MeatingPod

More than any other segment of the alternative meats sector, cultivated meat is where innovation meets controversy. Long before it hits store shelves, meat grown in bioreactors has sparked a heated debate in the food culture wars. Government bans and social media backlash are complicating its path to regulatory approval and consumer acceptance. Fortunately, Kimberly Ong is here as our guide: The c...

In this episode, Agrimesh Technologies Vice President of Sales and Operations Erik Longtin outlines how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is opening doors for farmers, growers — and, even some processors — to increase operating efficiencies, reduce costs and generate valuable data that can help improve how their facilities work. The Canadian-based company currently works with a variety of food producti...

In this episode, a panel of Danville Community College administrators and instructors describe a relationship the Virginia-based school has established with Tyson Foods Inc. The school offers a specific technical training program that gives eligible students who complete the program a chance to move into technical maintenance jobs at a high-tech Tyson chicken products plant in Danville, Va. Our pa...

Beyond managing programs at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences that focus on food safety protocols, Dr. Francisco Diez-Gonzalez also is the co-author of recent research into the eradication of Listeria monocytogenes using blue light and polymers. In this MeatingPod, he’ll discuss progress in food safety management at food plants and the need for processo...

The Israeli plant-based meat company Chunk has skipped over the patties and nuggets that dominate the alt-meat space at retail in favor of filets that fit quite nicely among high-end steakhouse offerings. Using a fermentation process, Chunk replicates the “grain” of a whole cut of beef steak, so it cooks and eats like its animal-based counterpart. Chunk founder and CEO Amos Golan spoke with Alt-Me...

The expanding role of automation and robotics in meat processing plants remains a hot topic as companies and workers adapt to systems that can improve yields, affect food safety and avoid potential worker injuries. In this episode, Neal Walsh, chief operating officer at Butterball LLC outlines how these advances also have improved communication between executives, plant employees on and off the li...

Now that USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued its final ruling designating Salmonella as an adulterant in raw, breaded and stuffed chicken products, poultry processors may soon be required take another look at their operations. In this episode, Dr. John Maurer from the School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech will outline some of the options available to the makers of such pre...

Applegate Farms Vice President of R&D, QA and Project Management at Applegate Farms Chad Clem wears a lot of hats as he guides his teams through the process of developing and fine-tuning the processor’s lines of all-natural and organic deli meats, bacon, sausage, chicken, snacks and cheese. In this episode, Clem describes how staying on top of regulatory issues, innovation, food safety and oth...

A few years ago, drawing comparisons between software development and food product development was seen as evidence of forward thinking. That phase didn’t last long, though, because food is not software — and nobody knows that better than JJ Kass, senior vice president and managing director for TiNDLE, a maker of plant-based chicken, sausages and dairy products. With substantial business developme...

With major meat processors making bold investments in high-tech upgrades, companies like Cargill Inc. are seeing benefits in terms of increased efficiency, higher levels of plant safety, improved yields on the production line and workers with new skills. In this episode of MeatingPod, Enrique Villars, Cargill North America’s Manufacturing Excellence Leader, outlines how the Minneapolis-based proce...

Drew Getty, vice president of environmental sustainability and government relations and chief compliance officer at Perdue Farms, provides insights into two greenhouse gas abatement programs that the poultry processor launched and expanded within six months. The program with GreenGasUSA has reduced carbon emissions by 17%, representing the elimination of 4.5 million gallons of gasoline being consu...

Developing custom flavors for new and existing foodservice and restaurant customers for sous vide proteins involves collaboration and communication, according to Keith Goerl, Vice President, R&D and Commercialization at Ed Miniat LLC. Successfully meeting client needs involves employing a variety of channels to stay ahead of emerging flavor trends and testing new concept inside the in-house ki...

All meat analogue companies face a potentially huge hurdle right out of the gate: The cost of the physical plant necessary to make their particular foodstuffs, whether in the form of bioreactors or extruders or mixers, or any of an endless number of other pieces of equipment. And that doesn’t account for the cost of running and maintaining and manning a facility. Many founders are vowing to build...

Dr. Konrad Ahlin, the senior robotics researcher at the Georgia Tech Research Institute provides updates on the use of flexible automated systems, robotics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality in food processing plants. He also outlines how these advances are affecting plant workers and specific operations like movement of product and maintaining yields throughout the processing line. Dr....

In this episode, Dr. Casey Owens and Dongyi Wang of the University of Arkansas discuss new advances in identifying quality defects on the chicken processing line and advances in robotics that can handle repetitive line functions like chicken hanging. Our guests also outline how students at the university are benefitting from internship opportunities that can open doors to other jobs in meat produc...

Quality assurance protocols don’t necessarily begin at the processing plant. The research that Dr. Ron Lemenager has conducted over his career shows that specific techniques even at the feedlot stage have a direct effect on the quality of the beef products that leave the plant. Beyond his research and development projects aimed at generating the highest quality beef, Dr. Lemenager also is teaching...

After almost a half-dozen years immersed in the animal side of Cargill’s protein business, Elizabeth Gutschenritter has been at the helm of the conglomerate’s alternative proteins business since 2019. In a wide-ranging interview with Alt-Meat, she discussed how Cargill balances the differing cultures of the two protein businesses, fosters a start-up mindset from inside the international agri-giant...

Marty Linn, Director of Engineering at the Tyson Manufacturing Automation Center in Springdale, Ark., discusses advances and challenges he and his team face as they develop automated and robotics systems for use in chicken processing. The goal of boosting efficiency, reducing costs and worker safety dovetails with Tyson’s commitment to help the company's team members expand their skills and,...

As the latest wave of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases continues to wane after two years of confirmed outbreaks nationwide, our guests will outline where we stand now and what might be needed to improve monitoring and responses to new infections. Dr. Carol Cardona of the University of Minnesota is a specialist in animal health and emergency disease response while Dr. Michelle Kromm o...

This episode will focus on a specific category of food products that includes meat that is marketed to individuals following strict Jewish dietary laws or those who appreciate the value of foods that carry the Kosher seal. Kleiman will outline the efforts meat processors (and other food companies) must make to offer Kosher-certified products as well as the types of innovations and food development...

Ivy Farms is a U.K.-based company that is helping build the alt-meat industry in that country. Ivy Farms’ business model is different from most: strictly B-to-B, focusing on just one part of the process — in this case, developing and growing the harvested cell lines used to make cultivated meat products. To do that successfully, Ivy Farms has actively pursued partnerships with other companies in t...

This episode centers on sustainability efforts that meat processors are seeking to make more effective and consistent and a company that offers a concept that helps entities move closer to those goals from the farm and ranch level. Indigo Ag works with a variety of consumer product companies by connecting them with supplies of low-carbon grain that is used in animal feed, resulting in reduced rate...

In this episode, a panel of Danville Community College administrators and instructors describe a relationship the Virginia-based school has established with Tyson Foods Inc. The school offers a specific technical training program that gives eligible students who complete the program a chance to move into technical maintenance jobs at a high-tech Tyson chicken products plant in Danville, Va. Our pa...

Beyond managing programs at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences that focus on food safety protocols, Dr. Francisco Diez-Gonzalez also is the co-author of recent research into the eradication of Listeria monocytogenes using a combination of blue light and polymers. In this episode of MeatingPod, he will discuss progress in food safety management at food pr...

Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Malaysia — Asia is fertile ground for meat analogue R&D. One would expect a region with such a long history with non-meat proteins and so many people to feed would be a slam-dunk for alt-meat marketers, right? As it turns out, the role of food in Asian cultures is fundamentally different from experiences in the Americas, Europe or Australia/New Zealand....