Testing at egg company negative for Salmonella

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) recently conducted follow-up testing at the Good Earth Egg Company processing facility in Bonne Terre, MO. The results were negative for Salmonella bacteria. The facility has reopened after being ordered to close on Dec. 18 until remediation efforts and re-sampling could be completed.
The facility underwent cleaning and remediation efforts, and DHSS staff took new samples at the facility. Those samples were then tested at the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory and came back negative for Salmonella bacteria.
However, DHSS urges individuals that may have already purchased eggs from the Good Earth Egg Company to fully cook their eggs to 165 degrees, avoid cross contamination of raw eggs with ready to eat foods and wash their hands after handling eggs. Alternatively, consumers may choose to throw away any older products from Good Earth Egg Company.

Big food animal protein buyers talk consumer trends

Like their customers, animal protein buyers for General Mills Inc. and ARCOP Inc. are keeping an eye on the latest global consumer food trends.
In a presentation at the October 2015 Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit in Minneapolis, Drew Lein, markets manager for global dairy sourcing at General Mills, and Rohil Shah, a senior buyer at the Arby’s supply chain cooperative, discussed how changing consumer preferences for sustainable farming practices and pressure created by the 2015 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza are influencing the way they do business.
Minneapolis-based General Mills is one of the largest food manufacturers and marketers in the world, with $17.6 billion in net sales in the company’s fiscal 2015 and $8.6 billion in net sales through the first two quarters of fiscal 2016. ARCOP, an Atlanta-based nonprofit supply chain co-operative for Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc., spends about $1.3 billion annually keeping the fast-food chain’s more than 3,400 stores in the continental U.S. supplied.

Sustainability

Around the world, consumers are becoming more concerned with where their food is coming from, Lein said.
“Consumers want to know more about their food. There’s a perception that, at companies, it is bad. We get a bad rap for that,” Lein said. “Consumers want their food to be more sustainable.”
In response to the demand, Lein said General Mills is pushing to have its top 10 ingredients – corn, cocoa, wheat, dairy, sugar beets, oats, sugarcane, vanilla, palm oil and fiber packaging – sustainably sourced by 2020. Specifically, the company is aiming to have liquid milk to demonstrate continuous improvement in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy usage.
A slide from Lein’s presentation said 20 percent of the liquid milk General Mills purchased in its fiscal 2014 was sustainably sourced.
Shah said ARCOP’s leadership shares General Mills’ concerns about sustainability, and its leadership is involved in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, a recently formed industry group focused on improving beef sustainability.

Organic, antibiotic, hormone and GMO free

Scrutiny on sustainable practices is also raising questions about the introduction of antibiotics, hormones and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in animal feeds and how that affects the composition of the food that finds its way to the table. In reaction, consumers are turning to organic products.
When asked which of these four issues are most persistent among U.S. consumers, Lein said demand for organic is pervasive, but it’s a small segment of consumers who are pushing for organic products.
Shah said addressing antibiotic use in animal feed is a high priority. In September, Arby’s, along with a host of other fast-food chains, was issued a failing grade in a report on antibiotic policies authored by environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is also taking steps to eliminate antibiotics in animal feed.
The use of GMOs is harder to stop. Shah said GMOs are already present in animal feed, and his organization cannot drive its use through its current supply chain.
Additionally, Shah said changing the supply chain to match up with these trends creates concern about whether there is enough product to go around.
“If we were to go antibiotic free on chicken or on poultry, is that a sustainable supply? If there was a hiccup, what do we do? Do we go back to something that’s not sustainable?” Shah said. “We can’t really go back on our core consumers as well.”
Shah said he sees organic as something the company will need to consider in the future. Lein said the growing demand in the organic segment is putting pressure on the company to vertically integrate its supply chain to increase the availability of organic options.

Market volatility

As usual, the volatile pricing of protein commodities is a concern for ARCOP, Shah said. He said the 2015 outbreak of avian influenza obviously affected his company as it influenced the availability and pricing of turkey and eggs. Arby’s, he said, had to react quickly to find new suppliers and change its product formulas to ensure the company could still serve turkey and egg products at its restaurants.
“Market volatility is always going to be a factor. If it wasn’t, I am sure us commodity guys would be out of a job,” Shah said. “So, the reality is price volatility is always going to be an integral part in our lives and what we do.”
The past few years, he said, have been dubbed a “perfect storm” of factors, where poultry, pork and beef all saw strong year-to-year pricing gains while the supply was limited. The steadily increasing prices, coupled with the shortages caused by avian influenza, have pushed ARCOP to continue on its mission to find new markets and look for new suppliers who can provide a product, and a consistent price, as consistently as possible.

