Russia considers opening poultry trade with Thailand

Russia is considering granting poultry plants from Thailand clearance to export their products into Russia. The consideration follows a decision by Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian federal service for veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance, to allow two pork plants in Thailand to export to the country.
Rosselkhoznadzor recently held talks in Moscow with Thai officials to discuss further trade opportunities. It was determined that at a later date some poultry plants, as well as some fish and seafood plants, could become eligible for trade with Russia. Thai negotiators also stated that it could establish an office of Thai competent authorities in Moscow with the aim of immediate solutions of problems relevant to the provision of the safety of products imported into the Russian territory.
Russia has been looking for additional trade partners since the country’s government implemented trade bans concerning agricultural products from many of the world’s leading markets. On August 6, following a decree from President Vladimir Putin, Russia implemented a ban of pork, poultry and other food products from the United States, Canada, Australia, the European Union and Norway.
The Thai pork plants given clearance were Bangkla Pig Slaughter House and Betagro Safety Meat Packing. Under the agreement, an expert from Rosselkhoznadzor that has been assigned to Thailand will control production and shipment of pork products intended for the Russian market. The assigned expert will oversee the processes for the purpose of provision of additional safety guarantees.

Burger King, Starbucks, Papa John’s cut Husi Food Co. ties

As Chinese authorities investigate allegations that Husi Food Co., a subsidiary of OSI Group, sold expired poultry and beef to McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Dicos restaurants in China, the list of restaurants that have cut ties with Husi Food is growing. In addition to the four restaurants identified, Burger King, Starbucks and Papa John’s have also stopped purchasing from Husi Food Co.
The international restaurant chains have ended their relationships with Husi Food Co., after China’s Dragon TV released a report, alleging that the company repackaged expired poultry and beef to include false expiration dates, and sold them to McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Dicos, a sandwich restaurant chain.
According to a USA Today report, Starbucks removed its Chicken Apple Panini from its shelves after it realized the dish, sourced from one of its suppliers, uses chicken provided by Husi.
Burger King China has launched a full investigation into the matter, and suspended the sale of all products that contain food that came from Husi. Papa John’s stated that meat in its beef and Italian sausage toppings at five of its locations in Shanghai came from Husi Food Co.
Husi Food meat reaches McDonald’s locations in Japan
McDonald's not only purchased meat products from Husi Food Co. for locations in China, but also in Japan. The fast food chain said it has severed ties to has stopped selling Chicken McNuggets at more than 1,300 outlets in Japan as those locations had been using chicken supplied by Husi. McDonald’s stated that the Husi had been supplying chicken to its Japan locations since 2002.
OSI Group continues investigation
After learning of the allegations that Husi Food Co. sold expired meat to the restaurant chains, parent company OSI Group decided to launch an investigation, which is ongoing. The company issued the following statement: “OSI Group takes very seriously a recent media report on Dragon TV regarding products manufactured by its subsidiary, Shanghai Husi Food Co. Ltd. Company management was appalled by the report and is dealing with the issue directly and quickly. The company has formed an investigation team, is fully cooperating with inspections being conducted by relevant, supervising government agencies, and is also conducting its own internal review. The company is committed to sharing the investigation results with the public and taking all necessary actions based on those results.
“Food safety is the cornerstone of our company and our guiding principal when serving the needs of our customers. We have zero tolerance for any actions that compromise food safety. We sincerely apologize to our customers for any problems this has caused and to consumers who may be affected by these events. Our company management believes this to be an isolated event, but takes full responsibility for the situation and will take appropriate actions swiftly and comprehensively.”

