Meat and poultry companies are using new technologies in their process-control systems to improve food safety, reduce costs, decrease energy use, lessen environmental impact and advance other areas, which provide multiple benefits to these companies.

Processors of precooked and smoked meats are seeking technologies that promise product consistency, quality and safety.

Workers at poultry breading plants exposed to airborne breading dust are at risk of developing asthma, bronchitis and upper respiratory ailments.

The 2011 National Beef Quality Audit showed that beef retailers and foodservice operators identified beef flavor as the primary attribute of importance when defining eating satisfaction.

While options abound for processors, choosing the right conveying system requires consideration of the task at hand as well as the abuse the system will take.

Spare parts inventory optimization is great. It helps companies identify where they are holding too much spare parts inventory and correct those holdings to reflect their expectation of current needs.

To satisfy increasing production needs to consistently manufacture safe, industry-leading products, JTM Food Group in Harrison, Ohio, invests heavily in advanced technology.

Post-packaging pasteurization has become an important intervention for reducing the Listeria monocytogenes hazard in packages of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products, as well as extending the shelf life of RTE products.

In a recent University of Nebraska study, beef from cattle fed a high concentration of wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) was more tender than beef from cattle fed corn only.

"Hurry up and get that conveyor running,” is barked over the radio as one critical piece of equipment has brought a processing department to a standstill.