AdvancePierre Foods opens an innovative research center

AdvancePierre Foods has opened a customer Innovation & Research Center in Cincinnati, OH. It is a combination of lab space and meeting rooms that brings the R&D food labs and test kitchens to customers, creating the best opportunities to develop the products needed to grow their businesses.
Bernie Panchot, the company’s senior VP of research and development, emphasizes that customer collaboration is a guiding principle at AdvancePierre. “The new, interactive space complements AdvancePierre’s integrated product development process, facilitating enhanced cooperation between R&D, consumer insights, marketing and sales, all the while engaging customers at the most critical junctures in the product development process.”
Co-located with the company's processing facility, the center allows all factions of a team to work alongside customers in parallel by providing dedicated spaces for idea conception; food preparation – ensuring raw ingredients are isolated from ready-to-eat products; and testing. The center houses a sandwich and bakery lab; meat lab; processing lab; customer kitchen with adjoining conference room; additional meeting spaces; walk-in pantries, coolers and freezers; and a receiving room. In addition, the space incorporates a sensory lab in which internal screened testers evaluate products to ensure foods deliver the desired taste and eating experience.
“Customer satisfaction goes far beyond great-tasting products,” Panchot reveals. “It’s about trend-forward thinking, responsiveness, cost management, speed to market and consistency. It’s about identifying opportunities and solving the problems customers face, whether in a foodservice operator’s kitchen or in a grocery or convenience store setting. Heightened customer intimacy and collaboration empower us to detect these opportunities and to better solve these problems, ultimately, delivering an experience our customers will crave.”
AdvancePierre’s Innovation & Research Center utilizes equipment from home and commercial microwave ovens and steam-heating ovens to turbo chef-style ovens, convection ovens, grills and fryers to closely mirror how customers and consumers prepare products.

Wendy’s cutting pork from farms with gestation stalls

Quick service restaurant chain Wendy’s is planning to phase out serving pork and bacon sourced from farms that use gestation stalls, the company recently announced. The company has set 2022 as its target to source only crate-free pork.
The move away from gestation stalls is part of the chain’s Supplier Code of Conduct, released on November 23.
Since its founding in 1969 by Dave Thomas, Wendy's has operated under a core set of values and has enjoyed long-standing, collaborative relationships with some of the food industry's leading suppliers. This Code of Conduct takes into account the current best practices and standards of Wendy's supply chain and also identifies future aspirations to encourage continuous improvement in a meaningful way.
"When Dave Thomas was eight-years-old he dreamed he'd run the best restaurant in the world," said Emil Brolick, Wendy’s president and CEO. "Under his leadership, Wendy's helped to lead the way to set and enforce standards for the humane care of animals raised for our food as part of a responsible, safe and sustainable food supply chain.  Additionally, because of Dave's commitment to quality, he only wanted the freshest ingredients; therefore, he created an infrastructure that has allowed us to serve beef that has never been frozen along with other fresh ingredients, like iceberg and romaine lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries in our more than 6,000 North American restaurants."

AeroScalder is finalist in Dutch food innovations Top 3

Out of more than 50 candidates, the Marel Stork AeroScalder was one of three finalists for the Food Valley Award 2015, the prestigious Dutch prize for innovation in agrifood, feed and horticulture.
In their report, the Food Valley judges praised the AeroScalder's contribution to hygiene, food safety and environment in the poultry industry.

Every year, the Food Valley organization awards a prize for the best Dutch agrifood innovation. For the 11th edition of the Food Valley Award, the AeroScalder was one of the three nominees.

Energy saving
The Marel Stork AeroScalder is an innovative scalding system for loosening poultry feathers prior to defeathering. It saves up to 75 percent in water and 50 percent in energy compared to traditional immersion scalding systems. The AeroScalder is a closed system with moisturized hot air to loosen the feathers. The air is reconditioned for recirculation, creating a closed and fully controlled process. Unlike immersion, the process stays stable from beginning to end, so every product is treated identically. In addition, odor emissions are considerably lower.

Jury report
The Food Valley judges had a difficult choice to make in comparing two coffee products to poultry processing equipment. The jury was particularly impressed with the innovative techniques of the AeroScalder and sees global application opportunities. "The technology offers important advantages in terms of food safety and food quality, as the chance of cross-contamination by pathogens is significantly reduced. Besides that, considerable savings in water and energy use can be realized by applying this process. It is a very valuable development, which can add to ameliorated global food quality in an efficient and sustainable way. Therefore this innovation is justifiably one of the three nominees for the Food Valley Award 2015," says the jury report.

Marel Stork Poultry Processing is proud to have been nominated and congratulates coffeemakers Peeze for winning the Food Valley Award.
For more information about AeroScalder, click here.

Conference on food waste reduction held at EXPO Milano

On Oct. 15 the European Commission organized a high level conference at the EXPO Milano, in contribution to the search of EU food waste reduction solutions.
Former foodstuff processors, with EFFPA as the representative body at EU level, already prevent an estimated 3.5 million metric tons of food chain losses from going to waste by processing foodstuff no longer suitable for human consumption into feed for food-producing animals. Former foodstuffs are removed from the human food consumption market, by food manufacturers, because of unintentional and often unavoidable production errors.
Examples of former foodstuffs used in animal feed are broken biscuits and chocolates, surplus bread, incorrectly flavored crisps and breakfast cereals. In addition, surpluses resulting from seasonal festivities such as sports events, Easter and Christmas are used, after the food manufacturer has taken the options for food bank donation into account. Moreover, former foodstuffs must be in full compliance with EU feed safety requirements as well as the General Food Law’s demands as regards traceability to become eligible for feed use.
EFFPA President Paul Featherstone said, “It may surprise people, but energy-rich former foodstuffs like biscuits, chocolates and confectionary are highly valued resources in animal feed manufacturing. In fact, our end-product can be used as an alternative to cereal grains, thereby reducing the dependence on land-requiring raw materials, and thus the environmental footprint of foodstuffs of animal origin.”
EFFPA calls on EU policy makers to clarify the regulatory framework for former foodstuff processors through the planned proposal on the circular economy, making it clear that former foodstuffs are by-products and by no means legal “wastes.”
According to Featherstone, “It is clear that the safe use of former foodstuffs in animal feed contributes to a more sustainable food chain and should unambiguously be encouraged. Our innovation-driven, non-subsidized industry could still double in production within the EU with the right regulatory guidance.”

