In the complex landscape of meat packaging trends, two drivers that have long-term “legs” stand out as much in this segment as they do most packaged product categories: sustainability and convenience.

The 2012 AAMP Convention brought in the largest number of entries ever.

The National Meat Association (NMA) and the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) joined together to help meet the demands of change by establishing a bold, entirely new association: the North American Meat Association (NAMA).

Sustainability has become a common word at business meetings across the country, and it is rapidly becoming an expectation for today’s production systems.

Don’t expect corn values to get dramatically lower … this year.

For the fresh meat industry, including the fresh pork category, 2012 has been a challenging year.

Record-high feed costs during the second half of 2012 and undoubtedly at least for the first half of 2013 make any predictions about the chicken business in the new year more difficult and precarious than usual.

This summer, let alone the past year, has been a busy one for new programs and guidelines from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Today, there are approximately 80,000 sheep ranches and farms in the United States that produce about 200 million pounds of lamb each year for the U.S. market.

Through the first 10 months of 2012, veal farmers and packers have faced similar challenges as other livestock sectors.