OSI company accused of selling expired meat to KFC, McDonald’s

The Shanghai Office of the State Food and Drug Administration is conducting an investigation over allegations that expired chicken and beef were sold to KFC, McDonald's, and other restaurants in China. The supplier has been identified as Husi Food Co.
The investigation began after a Shanghai television station reported that Husi Food Co., owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois, sold the expired meats to KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s and Dicos, a sandwich shop chain. Husi Food Co. has been accused of repackaging the outdated chicken and beef and printing new expiration dates, CBS St. Louis reported.
Yum! Brands, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut, has stopped using the meat and has sealed it up so the agency can conduct its investigation. McDonald’s has done the same.
"At present, the company has been sealed and suspect products seized," the agency said on its website.
OSI and Husi Food Co. investigate, apologize
OSI Group, on its China website, issued the following statement: “OSI Group takes very seriously a recent media report on Dragon TV regarding products manufactured by its subsidiary, Shanghai Husi Food Co. Ltd. Company management was appalled by the report and is dealing with the issue directly and quickly. The company has formed an investigation team, is fully cooperating with inspections being conducted by relevant, supervising government agencies, and is also conducting its own internal review. The company is committed to sharing the investigation results with the public and taking all necessary actions based on those results.
“Food safety is the cornerstone of our company and our guiding principal when serving the needs of our customers. We have zero tolerance for any actions that compromise food safety. We sincerely apologize to our customers for any problems this has caused and to consumers who may be affected by these events. Our company management believes this to be an isolated event, but takes full responsibility for the situation and will take appropriate actions swiftly and comprehensively.”
Expired meat scandal the latest challenge for KFC China
The latest scandal is one of several public relations challenges for Yum! Brands. KFC, which is China’s largest restaurant chain with more than 4,000 locations, has been faced with its share of adversity and image problems since December 2012 when one of the companies suppliers had been giving chickens unapproved levels of antibiotics. Yum! Brands stopped using those suppliers, but consumers were still skeptical and KFC China sales severely dropped. KFC China sales also struggled in 2013 as China dealt with severe outbreaks of high-pathogenic strains of avian influenza.
However, parent company Yum! Brands has been bouncing back since facing these image problems. On July 16, the company reported its China division’s sales increased 21 percent with operating profit growth of 188 percent.

North American meat and poultry organizations consider merger

The American Meat Institute and the North American Meat Association have begun discussions about a possible merger. The executive committees of both associations have voted in favor of pursuing creating a new organization to represent the meat and poultry industry, the groups announced on September 12.
A committee composed of members from each association will be formed to discuss the next steps and to explore how a new organization can best serve its members.  Discussions are anticipated to occur during the next several months. 

Chicken Media Summit attendees learn poultry meat benefits

Bill Weldon, vice president of global outreach and development and Western Europe commercial business for Elanco Animal Health, and Susan Finn, president and CEO of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition, delivered a keynote address to attendees of the 2013 Chicken Media Summit on April 17. Together, they shared how animal source foods are the key to enriching people's lives and feeding the world for the next 50 years.
The three key elements of this new research focuses on broadening the understanding, empowering collaboration and advancing innovation. Statistics show that by 2050 we are expected to have about 9 billion mouths to feed. That means 70 percent more food will be needed and 70 percent of this will need to come from efficiency-improving technology.
"Food security has far-reaching ramifications for health productivity and quality of life at the individual, community and global levels," attendees were told. "Historically, as societies emerge from poverty, they begin to consume animal source foods. Meat, milk and eggs provide a nutrient-rich diet, which is critical for brain and muscle development, and disease prevention, along with weight management. All of these combine to improve health and productivity, ultimately enriching people's lives."
The summit, held in New Bern, N.C., runs April 17–19. The event is being hosted by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