3 ways the poultry industry can gain consumer trust

Today’s food system is safer, more available and more affordable than ever before, yet consumers have more questions than ever before because new communication technologies are taking away the industry’s ability to control messaging and tell its story. Instead of being defensive and providing scientific facts to “prove” something to consumers, poultry companies should use consumer skepticism as a reason to engage with consumers on a deeper level to tell their story, advised Charles Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, speaking at the National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing and Live Production on October 14.
The advent of digital and social media has consumer pressure and activism largely influencing views on animal agriculture as people crowdsource information from family, friends and other non-experts, making it critical for the poultry industry to identify the groups and people with whom they need to engage. Arnot suggested that female veterinarians, ideally also mothers, are the industry’s most effective channel for conveying its message.
But, facts are not what those consumers want in this messaging – they want to know that poultry companies share their values in seeking safe food for their families. In fact, according to Arnot, shared values are three to five times more important to building consumer trust than sharing facts. Consumers want to know poultry companies are ethically grounded, so companies must find more effective ways to demonstrate compassion, responsibility, fairness and truth.
“Our historical response has been science says we can, but society will tell us if we should,” Arnot said.

Charlie Arnot
Poultry companies have to understand that they must address this “should” question by engaging consumers. If not, efforts to educate the public will be unsuccessful.
“Consumers want information from academics, but they don’t want academic information,” he said.
 Instead of falling back on science, Arnot advised the poultry industry to shift its focus to asking how it can be a resource for consumers seeking safe, quality products. For example, the use of antibiotics in poultry production is seen by many consumers as contributing to resistance in humans; instead, companies need to engage with consumers in a way that communicates that antibiotics help to keep healthy food affordable for them, which is a top concern according to Arnot.
To increase transparency and gain consumer trust, Arnot offered three key takeaways:
1. Begin public engagement using shared values
2. Find ways to open the digital door to today’s poultry industry
3. Commit to engaging early, often and consistently
The Delmarva Poultry Industry 2015 National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing and Live Production was held October 13-14 in Ocean City, Maryland.

VLP technology will help combat diseases threatening food-animal industry

LARAD, a startup using proprietary virus-like-particle (VLP) technology to develop vaccines and diagnostics for animal diseases, received a $470,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant to develop VLP vaccines for food-animal diseases. The two-year Phase II grant from the United States Department of Agriculture will allow LARAD to take the vaccine technology developed for infectious bursal disease with a Phase I grant and apply it to other food-animal diseases.

VLPs are similar to viruses and are recognized by the animal’s immune system, giving protection against the disease. But unlike conventional live virus vaccines, VLP vaccines do not contain any genetic material so they cannot cause disease. And while conventional vaccines become less effective as viruses mutate, LARAD can adapt its VLP vaccines to combat changing viruses.

“This customizability is a game-changing approach that hasn’t been possible in the animal vaccine industry until now,” said Dr. Daral Jackwood, LARAD founder and chief executive officer. “And its implications for the food industry are significant given the number of economically devastating animal diseases that are caused by viruses.”

LARAD will add at least two new vaccines to its arsenal with the Phase II funding. The company plans to develop a VLP vaccine against infectious pancreatic necrosis virus, which causes a disease in farm-raised salmonids, and avian reovirus, the cause of viral arthritis in poultry. Current vaccines for both diseases are only marginally effective due to changes that occur in the virus.

“Safe and affordable food is an important part of human health and wellness and diseases that affect food animals threaten the safety and quantity of this food source,” says Jackwood. “We are pleased that the USDA has chosen to support LARAD so we can develop adaptive vaccines that will help producers continue to provide a safe food supply.”

ConAgra Foods announces $300 million efficiency plan

ConAgra Foods, Inc., has announced restructuring plans to improve profitability, advance its growth agenda and unlock shareholder value. ConAgra Foods expects to realize at least $300 million of efficiency benefits within the next three years through a combination of reductions in SG&A and enhancements to trade spend processes and tools.

Cost savings of approximately $200 million are expected to be derived from a combination of lower headcount and non-headcount costs, which will be achieved by aggressively embracing zero-based budgeting, simplifying organizational structure by increasing spans of control and reducing layers, and outsourcing technology and back office functions to improve scalability. Additionally, the company expects to realize approximately $100 million of efficiency benefits from enhancements to trade spend processes and tools.

