Late last year, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 — jointly published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services — decisively told Americans to limit foods and beverages higher in four areas: sodium, added sugars, saturated fat and alcohol. 

The growth of clean-label, natural and organic meat and poultry products is leading to decreased use and demand for commercial phosphates. 

Swine genetics, including gender, has been one of the greatest influences on pork belly, and, in turn, bacon quality. Therefore, the evolution of genetics in pork used in commercial production has had a great influence in recent years in producing larger swine. 

New packaging in the deli and lunchmeat category often is being driven by consumers’ lifestyle needs. For example, portable protein packs were created because consumers want to be fit and eat less while on the go. 

Chicken and turkey sales, like every meat category, posted impressive numbers for the 12 months ending Nov. 1, 2020, reports IRI, in Chicago. Chicken grew 12.7 percent in dollar sales to approximately $13.2 billion with volume sales up 8.3 percent. 

This year has seen a tremendous resurgence of breakfast meats due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with improved quality, convenient formulations and consumers’ demands for high protein at breakfast.

Ingredient technology to produce clean-label products that meet quality expectations is leading development in gums, binders and other emulsifiers. Additionally, use of gums, binders and emulsifiers to make plant-protein-based meat analogs more similar to meat products continues to progress, says Wes Schilling, professor of food science at Mississippi State University.

Many meat and poultry processors, trimming and deboning equipment manufacturers and universities continue to pursue automation and robotics for the trimming and deboning process. 

Driven by the huge increase in at-home meal occasions during the COVID-19 pandemic, bacon, like numerous other proteins, has seen an upsurge in overall buyers vs. a year ago for the latest 52 weeks, ending June 14, 2020, in multi-retail outlets, excluding convenience, according to IRI, Chicago. 

The three major functional ingredients areas — salt, sodium nitrate and lactates such as sodium lactates and sodium diacetate — have the biggest impact on food safety, shelf life and product quality.