Most Americans (89 percent) agree it is important to eat enough protein in their diet, and that protein can be part of a heart healthy diet (86 percent), reports Washington, D.C.-based International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC)’s Food and Health Survey 2015.

Early this summer, Andy Hanacek, editor-in-chief of The National Provisioner checked in with Chef Christopher Hansen, corporate executive chef at OSI Group, to get his thoughts on some of the trends driving meat and poultry culinary strategies, and how his company was responding to some of these big-picture targets.

Fresh sausages are one of the most popular types of processed meat.

The processed-meat industry is currently experiencing a period of rapid expansion.

Chipotle’s organic tofu Sofritas, Panera Bread’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich and Burger King’s BK Veggie burger are all popular and all lacking one thing: meat, which isn’t an accident.