Midamar turkey deli products line wins 'best new food' award

Midamar Corporation, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was crowned the winner of the international Gulfood award for "Best New Frozen or Chilled Food" for its newly launched Turkey Deli Meats line.
Midamar also received recognition for entries in the Best New Fast Food Product or Innovation Award, Best New Halal Food Award and the Best New Foodservice Innovation Award. Midamar Halal Beef Ribs and Chicken Tenders won second place in the above categories. Over 3,800 companies from 110 countries were invited to compete for the awards and there were hundreds of submissions from 30 countries. The submitted products were judged by a panel of international food experts.
"Midamar is very pleased to be the proud recipient of the prestigious 2013 Gulfood Award for Best New Frozen or Chilled Product," said Midamar Director Jalel Aossey. "Winning this award is great recognition for the Midamar team. We have just launched our new turkey deli line here at Gulfood. Our customers told us they wanted a delicious and healthy whole chunk turkey breast line, and we developed our Halal turkey line to be low on fat and high on flavor. I think this is what appealed to the judges."

Russia hopes to export poultry to EU in coming months

Russia may start supplying poultry meat to the European Union in the upcoming months, Russian Agriculture Minister, Nikolai Fyodorov announced at a recent news conference at the Green Week 2013 international agro-industrial exhibition in Berlin.
Fyodorov stated that some facilities in the Moscow region, Siberia and the Urals are prepared to start the deliveries, but an agreement on prices had not yet been reached.
Russian poultry farms gained access to the European market after Russia joined the World Trade Organization in 2012, removing the earlier set barriers to Russian deliveries. 

Poultry seized in Malta

The Environmental Health Directorate and the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Regulatory Department in Malta seized more than 106 kg of fresh poultry products because of a lack of traceability.
Approximately 8 kg of whole chicken also was seized. The products were being marketed as originating in Malta, but they actually originated in Italy.
Authorities removed the products from two outlets and said legal action will be taken.
"Once again, food business operators are being reminded of their duties in particular to ensure traceability of the food supply and that truthful information is displayed to consumers," read a statement released by the Maltese government.

Dominican Republic chicken prices may rise further on US drought

Prices for poultry meat in the Dominican Republic could rise as much as RD$4.00 (US$0.04) per pound in the coming weeks as a result of the drought in the U.S., according to the country's Agriculture Ministry advisor Manuel Tejera. The prediction comes in spite of a recent "Day without Chicken," a boycott organized to protest the prices of poultry.
Tejera said local stockpiles of corn and soybeans are nearly depleted, and farmers will have to buy more at 40 percent higher prices in August and September than what they bought previously due to damaged U.S. crops. As a result, chicken farms will adjust their prices to sell between RD$33.00 (US$0.84) and RD$34.00 (US$0.87) per pound, instead of the current RD$29.00 (US$0.74) per pound.

Scientists respond to report linking chicken, antibiotic-resistant infections

Scientists and members of the veterinary and food safety fields are responding to a report linking the E. coli found in chicken and the E. coli that causes human urinary tract infections, saying that chicken is safe and that the claims made may be misleading.
“Bacteria move dynamically, not just in one direction from animals to humans; all pathways must be considered,” said Randall Singer, DVM, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. “The studies in question make the assumption that humans carrying these E. coli acquired them from poultry. The strains did not originate in poultry and likely entered these farms from sources originating in human communities. Perhaps most importantly, the potential transmission of antibiotic-resistant E. coli to humans says nothing about why these E. coli are antibiotic resistant in the first place. The resistances observed in these E. coli are common globally and are unlikely to be attributed to chickens given the few antibiotics available for use in poultry in the U.S.”
The report also said that, according to the Food and Drug Administration, 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are fed to livestock and even healthy chickens — a statistics the National Chicken Council said is not attributable to the FDA and isn't accurate. "Fully 40 percent of the animal antibiotics counted are compounds not used in human medicine, and therefore, their use in animals cannot be compared with those used in humans," said the council.
“While we question the overall conclusions of these findings, the study’s researchers point to improper food handling during meat preparation for food-borne urinary tract infections,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., National Chicken Council vice president of science and technology. “So it is always pertinent to remind consumers about the importance of safe food handling and cooking — washing of hands, cutting boards and utensils, cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and preventing cross contamination in the kitchen.”

