Managers at aging processing plants are poised to improve or replace their existing wastewater systems. What will they find? Innovative, sustainable and less expensive cleaning systems that now require smaller footprints.

After years of increasing revenues, prepared-foods activity is crashing as consumers switch to homemade meals as they seek safety and savings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a normal year, we would be presenting Independent Processor’s annual Processor of the Year Award to a company that best exemplifies all of the qualities of a small or mid-sized meat processor. In a normal year, it’s a difficult process to determine which company to choose. However, there has been nothing normal about this year since mid-March. 

Processors have several options for pasteurization, including high-pressure pasteurization (HPP), hot water, steam, hot air, infrared heat, radiofrequency and irradiation. Hot water, steam and HPP are the most popular, with HPP and hot water growing the fastest, says Wes Shilling, professor of food science at Mississippi State University in Mississippi State.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States, the meat industry increasingly faces the potential of pandemic-related economic and legal threats. 

The move to reduced-use and no-antibiotics-ever production systems is prompting the broiler industry to explore other tools, not just for managing gut health but also for reducing the number of foodborne pathogens.

Salt contributes much to meat products — flavor, water-holding capacity and food safety. The top challenge for meat and poultry processors is that sodium comes primarily from the sodium chloride in brines, marinades and seasonings along with the leavening agents in batters and breadings and the sodium bicarbonate in bread crumbs. 

The fresh-meat forming process works best with quality raw materials, but equipment and process can overcome many raw-material flaws.

What if the key to improving food safety in thermal processing — heating, cooking and smoking — is more water?