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Thawing out frozen meat myths
- Source: Meat and Poultry
02.09.2022
By Jeff Savell and Kerri Gehring
We know that the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 impacted the US production and marketing of meat products. With the mandatory closing of schools and non-essential businesses, including dine-in food facilities, many people and families started consuming all three meals at home instead of at work, at school, or eating out. This required meat processing facilities to drastically reduce or stop production of some foodservice products and transition to or increase the production of products being sold in grocery stores. Along with all these changes, meatpacking and processing establishments were facing temporary closures due to employee illnesses, which created backlogs of livestock and resulted in meat supply chain issues that continued for some time.
Transitioning to frozen
To address supply chain issues, some establishments had to adjust their purchasing specifications and shift to products that had not previously been used, including the use of frozen products. This made the industry start questioning some of the long-standing purchasing practices. For example, the US beef industry has historically purchased and marketed primarily fresh (non-frozen) products, especially retail and foodservice products, but the uncertainty of supply during the pandemic made people question the role of freezing meat.
It’s no secret that freezing is an easy, effective and frequently used method for extending the shelf life of many foods. When freezing meat, it is important to remember that freezing slows bacterial growth, but it does not kill bacteria, therefore, appropriate handling during thawing is required to prevent bacterial growth. Freezing does stop the aging process that contributes to meat tenderness; therefore, the desired aging period should occur before freezing. Additionally, freezing has little to no impact on the nutritive value of meat. However, frozen meat has historically been considered inferior, especially in quality, and less desirable than fresh meat. For many, the thought was that something must have been wrong with the product for it to be frozen rather than sold in the chilled/refrigerated state.
To protect quality characteristics of meat, the “freeze fast, thaw slow” technique is a simple-sounding phrase often used to describe the most-recommended practice of freezing and thawing meat. Unfortunately, this technique is not as simple as it sounds. There are various methods for freezing and thawing meat products used across the industry leading to inconsistencies in product handling, as well as variability in quality of frozen products. We know that product handling before freezing, freezing rate, conditions during frozen storage, and thawing conditions and rate can all influence quality characteristics. In general, the freeze-fast, thaw-slow approach is designed to prevent cell lysing which can lead to dehydration, freezer burn, oxidative rancidity, excessive purge and excessive cooking losses – all of which negatively impact quality.
Given the different freezing and thawing methodologies in use, it is important to understand the relationships between freezing rate and various meat quality factors, such as drip loss, water-holding capacity, tenderness and color. Methods for freezing meat, may include:
- Still air – air is the heat transfer medium.
- Blast freezer – cold air, in rooms or tunnels, equipped with fans to provide rapid air movement.
- Plate freezer – product is placed on trays that are in direct contact with metal freezer plates.
- Liquid immersion/sprays – like sodium chloride brine, glycols and glycerol.
- Cryogenic freezing – condensed or liquefied gases, like liquid Nitrogen.
Still air is often the slowest freezing method, while contact freezers, such as direct contact (immersion freezers) and in-direct (plate freezers) are very efficient with regard to heat transfer rate. There are multiple research articles written about the impact of freezing on meat quality. One study showed that freezing M. longissimus by calcium chloride immersion resulted in decreased purge but had no effect on shear force values when compared to air freezing (Kim et al., 2015). Wang et al. (2020) compared freezing of a manufactured beef steak product in a refrigerator freezer, an immersion (ethanol, propylene glycol, NaCl) freezer, and with a plate freezer, and reported immersion freezing as optimal.
If optimal mechanisms for freezing and thawing meat can be used without sacrificing quality, then freezing of raw materials may help address supply-and-demand issues, such as increased needs around holidays, during marketing promotions, or during times when there are fluctuations in availability, such as those seen during COVID-19. Therefore, commercial freezing and thawing systems, such as the Spiral Immersion System (SIS), which uses a water or brine solution to both freeze and thaw products in a controlled and effective manner may change the way the industry views and uses frozen meat. Incorporating the most efficient freezing systems designed to preserve meat quality should be of greatest importance rather than using out-of-date freezing programs that have been used historically to save products when supplies exceed demand and products are near the end of their shelf life.