Kurdistan to produce 100,000 metric tons poultry in 2013

Kurdistan produces 60,000 metric tons of poultry meat annually, and expects to increase that number to 100,000 metric tons by 2013, according to the region's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.
Since January, nearly 25,000 metric tons of poultry meat has been produced, said Director of animal resources Ramazan Karim. Egg production in the region is roughly 520 million eggs per year — a number which is supplemented by imports from neighboring countries, said Karim. Kurdistan currently has 1,000 poultry projects.

Demand for dark poultry meat on the rise in US

Demand for dark poultry meat is on the rise in the U.S., increasing prices for the product and helping the industry recover from a 2011 slump, according to reports.
Sales are rising from a combination of rising U.S. immigrant populations, industry innovation that makes it easier for producers to supply boneless dark meat to satisfy domestic consumer demand, and growing exports to foreign markets that favor chicken on the bone. Boneless, skinless thigh meat ten years ago sold for just over half the price of boneless, skinless breasts, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. But since the middle of 2011, prices for both cuts have been holding around $1.30 per pound. The price for chicken legs has doubled over the last decade, to more than 75 cents per pound, while prices for breast meat have fallen, said the USDA.
"Our percent of dark meat sold domestically has improved dramatically," said Tyson CEO Donnie Smith. The company is responding by increasing purchases from outside suppliers. Pilgrim's Corp. is using Brazil-based conglomerate JBS SA to expand exports of dark meat and whole birds to Asia and the Middle East, and has dedicated one of its U.S. processing plants to filling export orders.

Poultry meat plays part in reducing stroke risk

Choosing to eat poultry and other proteins, such as fish or nuts, can lower the risk of a stroke, while frequently eating red meat appears to increase the risk of stroke significantly, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Cleveland Clinic.
The study, published in Stroke in December 2011, found that people who ate the most chicken or turkey each day had a 13 percent reduced stroke risk compared to those who ate about one daily serving of red meat. In addition, men who ate more than two red meat servings daily had a 28 percent higher stroke risk than those who ate about one-third of a serving each day. “The main message from this paper is that the type of protein or the protein package is really important for the risk of stroke,” said co-author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.

Colombia poultry production reaches record levels

Poultry meat maintained its position as the most consumed meat in Colombia in 2011, a year in which per-capita meat consumption grew by 2.6% to reach 84.2 kg, according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture.
This places Colombia at a level that matches Food and Agriculture Organization estimates for developed countries and is practically double the average of 42 kg that is the estimated per-capita consumption at a worldwide level, said Agriculture Minister Luis Mayol. "Our main meat consumed, with 36.1 kg per inhabitant annually, is poultry meat, of which 4.7 kg is turkey. In second place is pig meat, with 25.7 kg, followed by beef with 21.7 kg."
Since 1998, poultry meat has been consumers’ preferred meat, overtaking the position once held by beef, said Mayol. This change has been the result of major advances by the industry, which is able to offer a product that is more economically attractive than other meats and is healthy and easy to prepare. However, despite a sustained increase in production over the last decade — averaging 3% per annum — there have been difficulties, including a loss of slaughter capacity in 2007 due to a fire in a major slaughter plant and an earthquake in 2011. But in 2011 production recovered, said Mayol, and the year ended with production thought to be close to 650,000 tons — the highest level ever recorded and double 1995’s production level.

Poultry surface freezing not a significant reducer of bacteria

Blast surface freezing of poultry meat does not result in a significant reduction in bacteria counts (such as Salmonella or E. coli) when compared to fresh or completely frozen treatments, according to research conducted at Clemson University.
Salmonella and E. coli bacteria were injected into raw chicken breast, allowed to attach, and then live cells were recovered after exposure to surface freezing for comparison with bacteria on meat that was only refrigerated or completely frozen. Since bacteria in processing plants are often exposed to low temperatures, both cold-shocked and normal temperature bacteria were injected into samples. No differences were found between cold-shocked or non-shocked bacteria on products that were surface or completely frozen, and surface freezing did not increase shelf life or affect color and tenderness of raw chicken breast.

