STRUCTURAL CHANGE OR LOGICAL INCREMENTALISM? TURBULENCE IN THE GLOBAL MEAT SYSTEM

In the last ten years the global meat industry has encountered numerous critical events related to food safety and food quality. These events in turn have caused the industry to re-evaluate how the meat supply chain functions and how to service the new social attributes demanded in the market place. Issues like source-verified, non-GMO, and organic are becoming important sources of product differentiation. How should firms in the meat supply chain respond? This study uses a needs assessment approach with meat supply chain managers and direct cataloguing of retail meat cases to better understand how the US meat supply chain is reacting to the turbulence in the industry.Livestock Production/Industries,

The relationship between various live animal scores/measurements and carcass classification for conformation and fatness with meat yield and distribution, and ultimate carcass value

End of project reportAccordingly, the primary objectives of the following study were to: (1) determine the relationship of live animal muscular and skeletal scores, ultrasonically scanned muscle and fat depth measurements of the m. longissimus dorsi, and carcass conformation and fat scores with kill-out proportion, carcass composition and value. (2) Specifically develop and test the accuracy of prediction equations for carcass meat, fat and bone proportions, derived from carcass conformation and fat scores, and develop prediction equations for total carcass composition from hind-quarter composition

The relationship between various live animal scores/measurements and carcass classification for conformation and fatness with meat yield and distribution, and ultimate carcass value.

End of Project Reportthe primary objectives of the following study were to: (1) determine the relationship of live animal muscular and skeletal scores, ultrasonically scanned muscle and fat depth measurements of the m. longissimus dorsi, and carcass conformation and fat scores with kill-out proportion, carcass composition and value. (2) Specifically develop and test the accuracy of prediction equations for carcass meat, fat and bone proportions, derived from carcass conformation and fat scores, and develop prediction equations for total carcass composition from hind-quarter composition

Real-time ultrasound (RTU) imaging methods for quality control of meats

In this chapter the use of real-time ultrasonography to predict in vivo carcass composition and meat traits will be reviewed. The chapter begins by discussing background and principles of ultrasound. Then aspects affecting the suitability of realtime ultrasonography and image analysis for predicting carcass composition and meat traits of meat producing species and fish will be presented. This chapter also provides an overview of the present and future trends in the application of real-time ultrasonography in the meat industry. © 2012 Woodhead Publishing Limited All rights reserved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

TRACEABILITY IN THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY: ECONOMIC THEORY AND INDUSTRY STUDIES

This investigation into the traceability baseline in the United States finds that private sector food firms have developed a substantial capacity to trace. Traceability systems are a tool to help firms manage the flow of inputs and products to improve efficiency, product differentiation, food safety, and product quality. Firms balance the private costs and benefits of traceability to determine the efficient level of traceability. In cases of market failure, where the private sector supply of traceability is not socially optimal, the private sector has developed a number of mechanisms to correct the problem, including contracting, third-party safety/quality audits, and industry-maintained standards. The best-targeted government policies for strengthening firms' incentives to invest in traceability are aimed at ensuring that unsafe of falsely advertised foods are quickly removed from the system, while allowing firms the flexibility to determine the manner. Possible policy tools include timed recall standards, increased penalties for distribution of unsafe foods, and increased foodborne-illness surveillance.traceability, tracking, traceback, tracing, recall, supply-side management, food safety, product differentiation, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Industrial Organization,

Understanding the underlying genetics of primal lean meat yield traits in Canadian commercial beef