Nigeria partially opens the market for US pork
Source: Euromeat News
01.19.22
The African country announced last week it will approve imports of sausages and similar products from the USA.
The United States now can export sausage and similar products to Nigeria, which last week announced it is partially opening its market to US pork. The National Pork Producers Council welcomed the move by the West African nation, as these are the first animal protein products from the US declared eligible in the Nigerian market.
“Nigeria has the largest GDP of any African country, with a population of just over 211 million, we are excited to be the first US protein to be allowed access to the Nigerian market. NPPC thanks the US Department of Agriculture and the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for their efforts to reach an agreement that allows the US pork industry to provide affordable, wholesome and nutritious products to Nigerian consumers,” said NPPC President Jen Sorenson.
While other US pork products – and beef and poultry – remain ineligible to be exported to Nigeria, NPPC is optimistic that the country’s partial opening will lead to more access for the US pork industry. From January through November 2021, the US pork industry exported more than $7.5 billion of product to more than 100 countries, according to USDA data. Also, this month, India opened its market for US pork and pork products.
RaboResearch examines future of beef supply chain
In the latest analysis titled, “Beef Supply in a Post-Covid World,” RaboResearch shared how beef demand will remain high over the next few years but not without some changes in the market.
The report explained that meat processors, distributors and retailers are looking to build supply resiliency into the beef supply chain to reduce having empty grocery store shelves in the future.
Rabobank noted that some major drivers for these changes include automation in packing plants to increase the efficiency of the labor force.
“The initial introduction of advanced technology will not serve as a replacement for labor,” the report said. “It will serve to make labor more efficient. However, the transformation toward greater automation will require a workforce with different skill sets or extensive retraining.”
According to the report, the beef industry is considering opportunities for packaging technology that extends shelf life for retailers while also meeting sustainability expectations.
The analysis also pointed to government and investor-led sustainability demand and how documentation and verification methods will affect the supply chain.
The report also explored overhauling transportation system technology and infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions and the risk of backlogs.
“The challenge of finding and retaining a ready workforce has increased labor costs to the tipping point where investments into technology, robotics and software advancements become economical,” Close added. “Anything that de-risks packers from becoming a dam that slows the flow of market-ready cattle is a win for cattle producers.”
USMEF: Beef exports break $10 billion mark
Source: USMEF
02.10.2022
WASHINGTON – In the totals for 2021, data compiled by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) from the US Department of Agriculture showed that US beef exports exceeded the previous volume and value record in 2021 and surpassed $10 billion, for the first time.
Pork export data showed that volume was slightly below the record, but a new value record was set topping $8 billion.
Total beef exports for the month of December came in at 121,429 tonnes, with export volume up 1% from a year ago. Value climbed 33% to $991.8 million, the third-largest month on record. Total results from 2021 showed volume at 1.44 million tonnes, a 15% increase from last year. It’s also 7% above the previous record set in 2018.
Export value also increased to 10.58 billion, up 38% from 2020 and breaking the previous record in 2018 by 27%.
“The beef export results are truly remarkable, especially considering the COVID-related obstacles in the global foodservice sector and all the supply-side and logistical challenges faced by the US industry,” said Dan Halstrom, president and chief executive officer of the USMEF. “Obviously our large Asian markets accounted for much of the growth, but it really takes broad-based global demand to reach these impressive levels. So this success story is not just about Korea, Japan and China – but also a strong performance in Taiwan, excellent growth in Central and South America and a rebound in Mexico and Southeast Asia.”
For pork exports, volume fell 17% from a year ago to 215,872 tonnes as export value reached $604.3 million, down 12% compared to the same month last year.
In 2021, pork export volume fell slightly behind the 2020 pace at 2.92 million tonnes. However, export value stood at $8.11 billion, up 5% from a year ago, which was a record.
Beef exports to China/Hong Kong finished strong in 2021 by making $2.09 billion, up 114% from 2020, volume also climbed to 87% to 240,827 tonnes. Direct exports to China, bolstered by greatly improved market access achieved in the US-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, increased more than 346% from a year ago to 190,803 mt, valued at $1.59 billion (up 413%).
Through the year, Mexican pork exports climbed to a record 874,589 mt up 27% from 2020 and eclipsed the previous record set in 2017 by 9%. Export value also set a new record at $1.68 billion, up 45% from a year ago and 11% above the 2017 record.