The company expects the plan to provide a modest benefit to fiscal year 2016 earnings. More than half the savings are anticipated to be realized by the end of fiscal year 2017 with the balance achieved in fiscal year 2018. These savings are in addition to the approximately $150 million in cost reductions achieved by the company over the past two years and are expected to enhance the company's cost-competitiveness, margins and agility, while also providing fuel for future brand-building and innovation initiatives.
The restructuring is expected to result in the elimination of approximately 1,500 positions or approximately 30% of the company’s global office-based workforce, and excludes any impact from the planned divestiture of the private label operations. Plant positions will not be eliminated in connection with this restructuring. ConAgra Foods estimates it will incur total non-recurring charges of approximately $345 million, substantially all of which are expected to be cash charges, over the next two to three years in connection with the restructuring.
The company also announced the relocation of its headquarters to Chicago, IL. Beginning in the summer of 2016, approximately 700 employees will be located in the new offices in the city’s Merchandise Mart, including the company’s senior leadership team and certain functions of the Consumer Foods business, which are currently located in Omaha, NE. and Naperville, IL. The company will continue to maintain a significant presence in Omaha, including approximately 1,200 employees within key administrative functions, as well as research & development and supply chain management.
“Today’s announcements are important milestones as we continue to execute against our strategic plan to build a focused, higher-margin, more contemporary and higher-performing company,” said Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer, ConAgra Foods. “We are making difficult, but necessary, decisions to enhance productivity, drive standardization and enhance flexibility to deliver improved profitability. And through our organization redesign, we will better harness the power of our front line by deploying our talent against our largest opportunities for future growth and value creation.”
Connolly continued, “Locating our headquarters and our largest business segment in Chicago places us in the heart of one of the world’s business capitals and consumer packaged goods centers, enhancing our ability to attract and retain top talent with a focus on brand building and innovation.”
“Importantly, we will also retain a major presence in Omaha, where we have deep roots. Together with our new efficiency plan, we believe this geographic rebalancing will serve as a catalyst for improved organic and inorganic growth, and ultimately, stronger value creation for our shareholders.”
“We appreciate the strong support offered by both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce Rauner during this process of evaluating a move to Chicago. Equally, we are grateful to Governor Pete Ricketts, Senator Heath Mello, Mayor Jean Stothert and Omaha Chamber President David Brown for the great support we have always received and continue to receive in Omaha. The decision to move headquarters was solely based on the strategic needs of our business and was not a city-vs-city exercise. We feel fortunate to have a meaningful relationship with two outstanding business centers,” concluded Connolly.
“I am thrilled to welcome ConAgra Foods' worldwide corporate headquarters to Illinois,” Governor Bruce Rauner said. “ConAgra has relied on the hardworking men and women of Illinois for almost 30 years, with over hundreds of employees calling our state their home. We look forward to the opportunities created by ConAgra's decision to invest in Illinois, and welcome them to their new home.”
“I am honored to welcome ConAgra Foods to the City of Chicago. By choosing Chicago as their new home, ConAgra Foods sees the same strengths that so many other companies see in relocating their headquarters here from our talent, to our transportation, to our quality of life,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This decision by ConAgra Foods further solidifies Chicago’s role as one of the world’s leading destinations for food processing companies. I look forward to watching them become part of Chicago’s future by creating even more jobs and opening up more opportunities for the residents of our city.”

10 charged in China in connection to Husi Food scandal

Ten people who have been tied to a 2014 Chinese food safety scandal have been charged in court for their alleged involvement in the case.
According to an Industry Week report, the suspects have been charged by a Chinese court “on suspicions of producing, selling inferior products.”
The charges stem from an incident brought to light in July 2014, where employees of Husi Food Co., owned by the U.S.-based OSI Group, allegedly repackaged outdated chicken and beef, then allegedly sold the expired products with false labels to restaurant chains in China and Japan, including McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Dico’s.
In a statement on its website, OSI Group said it would address the charges according to legal procedures, and “We have confidence in China’s legal system and believe that the judicial authority will come to a fair and reasonable judgment with full respect to the facts and laws.”
OSI Group has publicly apologized for the scandal. Sheldon Lavin, chairman, CEO and owner of OSI Group stated in 2014: “On behalf of Husi and OSI, I sincerely apologize to all of our customers in China. We will bear the responsibility of these missteps and will make sure that they never happen again. That is my personal commitment and that of our organization.”
Since the scandal took place, OSI Group made substantial changes to the organizational and management structures for its China operations. The company also closed the plant under investigation and removed Husi products from the marketplace.

Politics, public perception hurdles for global food supply

Geopolitical factors and public perception have a significant impact on the global food system, according to the panel discussion, “At the Intersection of Innovation, Regulation and Global Politics,” held during the Women in Agribusiness Summit in Minneapolis on September 30.
The panel, moderated by Jerry Steiner of AltaGrow Consulting LLC, featured Randy Giroux of Cargill, Bradley Shurdut of Dow AgriSciences, Marcella Szymanski from the U.S. Department of State, and Gloria Basse of Zoetis.
“As agriculture becomes much more global … it brings natural tensions that we need to work through,” Shurdut said.
The panelists discussed China and the regulatory and trade pressures the U.S. faces with the country.
“China is the largest agricultural customer in the world,” Giroux said. He added that China helps control grain prices in the U.S.
“China is a big dog because it drives the market,” Shurdut said.
Szymanski said the U.S. is sometimes treated differently than other grain exporters such as Brazil and Argentina because of the geopolitical nature of the U.S.-China relationship.
“There is more going on than just science-based approval,” she said. She also said China has transparency issues that go beyond agriculture.
Giroux said Chinese regulators are “in a bind” because they face a lot of pressure from consumers about what types of biotechnology to approve for importation.

