Meat+Poultry - December 2017 - 16

COVER STORY

2017

BLOCKBUSTER
NEWS
Triumph, scandal and tragedy underpin some
of the biggest stories in the industry in 2017
BY J O E L C R E WS | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d.c o m

A

16

MEAT+ POULTRY | 12.17 | www.meatpoultry.com

News came to a head in 2017. What
began five years ago with what many
thought would be a frivolous effort to
prove BPI was defamed by the news
outlet's misleading reports about the
safety of what was infamously coined
"pink slime," ended in 2017 when ABC
News abruptly agreed to pay BPI an
undisclosed amount in a surprising
settlement this past summer (See
"Rebuilding a business," Page 18).
The hurricane season of 2017
proved to be an especially costly one
to millions of US residents in the
path of several successive tropical
storms and hurricanes that devastated
the Caribbean and the US southern
and eastern coasts. Meat processing
companies, including Houston-based
Martin Preferred Foods (MPF) found
themselves dealing with a natural
disaster they dreaded, but fortunately
had prepared for. MPF's story of
perseverance and preparation is a
tribute to the relentless spirit of some
of the industry's most inspiring and
generous leaders (See "Surviving the
storm," Page 32).
Consumers and a shifting
marketplace and the industry's ensuing
reaction to demand for new products
and how and where they purchase,
prepare and consume those products
was also a significant story throughout
2017. Companies like Memphis Meats
and Impossible Foods have gained

momentum in offering cultured and
plant-based meat as alternatives to
traditionally produced, animal-derived
proteins. As a growing number of
retailers, foodservice operators and
even processors invest in the future
of the technologies behind these
new products, the future of meat
alternatives beyond 2017 looks bright
(See "Substitute sources," Page 22).
Meanwhile, meal kits have provided
another alternative for at-home dining
and 2017 has seen a flurry of options
and partnerships in this segment
flourish. Capitalizing on convenience
and appealing to consumers' desire
to prepare meals using pre-measured,
fresh, quality ingredients that are
delivered to their doorstep checks
many of the boxes needed for a
successful new option in today's food
landscape (See "Measured approach,"
Page 38).

"We could never have
foreseen how long
the storm would last,
or how long the city
would be flooded."
- JEFFREY TAPICK,

MARTIN PREFERRED FOODS

©isonphoto - stock.adobe.com

s far as news-making
developments and historic
events that have already had
far-reaching impact, the meat and
poultry processing industry provided
ample fodder for the news-hungry
editors of MEAT+POULTRY and a
deluge of daily storylines that were
chronicled on meatpoultry.com. The
process of identifying a handful of
the industry's biggest stories over the
past year was made easier by looking
back at the most-read stories posted
on meatpoultry.com and the amount
of ink dedicated to stories that were,
in some cases, as surprising as they
were devastating, and others that were
months and years in development and
finally came to fruition in 2017.
The scales of justice were the
backdrop for at least two of the stories
spotlighted in M+P's roundup in this
report. At the beginning of the year, few
industry observers could have predicted
two leaders of JBS SA, Joesley Batista
and his brother Wesley would, by the
end of the year, be awaiting trial in a
São Paulo penitentiary over allegations
of insider trading (See "A dynasty in
decline?", Page 26).
In a story reminiscent of David and
Goliath, Eldon Roth, founder of Beef
Products Inc., the Dakota Dunes, South
Dakota-based manufacturer of lean,
finely textured beef, and his family's
years-long legal battle against ABC
http://www.meatpoultry.com http://www.meatpoultry.com http://http:// http://stock.adobe.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - December 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat+Poultry - December 2017
