General Session II

The National Beef Quality Audit:

What's it Mean to the Retail Sector?

by Kasey Miller for Angus Productions, Inc.

 

HOUSTON, Texas (April 20, 2012) — Food safety is the most “non-negotiable” requirement for retailers, as shown by the 2011 National Beef Quality Audit and reinforced by Norlyn Tipton, program quality manager, Specialty Meat Cos., at Sysco Corp., Houston. This information was presented at the 44^th Annual Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) in Houston April 18-21.

 

Tipton explained that Sysco Corp. is the nation’s largest foodservice distributor, with 177 locations nationwide, 400,000 customers and 300,000 items sold. The questions he said he hears most often from consumers involve food safety (on a daily basis), product quality, regulatory compliance and agricultural sustainability.

 

Because consumers are so worried about food safety, Tipton said their questions often involve “Why don’t we test more? Why don’t we test more often or for more things?” He suggested the industry prepare more Meat Mythcrusher-esque responses about the safety of beef. Involve the consumers in the process to give them an idea of what’s happening and why.

 

“Perception is reality,” he asserted. What consumers believe greatly affects the beef industry, whether their facts are correct or not.

 

The government also puts a great deal of pressure on retailers. As a result, Tipton said, new “intervention cabinets” have been installed in the plants, and research is being done to determine where best to put them and how best to use them.

 

Sysco has more than 180 staff members in the field working on food safety, but Sysco also handles specialty meat companies and focuses on portion-control cutting.

Consumers determine much of the products that Sysco offers, such as boxed beef and premium programs. Size consistency is one of the biggest issues they face. Consistency has improved from 1986, Tipton admitted, but carcasses have gotten too big.

 

Many times the ribeyes, for example, do not fit into the boxes, which gives the consumers less consistency in product, preparation time and portion size. This lack of consistency has led Sysco to use dairy steers in one of their premium boxed programs (Sysco Imperial).

 

Sysco’s biggest boxed beef program is the Butcher’s Block program, which boasts that of four ribeyes ranging from 11 to 14 square inches (sq. in.), the middle two are chosen for their boxed beef. They also have a Reserve Angus program, which has a maximum carcass weight of 1,000 pounds (lb.). Other main requirements of their boxed beef programs include being in the upper two-thirds of Choice or Prime, small boxes (two or three products per box), the weight size of the middle meats, and ribeyes between 11 and 14 sq. in.

 

If beef producers want to appease the retailer sector of the beef industry and consumers, Tipton said, more consistency must be achieved in beef cattle and production practices must be transparent to consumers. In addition to food safety, he added, consumers are concerned about availability of products, consistency and traceability. Consumers want to know where their beef comes from and how the cattle were raised, so Sysco often tries to locate local beef suppliers.

 

He concluded by suggesting the industry come together to show what’s happening in each sector, so the government doesn’t come searching to impose more regulations.

 

Return to the Newsroom for links to the PowerPoint presentation that accompanied this presentation.

Editor’s Note: This summary was written under contract or by staff of Angus Productions Inc. (API). Through an agreement with the Beef Improvement Federation, we are encouraging reprinting of the articles to those who will adhere to the reprint guidelines available on this site. Please review those guidelines or contact Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, at 816-383-5270. PowerPoints are posted with permission of the presenter and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the presenter.

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