Global exports of US pork variety meat set a new value record of $1.24 billion, up 19% year-over-year. Record-large pork exports to Mexico, Central America, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and the Philippines helped offset a decline in demand from China in 2021. Exports also increased to Japan and South Korea, including larger volumes of chilled pork.
“Entering last year, we knew it would be a daunting task to match the record level of pork exports reached in 2020 because of the recovery in China’s swineherd and its rising domestic pork production,” Halstrom said. “But the US is less dependent on China than other major pork exporters, and this is definitely reflected in the 2021 results. Even with shipments to China falling nearly 30%, total US exports posted a very strong performance thanks to outstanding growth in Latin America and other key markets.”
Pork exports to Japan for 2021 were at 394,492 tonnes, an increase of 2%. Value increased slightly to $1.69 billion, up 4% from a year ago and the highest since 2014.
Lamb exports showed 2021 exports 9% above 2020 at 14,053 tonnes, which put value up 19% to $20.45 million.
Global poultry market to take flight in 2022
Source: Meat and Poultry
12.16.2021
By Erica Shaffer
TRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – Improving economic conditions driven by increasing vaccination levels and reopening economies will deliver strong prices for poultry – and volatility due to supply challenges, Rabobank said in its Poultry Quarterly Q1 2022 report.
Global demand for poultry will be strong. Rabobank expects global growth to reach 2% as general economic conditions improve throughout the world. However, supplies of poultry are expected to remain tight in 2022 on high input prices, and labor and logistics challenges, the report said.
“In 2022, it is highly unlikely that food prices will go back to their five-year averages, as commodity prices are now supported by inflation in the general economy, low global stock levels, and labor shortages in many countries,” said Nan-Dirk Mulder, senior analyst – Animal Protein at Rabobank. “These high input prices will push producers to focus on yields, procurement, and efficiency in the value chain to reduce feed and labor use.”
Rabobank expects feed prices in particular to stay high and volatile, with a 5% increase in feed commodity costs in the first half of 2022. Prices for corn and soybeans are expected to peak in the third quarter, Rabobank said.
Rabobank’s outlook for the US poultry industry is strong profitability with a 2.4% increase in production while supplies of other proteins tightens. US producers will maintain a solid position in export markets; however, Rabobank expects lower trade with China. Demand at retail and foodservice will remain strong.
China will continue to grapple with ongoing oversupply of poultry and producers face pressure to reduce supplies, according to Rabobank. COVID-19 has hit poultry demand strongly in China, and the industry is performing below breakeven.
In Brazil, producers can expect stronger export demand as domestic markets for poultry weaken and supplies of beef climb higher. Rabobank sees bullish global markets to support Brazilian poultry exports, along with a good crop harvest to keep feed prices in check.
Stronger prices and tight supplies of poultry is the outlook for Europe, according to Rabobank. EU member countries should see strong demand for poultry. However, Rabobank expects supply growth to remain restricted in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Headwinds include avian influenza outbreaks in the EU and UK, labor challenges and high costs.
Managing volatility will challenge the industry, even as poultry producers reap the benefits of stronger prices, according to the report. Rabobank expects to see “ups and downs” of COVID and global responses to new variants and outbreaks. Markets for processed chicken will face the stiffest headwinds due to supply chain challenges, especially in Thailand where a lack of labor has slowed production.
“A big challenge for producers in 2022 will be managing volatility in demand in a context of supply chain challenges,” Mulder said. “There is some downward pressure on wet markets. Some cities, for example in China and some Southeast Asian countries, have permanently closed wet markets in urban areas. This will mean an ongoing shift from an informal to a more formal chain and more processed meat demand. At the same time, we see fast growth in online food distribution and home delivery in many markets.”
Tyson sets bold production goals for upcoming years
Source: Meat and Poultry
12.15.2021
By Keith Nunes
SPRINGDALE, ARK. – Tyson Foods Inc. set aggressive production goals during its Dec. 9 virtual investor day conference. Specifically, the company is targeting having 50% of its volume be value added by the end of fiscal year 2024. In fiscal 2021, value-added production made up 47% of volume.
