TheMeatSite Newsletter - 26 May 2010

TheMeatSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 26th May 2010

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Supermarkets Lead Supply Chain and Welfare Initiatives

In the UK, the role of the supermarket has long been a major factor in the direction the meat industry takes.

This week on group, Morrisons, announced that it had formed a partnership together with processor Woodheads with Yorkshire based, The Beef Improvement Group, to develop a more efficient and sustainable supply chain of fresh beef.

The supermarket currently processes around 3000 cattle every week at its Woodheads abattoirs in Turriff, Colne and Spalding supplying beef to its 420 plus British stores. Morrisons is the only major UK retailer committed to selling 100 per cent fresh British beef.

It is anticipated the new partnership will lead to competitive advantages for all parts of the supply chain and has the potential to further improve the eating quality of beef.

Meanwhile, rival supermarket chain, Sainsbury, has announced that it has become the UK's largest Freedom Food retailer, as it eclipses all other supermarkets in both range and volume sales of higher welfare products.

This year, total Freedom Food sales have hit £143 million, according to Kantar Worldpanel and 60 per cent of Sainsbury's customers have purchased at least one Freedom Food labelled item in the past year.

Sainsbury's sells 62 per cent of all Freedom Food-endorsed food in the UK, and sales have doubled in the past year.

In the US, as part of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has launched a compliance guide for mobile slaughter units.

The USDA says that the guide presents recommendations and is not a regulatory requirement.

The Mobile Slaughter Use Compliance Guide is intended for owners and managers of a new or existing red meat or poultry mobile slaughter unit who want their establishment to come under Federal inspection and continue operations in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

The Meat Industry Under Pressure
The global meat industry is coming under pressure - not just pressure from market forces, but high pressure used in processing and pasteurisation writes TheMeatSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

Veal Production In The UK
With an increasing awareness of where food comes from, Charlotte Johnston, TheMeatSite junior editor, unravels the consumer concerns surrounding veal production in the UK.

International Meat Review - 13 May 2010
Statistics Canada recently released Canada’s quarterly Hog Statistics report, according to the USDA International Meat Review for 13 May.

US Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook - April 2010
While cattle and beef producers are enjoying high prices, pig prices are expecetd to reflect the low supplies, the poultry industry is expected to expand in reply, according to teh USDA Economic Research Service.