Walmart VP speaking at International Poultry Forum China

Frank Yiannas, Walmart’s vice president of food safety, will speak at 2015 International Poultry Forum China. 
Frank Yiannas, Walmart’s vice president of food safety, has been added to the lineup of speakers for 2015 International Poultry Forum China: Food Safety on Chicken Poultry Supply from Farm to Table. The event will be held August 21-22 at the Intercontinental Shanghai Pudong.
In his role with Walmart, Yiannas oversees all food safety, as well as other public health functions, for the company, which is world's largest food retailer, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis. His responsibilities include food safety oversight of Wal-Mart’s stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Clubs. Training and education of associates, food safety oversight of thousands of food suppliers, and a number of critical regulatory compliance issues also come under his purview.
Poultry professionals from China and around the world will gather to learn the latest data, insights and information during 2015 International Poultry Forum China.
Other speakers for 2015 International  Poultry Forum China include:


• Jisheng Cao, president, Shangdong Yisheng
• She Feng, general manager, Beijing Huadu Group Corp.
• Michael R. Goble, chairman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Global Feed LCA Institute, Diamond V
• Christopher Langholz, business unit leader, Cargill Animal Protein China
• Arex Lee, CEO, Tyson Foods China
• Jinghui Li, vice president, Dachan Group
• Terrence O’Keefe, content director, WATT Global Media
• Jie Wen, researcher and doctoral supervisor, Institute of Animal Science of China Animal Agricultural Association
• Philip J. Wilkinson, director and vice president, British Poultry Council, AVEC
2015 International Poultry Forum China is being organized by WATT Global Media and Poultry International China, and is supported by China Animal Agricultural Association, China Broiler Alliance and Shanghai Poultry Industry Association.

Walmart adopts positions on antibiotics, animal welfare

Walmart and Sam's Club announced new positions that seek to end the use of antibiotics for growth promotion purposes and find alternatives to layer cages and gestation crates. 
Walmart and Sam’s Club of the United States have adopted a new position seeking responsible use of antibiotics in farm animals, as well as new standards for animal welfare for the companies that are meat, poultry and egg suppliers for the company. The company released its new positions on May 22, but no timeline on implementing the new positions has yet been given.


Company seeks alternatives to gestation crates, layer cages
The company's new animal welfare standards involve working with its suppliers to “find and implement solutions to address animal welfare concerns” that include animal housing systems. Walmart and Sam's Club specifically mentions finding alternatives to gestation crates for pigs and battery cages for laying hens. The company also has provisions that seek alternatives to veal crates.
The company is also expecting its suppliers to not conduct potentially painful procedures such a pig tail docking and cattle dehorning without using proper pain management practices.


Limiting animal antibiotic use
Walmart stated that the company believes antibiotics should be used responsibly in farm animals. With that in mind, it is asking suppliers to adopt and implement the Judicious Use Principles of Antimicrobial Use from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA),  including accurate record-keeping, veterinary oversight, and limiting antimicrobial treatment to animals that are ill or at risk, effectively eliminating the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion purposes.
Additionally, the company wants to promote transparency by having suppliers provide a report on antibiotics management to Walmart and publicly report antibiotic use on an annual basis.

Walmart to adopt enhanced food safety measures for poultry

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  Photo courtesy of Walmart

  Walmart and Sam's Club will implement enhanced food safety measures for its suppliers in an effort to curb foodborne illnesses.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Walmart will begin implementing enhanced poultry safety measures for suppliers designed to further protect customers against foodborne illnesses. The new guidelines are in addition to Walmart's food safety program that requires poultry suppliers to achieve prevention-based certification against one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) internationally recognized standards.
  “At Walmart and Sam's Club, we are committed to providing our customers with safe, quality foods,” said vice president for food safety, Frank Yiannas. “As part of our continuous improvement process, we determined it was important to require additional layers of protection for our customers.”
  The new program requires Walmart and Sam's Club U.S. poultry suppliers to implement holistic controls from farm to fork designed to significantly reduce potential contamination levels, including chicken parts. It also requires suppliers to undergo specialized testing to validate that the measures they have implemented are effective. All poultry suppliers must be in compliance with the new requirements by June 2016.
  The enhanced protocol has been reviewed with numerous stakeholders including consumer groups, regulators, academicians, poultry suppliers and industry associations.
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with Walmart on this initiative to advance food safety and decrease foodborne illnesses among consumers.
  Dr. Chris Braden, director of CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases said, “CDC, along with Walmart, recognizes that reducing Salmonella and other pathogen contamination in poultry products is a crucial step towards decreasing the burden of foodborne illnesses. Walmart and CDC working together to protect public health and advance food safety is a great example of a public-private partnership that benefits everyone.”
  Dr. Gary R. Acuff, director of the Texas A&M Center for Food Safety applauded the company's work: “Walmart's implementation of enhanced safety measures for poultry products provides leadership for the food industry and continues a progressive approach to providing the safest possible food. This is a smart, science-supported move that will greatly benefit consumers.”

Walmart announces healthy foods initiative

Walmart, the largest retailer of food in the U.S., has unveiled an initiative promoting healthier products. The Great Value house brands will be reformulated to reduce sodium content by 25%, lower sugars by 10% and eliminate trans-fats in various products including frozen entrees, fruit drinks and packed food products.
The company will also work with suppliers to reduce the sodium, sugars and trans-fat content in national brands by 2015.
The announcement was attended by First Lady, Michelle Obama at an event in Washington DC. To make “healthier foods” more available to lower income groups, Walmart has pledged to build more stores in underserved communities and reduce the price premium on reduced sodium, sugar and fat foods which will save consumers as much as $1 billion annually.

Wal-Mart expands grocery

According to a Dow Jones report, grocery accounted for 51% of Wal-Mart’s total U.S. sales of $258.2 billion in the past year, when 86 locations were converted into Supercenters and 49 new Supercenters were opened.
These 100,000-square-foot stores sell groceries, clothing, electronics and other household items. Grocery’s share of sales was higher than in past years, a change attributed to consumers’ increased focus on necessities and value pricing during the recession.

Emerging retail trends could affect egg industry

Two significant marketing trends are emerging which may have some impact on the U.S. egg industry.
The first relates to the accelerating pace of adopting house brands. Wal-Mart is a leader in this initiative, recently announcing that national brands Hefty and Glad would be replaced by private label products in both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. In a subsequent announcement, Wal-Mart indicated that McCormick spices would be dropped in favor of a private label. This is significant, since McCormick is thought to market 11% of its production through the Wal-Mart chain.
The second trend is toward smaller stores, especially in urban areas. Meijer’s, Target and Wal-Mart have all announced smaller stores either as a test or as a commitment. Smaller stores would have reduced cold storage, which could require more frequent deliveries, either from a distribution center or, in the case of some suppliers, increased direct-to-store delivery.

Walmart to reduce supply chain costs

Walmart has announced that it will reduce costs by decreasing the proportion of items purchased from third-party procurement companies or suppliers and dealing directly with manufacturers.
Walmart’s annual sales are estimated at $400B, including $100B from private label products. Eduardo Castro-Wright, the head of Walmart USA, anticipates savings of $4B to $10B if the company meets its objective of purchasing 80% of its requirements directly.