Telling the ag message

The panel agreed that, in order for the agriculture industry to better get its message across to consumers, it must have a single message within the industry that is understood by the public.
Shurdut said farmers and growers have the most credibility in telling their own story.
“It’s an interesting time in the food industry,” Giroux said. He said that consumers now make the connection between the food they eat and their health.
“Biotech doesn’t equate with ‘clean label’ image,” he said. “There are a lot of compelling benefits to agriculture biotechnology, but the average consumer doesn’t understand them.”

Part of the conversation

When it comes to getting government regulators to understand technology used in agriculture, Shurdut said the agriculture community needs to engage in the discussion.
“Be part of the conversation,” he said, because many people in government who are regulating agriculture don’t have a background in the industry.
“As an industry, too often we have gotten caught behind,” Steiner said. “We need to be more anticipatory of issues and need to be better at getting ahead of them.”
Basse added: “We all want to preserve the health of our animals and ourselves and our families.” She said transparency on the part of farmers in important in building trust and spreading the message.

Dr. George studies the science of 'yumminess'

Flamed-haired Dr. Georgina Crayford is a scientist by profession… but her passion is good food, and she’s just launched a Facebook page to share her obsession with other foodies.
In her professional life she studies international research papers, briefs politicians and civil servants, and helps farmers improve the health and welfare of Britain’s farm animals.
But away from the office she sheds her academic gravitas, lets down her hair, and immerses herself in an epicurean world where disciples of good taste debate the best ways to make crackling more crackly and artisan bacon more more-ish.
She’s grateful to her employers, the National Pig Association, for allowing her the freedom to pursue her hobby “even though it does sometime encroach on my working day”.
“George,” whose academic specialism is bioveterinary science and who is an expert in global surveillance of foodborne bacteria, hopes those who share her love for great food will contribute their most amazing pork recipes to her Great British Pork Facebook page at https://goo.gl/I0YtcG. 
“Lots of people have their own ideas about how to make the best bacon sandwich, the dreamiest pork curry and the quickest, easiest and tastiest ways of using pork mince, and I’d like to share them with everyone,” she said.
 “Despite what some of my colleagues may claim, it’s not about gluttony—although maybe that comes into it a bit….It’s about enjoying the pleasures of preparing and eating really good food that’s been cooked and presented imaginatively. And that’s something we all enjoy.”

Foster Farms antibiotic-free turkey coming soon

Foster Farms is planning the launch of antibiotic-free (ABF) turkey products, with hopes of having the new products available well in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The news of Foster Farms' plans to raise and market ABF turkey comes on the heels of Foster Farms’ release of new lines of antibiotic-free and organic chicken, as well as the company’s participation in the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship. The forthcoming offering of antibiotic-free turkey is just part of the company’s commitment to responding to consumer wishes for more poultry raised without antibiotics.
“We are bringing out antibiotic-free whole turkeys in the fall, probably around September or so,” said Ira Brill, communications director for Foster Farms.
Brill did not release many more details about the company’s upcoming ABF turkey offerings, but he added that Foster Farms had been actively raising turkeys without antibiotics. So much of the industry’s focus had been on antibiotic-free chicken, largely because consumers purchase a higher volume of chicken, Brill said. However, consumers are just as interested in an antibiotic-free turkey product, so Foster Farms wants to fill that niche.


Presidential turkey to be raised without antibiotics
Adding to Foster Farms’ excitement about its upcoming release of ABF turkey products is the fact that the 2015 National Thanksgiving Turkey to be presented to President Barack Obama and his family will be raised without antibiotics.
The honor of raising the National Thanksgiving Turkey is bestowed upon the chairman of the National Turkey Federation. This year’s chairman is Jihad Douglas, president of Aviagen Turkeys. Douglas asked Foster Farms to raise the Presidential Turkey on Aviagen's behalf, according to Brill.
Foster Farms also raised the 2010 presidential turkey.


Demographics and demand for antibiotic-free poultry
Foster Farms is headquartered in California and most of its distribution is along the West Coast, Brill said. He added that the largest demand for antibiotic-free poultry is both on the West Coast and the East Coast.
However, the age of a consumer also has a lot to do with preference for ABF products. Foster Farms on June 3 released the results of a study, conducted earlier in 2015, that showed that members of the Millennial generation were a driving force behind the ABF movement.
The survey revealed that while availability and pricing are cited as potential challenges, nearly one third of Millennial respondents consider “organic” or “no antibiotics” to be the most important factor in choosing fresh poultry. The survey of 1,872 West Coast Millennial parents further found that once Millennials have children, traditional family values and peer influence are primary factors that affect everything from grocery purchases to cooking and consumption habits.
The survey also showed that 79 percent of Millennial parents surveyed agreed that they are much more concerned about antibiotics and ingredients used to produce food than their parents’ generation.