Multiple investigations were undertaken to evaluate the effects of different factors on primal lean meat yield traits including: i) the effects of production factors, such as calf-fed and yearling-fed production systems (PS), the use of implant strategies, and their interactions along with breed composition, on individual beef primal tissue composition (i.e., lean, fat, and bone); (ii) estimation of phenotypic correlations and genetic parameters, such as heritability and genetic correlations of primal tissue component traits, i.e., lean and fat tissue; and (iii) identification of relevant genomic regions and candidate genes associated with total carcass and individual primal lean content in the Canadian commercial crossbred beef cattle population. The results showed that PS × implant (IMP) interaction affected marbling and primal weights but had no significant effect on the lean or fat content of any primal or total carcass. Redundancy analyses (RDA) demonstrated that lean content from loin was not closely associated with other primals, which could result in a potential effect on the value of grading carcasses using just one primal, which is influenced differently compared with the other primals. The heritability estimates for primal lean and fat traits were also greater than those of primal cut weights. Similarly, genetic correlations were high among the tissue groups while high negative correlations were observed between lean and fat components, implying that lean meat yield (LMY) could be optimized by selecting for one or more tissue component traits without increasing overall carcass fatness. Moreover, actual lean meat yield (ALY) from carcass cut-out data correlated more strongly with primals other than loin, which is the commercially used yield prediction criteria. In addition to that, GWAS indicated that ELY had a large number of genes unrelated to carcass traits while ALY was linked to more genes associated with lean tissue production. Hence, inclusion of primal data into breeding programs can help identify cattle with improved LMY.February 2024University of Manitoba Graduate Funding A-base funding- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canad

FOOD SAFETY INNOVATION IN THE UNITED STATES: EVIDENCE FROM THE MEAT INDUSTRY

Recent industry innovations improving the safety of the Nation's meat supply range from new pathogen tests, high-tech equipment, and supply chain management systems, to new surveillance networks. Despite these and other improvements, the market incentives that motivate private firms to invest in innovation seem to be fairly weak. Results from an ERS survey of U.S. meat and poultry slaughter and processing plants and two case studies of innovation in the U.S. beef industry reveal that the industry has developed a number of mechanisms to overcome that weakness and to stimulate investment in food safety innovation. Industry experience suggests that government policy can increase food safety innovation by reducing informational asymmetries and strengthening the ability of innovating firms to appropriate the benefits of their investments.Food safety, innovation, meat, asymmetric information, Beef Steam Pasteurization System, Bacterial Pathogen Sampling and Testing Program, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

Characterization of Bison Finishing and Harvest Systems: Effects on Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics

The objectives of this thesis project were to 1) characterize the influence of finishing system (grain-finished vs. grass-finished) on carcass characteristics, meat quality, the nutritional composition, and consumer preference for bison meat 2) evaluate the effectiveness of beef camera grading technology on grain- and grass-finished bison carcass characteristics, and 3) characterize the influence harvest systems (on-ranch vs. commercial facilities) on animal stress response, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and consumer preference of bison heifers. For objectives 1 and 2: Grain- (n=108) and grass- (n=93) finished bison heifers were slaughtered at 28 mo of age, at approximately 20 h postmortem, carcass measurements and camera images were recorded, and striploins were collected from a subsample of caresses (n=30 carcasses closest to the treatment average hot carcass weight) for meat quality analyses. For objective 2, grass-finished bison heifers were randomly assigned to harvest treatments: Commercial (n=93, transported ~720 km to a commercial harvest facility) or On-ranch (n = 40, harvested onranch using a mobile slaughter unit). Blood samples were collected immediately following exsanguination, carcass measurements were recorded, and striploins were collected from a subsample of carcasses (n=30 carcasses closest to the treatment average hot carcass weight). For objective 1, finishing systems influenced bison carcass characteristics and meat quality; however, there was no differences detected between finishing systems for consumer preferences. Additionally, finishing systems influenced nutrient content and fatty acid composition, which may have health implications; as grass-finished steaks had decreased fat and cholesterol content, but increased proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to grain-finished steaks. For objective 2, bison ribeye images collected with a beef grading camera were correlated with expert grader evaluations, however the camera was more efficient at determining yield grade parameters, and had difficulties measuring marbling. Accuracy of measurements and validation of a suitable camera grading system for bison will require additional investigation, including calibration and adjustments for bison carcass characteristics. For objective 3, harvest systems influenced short-term stress response, and some carcass and meat quality characteristics of bison heifers. However, harvest systems had minimal impact on consumer preference for bison

Reducing Obesity: Policy Strategies From the Tobacco War

Outlines the impact of obesity on health, healthcare costs, and productivity. Reviews successful policy interventions to reduce tobacco use and considers whether excise or sales tax, labeling requirements, and advertising bans could lower obesity rates