do not associate it with US beef.

Still, does this give Australian beef an edge?

It was an advantage for Australian beef when imports US beef were limited to cattle less than 21 months of age, because this limited US supply. But since the cattle age limit for US beef was raised to 30 months (in 2013), BSE is much less of a factor. The main advantages for Australian beef in 2015 were the large supplies available for export due to drought-induced liquidation and the duty rate advantage Australian beef enjoys under the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.

In Japan it seems like the concept of beef is for it to be highly marbled. Serving sizes are small and there is an elaborate grading system to rate marbling and beef quality with a Kobe A5 steak looking almost like a snowflake in a shape of a business card. Americans like their steaks, big, thick, juicy and red. Can an American steak be accepted and desired in Japan?

Yes, very much so. Now leaner meat, we call Akanimiku is the trend in Japan. Consumers are highly health conscious now. They especially love leaner beef for barbecue and steak. So USMEF is promoting Akaminiku leaner beef and thick cut steaks these items are very successful.

Americas food ambassadors in Japan have been McDonalds, Subway, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Is it a challenge then getting Japanese consumers to add beef to that line-up?

Yes, it is challenge but high-end hamburger shops like Shake Shuck opened a few months ago, using US beef.


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American beef tongue has proved to be very popular in Japan; does this make consumers more inclined to want to try the rest of the steer?

Tongue can sometimes be a gateway to consumers trying other beef items, but tongue is very popular in its own right. Tongue is an excellent export item for US companies because it commands such a premium in Japan compared to any other destination.

The Welsh beef/lamb marketing team has been busy in Germany for some time. They found that the idea of eating steak appeals more to men than women so this is the group theyre going after, nicknaming them Webers. Is it similar in Japan?

Steak is growing in popularity with both genders in Japan, so its difficult to say.

The USDA has been holding the Great American Barbeque Trade Show in Japan with beef and other meats being part of the promotion. Will you be working with the USDA Agricultural Trade Office in promoting events such as this?

Yes, USMEF participated this show and it is effectively working to meet Japans growing appetite for American-style barbecue.

Last year for the first time since 2003 all products from US cattle less than 30 months

of age would be eligible for export to Japan, which has brought Colorados Perky Jerky to Japan. Will this change in regulations lead to more than just jerky?

USMEF Japan is working with Perky Jerky to introduce its product in Japan, and we have big opportunities for other processed beef items such as beef salami and beef sausage.

What will be the best part of your new position?

I am able to communicate with both industry and consumers to promote US beef and pork.

What do you see will be your greatest challenge?

Japan is the largest market for US beef and pork in value basis, but still U.S. beef and pork have a relatively small market share in Japan. So I think big challenge is to expand market share by displacing our competitors in the market. Price is also a challenge due to the strength of the US dollar compared to our competitors currencies especially the Aussie dollar and the euro.

In front of you is a piece of Japanese-raised Kobe beef and an American rib-eye steak. If you could only have one, hand-on-heart, which would it be?

No doubt, I will have American rib-eye steak.

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Above: Takemichi `Yamashoji and team from USMEF in Japan


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rIse In global beef demand

mpJ: Could you give us a history of Jarvis?

Vincent Volpe: The J

Meat Packing Journal, Jan~Feb 2016, vol 3 iss 2

Documents

Transcript of Meat Packing Journal, Jan~Feb 2016, vol 3 iss 2