Goals are good, but meaningless without the investments needed to achieve them. Tyson Foods plans to invest $1.8 billion to expand processing capacity.
“Using 2021 as a base, we have set volume targets across our company, which are ahead of projected market growth,” said Donnie King, president and chief executive officer. “Overall, we expect to grow our total company volume at 2% compound annual growth rate over the next three years, which will be roughly two-times the rate of expected protein consumption growth. Outpacing the market will require investing in brand and product innovation, expanding our capacities, improving capacity utilization and implementing our automation road map to alleviate labor challenges.”
Tyson Foods defines value added as all sales from the Prepared Foods business unit; fully cooked, fry, rendering, and air-chilled chicken sales from the Chicken unit; case ready and premium program sales from the Beef and Pork segments; and all sales in the International reporting unit.
“To achieve our objectives of outpacing the market while we deliberately shape our portfolio for margin and return, innovation will be key,” King said. “Our branded business is an important area of focus for us across the enterprise. We have a strong portfolio of brands with leading share positions in their categories, which support share gain and pricing power relative to our competition.”
Twelve manufacturing plants are expected to open over the next two years to increase capacity by 1.3 billion lbs, according to the company.
“We’re adding seven fully cooked chicken plants in our International business, with six plants targeted for Asia to drive a 30% increase in capacity in that business,” King said. “We’re also adding two case-ready beef and pork plants that will result in a 40% increase in that specific capacity type over the same time frame.
“We’re also addressing some critical capacity constraints in Chicken, where we added harvest capacity in Humboldt, Tenn., and announced a new fully cooked facility in Danville, Va. We’ve been at 100% capacity across our fully cooked assets, so the investment in Danville will allow us to better meet consumer demand there. Finally, we’re building a new plant to address a capacity constraint in bacon in our Prepared Foods segment.”
Poultry operations in China, Europe, Thailand and Malaysia are estimated to be online by fiscal year 2023. For its case ready business, Tyson added two beef and pork plants in Eagle Mountain, Utah and Columbia, SC.
Tyson Foods also plans to invest $1.3 billion in automation over the next three years to improve operations and reduce vulnerabilities to labor shortages.
“Automation will play an increasingly important role in our future,” King said. “Our goal is to combine operational scale with automation and real-time analytics to drive competitive advantage. Today, across the organization, we have open front-line roles, many of which are harder to fill. So, we plan to use automation to reduce the number of hard-to-fill roles.”
A key automation initiative will be to automate chicken deboning.
“This plan will help solve for one of the most labor-intensive processes and highest turnover areas across all harvest facilities,” said David Bray, group president of poultry. “With capital investment of nearly $500 million through fiscal 2024, we will automate 88 front half debone lines and 13 dark meat lines. We will not only provide greater consistency in product quality, but also generate labor savings equivalent to over 2,000 roles.”
Innovation in Prepared Foods also will propel Tyson Foods to meet its value-added volume goal. Initiatives include moving such brands as Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm into new categories.
“Jimmy Dean is the undisputed share leader in frozen protein breakfast, and we’re always looking for ways to address new consumer needs where Jimmy Dean’s trust and credibility can unlock new opportunities,” said Noelle O’Mara, group president of Prepared Foods. “This could be making favorite QSR (quick-service restaurant) items more convenient at home, like the breakfast burrito that’s seen phenomenal success. Or more recently, how we’ve broadened our frame with launches like breakfast nuggets, which nudged the brand into adjacencies.”
O’Mara added that in 2022, Tyson Foodservice will align its pizza portfolio under the Hillshire Farm brand and launch innovation that delivers attributes that will help foodservice operators differentiate.
“We are working to enhance our portfolio and capacity to better serve demand,” King said. “This includes increasing the relative contribution of branded and value-added sales to our overall mix. By focusing on our product portfolio and by adding capacity to meet demand, we expect to outpace the market.”
Quick-service restaurants continue to grow rapidly
Source: Meat & Poultry
12.15.2021
By Keith Loria
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The pandemic did not stop consumers from visiting their favorite quick-service restaurants (QSRs); in fact, according to Statista, the QSR market is poised for record growth in 2021, with projections of more than $281 billion in sales this year, compared to about $200 billion in 2020.