About the new Foster Farms chicken products
Foster Farms on June 1 announced the release of two new brands that embrace antibiotic-free and organic production – Foster Farms Organic and Foster Farms Simply Raised antibiotic-free chicken.
“When you look at the Foster Farms brand, we’ve essentially divided it up into three distinct product lines,” said Brill.
Foster Farms Fresh and Natural, the company’s pre-existing brand, will continue to have no added hormones or steroids. However, antibiotics can still be administered when needed to the chickens raised for this brand.
Foster Farms Organic is a certified organic brand from free-range chickens that are fed an organic vegetarian diet with no antibiotics.
Foster Farms Simply Raised is produced with no added antibiotics, hormones or steroids ever, and is fed a 100 percent vegetarian diet.
Foster Farms had previously produced organic and ABF chicken for retail partners, but this will be the first time it will market ABF and organic chicken under its own label.
All three brands are American Humane Certified.
 “The key thing with the marketplace at this time is offering the consumer choice. I think our policy has been to respond to the concerns about the use of human antibiotics. But we’ve also got to look at the marketplace and recognize at this point that the actual number of consumers that are buying organic and ABF products is probably around 20 percent,” said Brill. “What we think by offering choice, we are allowing consumers to make the decision, but at the same time, ensuring that the antibiotics that are of the most concern -- which are the ones used in human medicine -- can keep working.”
Foster Farms will continue to produce some of its poultry with the use of antibiotics, because the company realizes that antibiotics are still a useful tool in maintaining bird health. Foster Farms also knows that ABF production is more expensive than poultry production using antibiotics, and that not all consumers are willing to pay a premium for ABF chicken.
“What we’re dealing with is trying to balance human health, bird health, affordability and accessibility of the product. If we err in any direction, then we’re not serving the consumer well,” Brill said.
Brill said while certain West Coast plants will be designated for the processing of its ABF and Organic poultry, no plant is expected to exclusively process one particular brand. 

Antibiotic-free broiler production is sustainable

Dr. David Wicker, live operations vp, Fieldale Farms challenged broiler company managers to change their way of thinking and develop a can do attitude regarding antibiotic-free production. 
Dr. David Wicker, live operations vice president, Fieldale Farms, said, “I hear a lot that the growers are the major problem with ABF (antibiotic-free) production. No, they are not.”
He told the attendees at a panel discussion on antibiotic-free poultry and livestock production at the Alltech Symposium in Lexington, Kentucky, that the real problem starts with executives and managers at integrated companies who are stubborn and can’t see another way to do things.
“It starts out here right in this room. We have to change a lot of thinking and develop a can-do attitude,” he said.
Fieldale started antibiotic-free broiler production in the 1996-97 timeframe, according to Wicker. He said Fieldale now raises all of its broilers in the antibiotic-free program.
“It is best to start at a small level, because the first three years there is a steep learning curve,” Wicker said. “You can easily lose five to 10 points of feed conversion and most companies will have trouble maintaining flock mortality rates at 10 percent or less.”


Antibiotic-free production is humane, efficient and sustainable
“Is antibiotic-free production doable? The answer is yes, we have been doing it for 18 years,” he said. “We have very few treated flocks, and we are American Humane Association approved. For your first few years, you will have to treat lots of flocks. Later on, you will treat fewer of them.”
Wicker said McDonald’s announcement of the company’s intention to only purchase chicken that has not been treated with antibiotics used in human medicine has really changed the landscape for broiler production in the U.S. He said that if a company wants to get into antibiotic-free production then it better have “extremely good feed quality and consistency.”
“Are we sustainable? The answer is yes,” Wicker said. “We recently moved to Category A in the Global Reporting Initiative.” The Global Reporting Initiative is an internationally recognized sustainability initiative.
“Can antibiotic-free production be done efficiently, can it be done humanely? The answer to both is yes. I will remind everyone that all animals were raised antibiotic-free prior to the 1950s, because they were not around,” he said.


Pork producer addressing customer requests
Commenting on antibiotic-free and other specialty pork production alternatives, Doug Clemens, CEO, Clemens Family Corporation, said, “The requests keep coming in from our customer group every day. We take the approach of learning, testing and verifying.” Clemens Family Corporation owns Hatfield Quality Meats, a pork processor, and Country View Family Farms, a swine production company.
Clemens was asked by a member of the audience what would happen to producers if they “caved in” to every consumer/customer request? Clemens replied, “We aren’t caving in to what the consumer/customer says they want. We start out by asking, 'Can we do it in a way that is different from the way we have done it in the past, while keeping animal welfare at the top of the pyramid?' If we don’t think we can do something, we have to ask why.”
“We have been asked to do a lot of things by customers that we haven’t done,” Clemens said. “We will not do it until we can prove that it is sustainable.”
Hatfield processes 5,000 head of swine per week in the Never Ever 3 program. Never Ever 3 is a marketing claim for livestock and meat products that is part of USDA’s Process Verified program. For meat to be sold with Never Ever 3 on the product label it has to come from animals that have never received antibiotics, growth promoters or animal byproducts. 

Gift from The Nelson Foundation will support Food Science Lab Renovation at Iowa State University

A gift from The Nelson Foundation will make possible the renovation of the Food Science teaching laboratory at Iowa State University.
The Nelson Foundation’s support will transform a 1,950-square-foot teaching laboratory into a modern facility with up-to-date equipment and space to enhance the student learning experience in food chemistry and food microbiology courses. 
“We are grateful to The Nelson Foundation for this generous donation,” said Ruth MacDonald, chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. “It’s a significant step forward in a goal to renovate our department’s teaching labs. We've had a great working relationship with Nelson family and Kemin Industries for many years. With the company’s support, the renovated teaching laboratory will help us accommodate a growing number of undergraduate students interested in pursuing food science and culinary food science majors. The project will positively impact the quality of our teaching for decades to come.”
The Nelson Foundation and Kemin Industries consider the food science project a perfect fit. Iowa State University, Mary Nelson’s alma mater, has food chemistry and microbiology programs that provide students with their first opportunity to learn about food safety. The focus on food safety and scientific testing is key to the type of work that is done at Kemin Industries.
The laboratory renovation in the Food Sciences Building will begin later this year with completion in 2016.

