Meat+Poultry - April 2023 - 8

COMMENTARY
First quarter takeaways
It's nearing the end of March, so I
thought it would be an appropriate
time to take stock of the first quarter
of 2023, which saw stakeholders
across the animal protein industry
shake off their COVID-19 coil
and come together for industry
conferences and trade shows.
In January, I attended my first-ever
International Production & Processing
Expo (IPPE), which at times was
overwhelming but never boring.
The show in Atlanta featured 1,175
exhibitors showcasing the latest food
processing technology and solutions
and covering 532,190 square feet of
exhibit space. For me, that meant
38,945 steps, according to my FitBit
health tracker.
Show organizers said the event
drew 27,712 registered attendees from
the poultry and egg, meat and animal
food industries. Domestic attendance
made up 74% of the total number while
26% of visitors were international
(representing 125 countries).
The largest group from a single
country outside the United States
was Canada, with 16.9% of registered
attendees. And again, Latin America
had the strongest international
presence, representing 45% of
international visitors.
It was no surprise that the
advancements in automated solutions
on display drew significant attention
from attendees as companies across
industries continue to face worker
recruitment and retention challenges.
In the processing sector, attendees
were especially keen on robotics for
harvest, fabrication and packing among
other tasks. Popular solutions offered
at the show could be customized to fit
an existing footprint negating the need
to expand a facility.
In March, the North American Meat
Institute and FMI - The Food Industry
Association also held a successful
Annual Meat Conference (AMC) in
Dallas, Texas. The two organizations,
which partnered with Midan Marketing
to redesign the event, reported
record attendance of more than 1,980
attendees, with 115 exhibitors showing
off their innovations across 25,000
square feet of exhibit space.
At AMC, attendees surely were
reassured to hear that meat remains
king of consumers' plates, with
consumers buying more meat than
before the pandemic started. Fewer
consumers are calling themselves
'flexitarians', and more consumers
embraced case-ready meats.
IPPE and AMC couldn't have been
more different in terms of subject
matter and size. But among the various
takeaways from both events, one issue
stood out - sustainability.
Environmental, social
and governance (ESG)
standards increasingly
are used to guide
decisions about
investments.
Suppliers to the
protein production
sector are focused
on the challenge of
sustainability, transparency and
emissions reduction. Associations
across industries are also responding
to the trend by dedicating significant
programming and resources
to the topics of sustainability,
transparency, data collection and
communication strategies.
Midan Marketing put it plainly in
its " AMC 2023 Top 10 Takeaways: " It's
Time to Step Up Our Sustainability
Commitment. It's clear the meat and
poultry processing industry is prepared
to do just that.
In this issue of MEAT+POULTRY
magazine, Features Editor Bob Sims
unpacks the ways in which processors
are appealing to consumers who are
concerned about beef production's
impact on the environment. And I
outline a conversation held during
AMC 2023 that suggests a continuous
improvement mindset can be
advantageous as companies grapple
with aligning their business practices
more with consumers' values.
ERICA SHAFFER | eshaffer@sosland.com
Among
the various
takeaways from
both events, one
issue stood out -
sustainability.
" It's time to step up our
sustainability commitment. "
- MIDAN MARKETING
8 MEAT+POULTRY | 04.23 | www.meatpoultry.com
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - April 2023

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