That creates big opportunities for meat and poultry processors who supply QSRs with the food they need to keep customers happy, but processors realize they can’t rest on their laurels and make changes based on what’s happening in the industry.
One only needs to comb through the latest earnings report of major processors such as Tyson Foods Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. and Sanderson Farms Inc. to see that the chicken sandwich wars between QSRs such as Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A, KFC and about 20 others who increased chicken offerings (including McDonald’s Corp., where franchises were reporting an average of 265 sales per day) have been a driving force for the companies.
In fact, more than 65% of the US population ordered a chicken sandwich at some point in 2021.
The intensity of the chicken sandwich wars, combined with existing supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19, created big price increases and some shortages of product earlier this year. However, the National Chicken Council announced this summer that while there was a tight supply, it was “short of a shortage” and processors have been able to fulfill the demand.
Trend watching
While the chicken wars are grabbing a lot of attention, there are other QSR trends that are impacting the way processors are preparing for 2022.
Annemarie Vaupel, vice president of marketing for Hormel Foodservice, noted it’s imperative to remain relevant in the minds of consumers, while keeping up the ability to drive sales and handle the labor situation.
“It’s a lot to juggle. We really focus on partnering with our customers on all these fronts, help in the back of house with time and labor saving, and great tasting products while innovating to keep flavors and options fresh and exciting,” she said. “We know that our customers continue to face a tough labor market. So, we continue to focus on labor and time saving, value-added products – those that present safe, quality and delicious options and at the same time, are easy on the back of house.”
According to SynergySuite, QSRs are trending toward serving the customer more fully, providing food for customers with many different preferences and dietary needs. From vegan and plant-based to keto and low-carb, the rise in specialty diets has forced many QSRs to make adjustments to menus.
Matthew Harding, senior vice president of culinary and menu innovation at Piada Italian Street Food, Columbus, Ohio, noted the lack of availability of further processed items, sub cuts or any meat item with a lot of hand work or human skill has dramatically gone up in price and that’s something QSRs are keeping an eye on.
The increasing popularity of plant-based foods is another trend garnering the attention of stakeholders in the QSR segment.
“Meat replacements, whether or not it will steal meat’s thunder in the long term, are having an impact now on QSRs,” Mr. Harding said. “Plant-based has yet to hit the crescendo.
“We could also see QSRs introducing other cuts when possible and looking at changing SKUs to try to remove labor in the restaurants, such as pre-cooked bacon crumbles versus raw bacon that’s cooked and diced on site.”
Source: Zaxby’s
Tech talk
Processors are also relying on new technology to keep up with what they need to supply to QSRs based on the latest trends.
For instance, many are turning to hyper flexible automation, which provides more accurate and faster measurement systems that better meet special consumer demands which are already on the production line. Systems for optimal animal welfare have become even more important and sustainability is no longer a consumer trend but a license to operate.
Meat and poultry are some of the most temperature-sensitive food products offered to consumers, and as such, preserving product quality is of utmost importance to the QSR industry.
“We can expect to see a much greater demand for end-to-end transparency in the supply chain, which ultimately saves on food costs and guarantees a higher quality product,” said Greg Phillips, chief executive officer of the software marketing firm, iMatrix. “IoT devices such as temperature sensors will be on the rise, allowing processors greater control of their products in each step of the supply chain.”
Also on the minds of processors serving the QSR industry is the need to reduce waste and increase efficiency.
One of the largest causes behind food waste is the inability to fully monitor and control temperatures of meat and poultry products. Phillips said temperature monitoring systems ensure a thorough record of a product’s environmental conditions from the very beginning stages of production, while in shipment, and all the way to delivery.
Processors also need to think about how their role is being perceived by QSR customers. Processors are at the end of the cycle of these proteins, but they are affected by public perception with climate concerns, animal husbandry concerns, land use, alternative and plant proteins, etc.
Looking ahead
As customers continue to return to food-away-from-home options, Vaupel noted companies need to be continually addressing the evolution in the labor markets and offering solutions to QSRs, while still upholding consumer expectations.
“Additionally, 2022 will bring even more interest in global flavors as a result of continued travel uncertainty and will push interest toward new experiences through food,” she said. “Food could become the new travel.”
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