4 perspectives on sustainable food production

Left to right: Craig Hunter, Burnbrae Farms; Dr. Marion Garcia, American Humane Association; Meena Hassanali, Provision Coalition; Monica Eng, WBEZ FM; and Dr. Joy Mench, University of California, Davis. 
The Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES) hosted a stakeholder perspectives panel discussion on sustainable food production as part of The Center for Food Integrity’s (CFI) 2015 National Strategy Conference on Animal Agriculture. The panel discussed CSES’ research on egg layer housing and the five aspects of sustainability: animal health and wellbeing, food safety, worker health and safety, environmental impact and food affordability.
The panel, moderated by Charlie Arnot of CFI, was made up of a diverse group of agriculture industry representatives from the U.S. and Canada.
Each panelist agreed that sustainable agriculture is critical to feeding the world’s population in the future, and that the CSES research is an important stepping stone towards furthering sustainability in the industry. And, all agreed that CSES' research shows one egg layer housing system is not necessarily “best” or “most sustainable” overall; but rather, producers must identify the aspects most important to them, and then select the housing system that performs best for these criteria.
Where panelists differed, however, was in how they interpreted the research. Here are their perspectives:
1. Craig Hunter, Burnbrae Farms: “Animal rights groups have mounted evidence against us, and ideally as farmers, we need to start telling our story…so that consumers can make what I call an ‘informed choice.’”
• Higher mortality in cage-free housing is a very negative aspect of this system
• Cage-free housing has a larger environmental impact than other housing types
• Equipment companies are challenged to work with farmers to create an “ideal system” that is both easy to manage and addresses all five elements of sustainability
• Better training in all areas will help us to produce a safer egg – and that is what the consumer is looking for

Charlie Arnot, CEO, Center for Food Integrity. 
2. Dr. Marion Garcia, American Humane Association: “[Consumers] do care but they don’t understand worth a hoot – we need to make the two match up.”
• CSES research supports keeping all three AHA standards (enriched, cage-free, free-range/pasture) for humane production active
• There are trade-offs in using each housing system, depending on the goals of a food system stakeholder, but these trade-offs shouldn’t trump the welfare of the animals in our care
• Industry will benefit from finding more effective sources for getting their message across: for example, a mommy blogger with a degree in science to appeal to multiple customers
3. Meena Hassanali, Provision Coalition: “How can you ensure a farmer can farm not just 5 but 50 years from now?”
• Sustainable sourcing can be a point of differentiation in the market place
• Responsible sourcing helps companies better react to disruptions  and should be a priority
• Businesses should expect requests from customers about sustainability performance – people want verifiable data
• Infographics can be powerful tools to quickly communicate meaningful information to consumers and help people understand complex research
4. Monica Eng, WBEZ Chicago: “I believe everyone, including farmers, care about the welfare of the animals, and this is often too quickly dismissed.”
• Consumers want choice and different housing systems provide them with this
• Consumers have different priorities, but they are willing to pay up for products that align with those priorities
• Industry must be transparent – provide labels that clearly communicate all key aspects of product information
CFI’s 2015 National Strategy Conference on Animal Agriculture was held at McDonald’s Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois, May 12-13. 

4 types of antibiotics 2 Sisters doesn’t use in poultry

2 Sisters Food Group has committed to removing from its poultry production an additional class of antibiotics: Macrolides. This is the fourth class of antibiotics the company no longer uses.
Antibiotics 2 Sisters has removed from its poultry production:
1. Fluoroquinolones – Not used the last two years
2. Third-generation cephalosporins – Not used the last two years
3. Fourth-generation cephalosporins – Not used the last two years
4. Macrolides – In 2015 company announced commitment to remove
Macrolides are sometimes used to treat conditions such as mycoplasma in both parent flocks and day-old chicks. With the addition of macrolides, 2 Sisters has now removed all antibiotics defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being of highest priority critically important to human health, therefore preserving the effectiveness of antibiotic use for people.
2 Sisters Food Group also announced it will establish two trial farms, supervised by company veterinary surgeons and independent agricultural experts, to spearhead research to help develop and roll out techniques and health and management practices aimed at reducing the industry’s future need for antibiotics.
“Our plan is also about replacing antibiotic use with other interventions wherever possible. This includes use of vaccinations and changes to husbandry and biosecurity techniques. Our strategy is continually refined through the use of trial locations to see what works best,” said Michelle Waterman, 2 Sisters’ group agriculture director.
2 Sisters Food Group, one of Britain's largest food producers, has strong market positions in poultry, red meat, chilled, bakery and frozen categories. The company serves the European market, and more information about the company can be found in WATTAgNet’s Top Poultry Companies database. 

Israel researcher explores producing chicken meat in lab

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  Tel Aviv University's Amit Gefen has launched a project to study the possibility of producing chicken meat in a laboratory.