Hyperspectral imaging may be used to detect broiler meat hazards

Hyperspectral (HS) imaging may be a viable alternative to x-ray imaging when identifying bone, bone fragments and other physical hazards in poultry meat, according to the results of a research project at North Carolina State University.
In the course of the research, broiler fillets were compressed to a thickness of 1 centimeter for studying the fusion of HS transmittance and reflective imaging, which is a non-ionized and non-destructive imaging technique. Experimental results with fillets resulted in a detection accuracy of 100% for bones greater than 2 centimeters in length. However, the false-positive rate was 10%, primarily from thick fatty material, indicating further refinement is necessary prior to commercial use.
Attempts to detect embedded bones in thigh meat were less successful, according to researchers.

Poultry, eggs central to Northern Ireland agricultural output

Poultry meat and eggs contribute some 18% to Northern Ireland’s gross agricultural output and consume one-third of the compound feed trade there. With an estimated turnover of GBP 629 million (US$1 billion), the poultry meat industry provides 17% of the gross turnover of the food and drinks processing sector and more than 5,500 full- and part-time jobs.
In 2010, 105 million chickens were processed in Northern Ireland, along with 1.5 million turkeys, according to Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O'Neill. Current production of hatching eggs stands at 4 million per week, of which 1.2 million are exported. “Primary production of poultry meat and eggs is an important contributor to income on a significant number of farms across the province, nearly all of which are family businesses," said O'Neill at a recent Poultry Industry Education Trust conference. "They form the basis of our efforts to ensure a sustainable and profitable industry.” 

Chicken meat demand strongest at grocery level

Akshay Jagdale, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets, said that the demand for chicken meat is at its weakest levels in the restaurant and food industries, and at its strongest levels in grocery stores, the Washington Post reported. 
Mike Cockrell, chief financial officer at Sanderson Farms Inc., said that consumers are not eating out as much with high gas prices and poor economic conditions, which has meant less demand for the company's chicken at restaurants it supplies. According to Pilgrim's spokeswoman Margaret McDonald, demand for the company's chicken is not as weak at grocery stores as it is in restaurants, but it remains difficult for the company to build further at grocers due to high consumer chicken prices.
Jagdale anticipates that breast meat supply will need to be cut significantly in order for prices to rise in the restaurant and foodservice sector. However, he predicts retail chicken prices will likely remain high at grocery stores because demand is stronger here.

Cargill to increase cooked chicken production in Thailand

Cargill has made plans to spend $100 million to increase its annual production capacity of cooked poultry products in Thailand by approximately 24,000 metric tons.
The Thailand Board of Investment is touting Cargill’s interest as an example of why Thailand is a leading producer and exporter of foods, including poultry. “Thailand has been the largest processed foods exporter in Asia for many years," said Atchaka Sibunruang, secretary general of the board. “The country’s emphasis on research and technology is driving the investment we're seeing today.”
Thai food exports are expected to surpass $33 billion in value within the next two years as a result of continued high global demand. Sales in 2011 are predicted to hit $30 billion, representing over 28% of the country's total gross domestic product.

US turkey eggs up, poults down in July

Net turkey placements in the U.S. were up from June 2011.

U.S. turkey eggs in incubators on Aug. 1 totaled 28.2 million, up 1% from the same time in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report. Eggs in incubators were down 3% from the July 1 total of 29.2 million eggs.
Turkey poults hatched during July totaled 24.8 million, down 5% from July 2010. Poults hatched were up 4% from the June 2011 total of 23.8 million poults.
The 24.6 million net poults placed during July 2011 were down 5% from the number placed during the same month in 2010. Net placements were up 3% from the June 2011 total of 23.8 million.