  From WATTAgNet:
  A Tel Aviv University professor has launched a research project studying the possibility of producing chicken meat in a laboratory. The study in Israel is being funded by the non-profit group Modern Agriculture Foundation (MAF), which advocates for laboratory-produced meat, also known as cultured meat.
  The study comes about two years after the creation of the first lab-grown hamburger at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
  According to Amit Gefen, a Tel Aviv University bioengineer with an expertise in tissue engineering, and Shir Friedman, co-founder of MAF, producing lab-grown chicken meat is more difficult than beef. In the hamburger case, researchers accumulated small fibers of a cow’s muscle into a piece of meat. In the new project, Gefen says his plans are to use a single cell to generate a piece of chicken by allowing the cell to divide and multiply.
  Freidman says that the production of cultured meat and poultry could help meet the growing demand for food, specifically proteins. A Reuters report on the year-long feasibility research explains that producing cultured meat and poultry could be valuable because the global demand for poultry and other meat is expected to double by 2050.
  “In the not so distant future we will look back at how we used to raise cows and chickens and put so much effort into getting a small piece of meat,” Friedman said.

NAMI: More time needed to comment on dietary guidelines

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) has formally requested an extension on the comment period for the scientific report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee from 45 days to 120 days. 
The committee released its report on February 19.
“To provide a thorough and meaningful review and comment, which has been encouraged by the agencies, a 120-day comment period is appropriate,” said NAMI Vice President of Scientific Affairs Betsy Booren, Ph.D. 
According to Booren, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) spent nearly two years reviewing the body of the evidence to formulate the report. Providing interested stakeholders a mere 45 days to review the 571-page report as well as the entire Nutrition Evidence Library does not allow adequate time for thorough review and input, she said. 
“The agencies have encouraged a transparent collaborative process, yet a limited time for review does not allow for such a process. Such a short comment period runs the risk of appearing to exclude meaningful comment,” Booren said. “The 120-day comment period will provide the most insightful response to the DGAC report, which will be useful as the agencies develop the final policy.” 
NAMI has previously registered strong concerns about the committee’s contradictory recommendations to eat lower amounts of red and processed meat while at the same time saying in a footnote that lean meat can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. The Institute also objected to the Advisory Committee’s focus on sustainability, which is outside the committee’s charter. "Lean meat's relegation to a footnote ignores the countless studies and data that the Committee reviewed for the last two years that showed unequivocally that meat and poultry are among the most nutrient dense foods available," said NAMI President and CEO Barry Carpenter in a statement. "Lean meat is a headline, not a footnote," he added.

Dietary guidelines: Eggs are fine, but limit meat consumption

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  The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has submitted its recommendations to the USDA and HHS secretaries.

  From WATTAgNet:
  The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has submitted its recommendations to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in order to inform the 2015 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
  The dietary guidelines back away from earlier guidelines that suggest avoiding foods high in cholesterol like eggs, while also recommending that Americans continue to limit the amount of meat consumed in meals.
  Committee says no need to avoid eggs
  The panel of nutrition and public health experts has recommended the withdrawal of a long-standing recommendation that Americans should avoid foods that are high in cholesterol -- advice that has put eggs off-limits for heart-healthy consumers for decades. The panel cited mounting research that consumption of cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, has little bearing on overall levels of cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream. Cholesterol from the diet represents only about 20 percent of the cholesterol circulating in the human bloodstream, and thus lowering cholesterol intake will affect blood cholesterol levels only marginally.
  Guidelines call for less meat in diet
  The committee also recommended that people continue a dietary shift from meat-heavy meals to more plant-based foods, defining a healthy diet as one that is “lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.”
  However, the report does not call for the end of meat in U.S. diets, adding, “that no food groups need to be eliminated completely to improve sustainability outcomes over the current status
  Public input on dietary guidelines sought
  Vilsack and Burwell have released the advisory committee's recommendations report online, making it available for public review and comment. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) will consider this report, along with input from other federal agencies and comments from the public as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to be released later in 2015.
  "For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been at the core of our efforts to promote the health and well-being of American families," said Secretaries Burwell and Vilsack in a joint statement. "Now that the advisory committee has completed its recommendations, HHS and USDA will review this advisory report, along with comments from the public-including other experts-and input from other federal agencies as we begin the process of updating the guidelines."
  The public is encouraged to view the independent advisory group's report and provide written comments at www.DietaryGuidelines.gov for a period of 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. The public will also have an opportunity to offer oral comments at a public meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 24, 2015. Those interested in providing oral comments at the March 24, 2015, public meeting can register on the same website. Capacity is limited, so participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
  About the dietary guidelines and advisory committee
  The 14 outside experts who made up the committee are nationally recognized in the fields of nutrition, medicine and public health. The committee held seven public meetings over the past two years. The recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee are non-binding and advisory to HHS and USDA as they draft the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015.
  The HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has the administrative lead for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, which it carries out in close partnership with the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion and with support from USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans was first published in 1980. Beginning in 1990, Congress mandated that HHS and USDA release a new edition at least every five years. The Dietary Guidelines contain the latest, science-based nutrition recommendations for the general public with the goal of preventing disease and promoting healthy, active lifestyles. It is written for and used primarily by nutrition and health professionals, policy makers and educators, and is the foundation for federal nutrition efforts, including education initiatives and food assistance programs.