Protein News covers the production, processing, and distribution of protein-rich foods derived from animals, including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. This section explores the entire supply chain, from farming practices and animal nutrition to processing methods and market trends. It also delves into sustainability, animal welfare, and innovations in protein sources, including alternative options like plant-based, insect, and lab-grown proteins. The Protein category is essential for understanding the role of all protein types in global nutrition, economic impacts, and evolving consumer preferences.
The simultaneous work stoppage is scheduled for Thursday at 12:01 am
22 August 2024
3 minute read
Canada’s two main freight rail companies are set to lock out around 10,000 of their Canadian unionized workers on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET (4:01 GMT), starting an unprecedented simultaneous work stoppage that would grind almost all railway freight movement in the country to a halt, reported Reuters.
How integrated are the rail networks across North America?
Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City CP.TO have said their rail networks south of the border will continue to operate, but industry groups fear that a work stoppage would have far-reaching effects on the movement of goods and commodities across North America.
CN and CPKC’s coast-to-coast rail networks in Canada connect south of the border and serve as important supply chain links to trade corridors and ports across North America.
The networks intersect with those of U.S. rail operators such as BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and CSX, facilitating the movement of billions of dollars’ worth of goods and commodities through ports and warehouses across the continent.
CN’s network stretches south to New Orleans. CPKC’s network links to the U.S. ports of Corpus Christi, New Orleans and Gulfport, and it extends further south to the ports of Tampico and Lázaro Cárdenas on the east and west coasts of Mexico.
How would a Canadian rail stoppage affect the United States?
Around a third of the traffic moved by the two Canadian rail companies crosses the border with the United States.
Many US companies and producers, especially those in the Midwest, use Canadian ports for imports and exports, as Montreal can be faster for shipments to and from Europe, while Vancouver can be faster for ocean service to and from Asia.
Union Pacific, the No. 2 US railroad operator, has warned that a simultaneous stoppage would have devastating consequences for the US and Canadian economies.
Dozens of groups representing miners, farmers, exporters, and fertilizer producers, among others, have warned that their sectors face crippling supply-chain delays, increased costs, cash-flow constraints and potential shutdowns in a protracted stoppage.
How would the US and Canadian farm sectors be affected?
In particular, it would crimp shipments of US spring wheat from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota to the Pacific Northwest for export. A stoppage would also hit Canadian potash and grain exports.
The US exported $28.3 billion of agricultural products to Canada in 2023, making it the third-largest destination for US agricultural exports behind China and Mexico. The US imported $40.1 billion of Canadian agricultural products last year, making Canada the second-largest originator of US agricultural imports.
Ethanol, potash, corn, cereals, food grains, cooking oils, and meat are among the agricultural products traded between the two nations.
Will trade with Mexico be affected too?
Mexico is Canada’s third-largest single-country merchandise trading partner behind the US and China, while Canada was Mexico’s fourth-largest merchandise trading partner in 2023.
Mexico exports trucks, cars and vehicle parts to Canada, along with mangoes and avocados. Canada exports wheat, meat, aluminum, cars and parts to Mexico.
Two-way trade between the two countries, much of which moves via the rails, was nearly C$55 billion ($40.48 billion) in 2023.
Can the trucking industry step into the breach?
Truckers say they are facing a surge in demand and that road freight rates are rising for shippers in Canada. However, industry insiders say that while the trucking sector can handle some of the demand, it cannot replace rail distribution. In some cases, the industry does not have the equipment, nor the capacity, to handle bulk commodity cargoes such as potash, food grains, or coal.
The American Association of Meat Processors has released its 2024 Meat and Poultry Processing Industry Data Collection and Analysis. The 64-page report examines data that is collected by meat and poultry processing and harvest facilities as a part of its business structure, production standards, and food safety and quality systems. This data demonstrates where the industry is in relation to producing a safe food supply. Currently, there is no widespread accessible conglomeration of the data in this report.
The report was compiled and written by Abbey Davidson, AAMP outreach specialist. She released a questionnaire in 2023 to gather information nationwide from meat and poultry processing facilities as it relates to information like employee turnover rates, HACCP hazard findings, gross revenue, species of animals processed, satisfaction with inspection personnel, etc. AAMP Outreach conducted the survey, contacting AAMP members via email and newsletter. A total of 1,268 meat and poultry processors were contacted, and a total of 145 responses were received. The vision behind the data collection was to better guide the industry on potential education needs.
Greece’s Delta Tankers’ refusal to avoid the Red Sea has seen a third ship in its fleet come under attack today, the first confirmed Houthi strikes in eight days.
According to security firm Vanguard, the tanker Sounion, owned and managed by Delta Tankers, was attacked 77 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen, in the early hours of the morning. The vessel is now disabled, reporting it is not under command.
Earlier this month, the Houthis attacked the Delta Tankers-owned Delta Blue four times in the space of 24 hours with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Fortunately, the attacks caused no injuries or physical damage.
Vanguard stated that the possible reason for the targeting of Delta Tankers is their affiliation to vessels which have recently called in Israel. According to the security firm, the Delta Star called in Israel in July.
There have been no Houthi attacks since last Tuesday when they pursued an unidentified individual ship for 12 hours and attacked it three times.
Vanguard said the 163,759 dwt tanker was approached by two small craft with three to five and 10 people on board respectively. The two small craft hailed the merchant vessel, leading to a brief exchange of small arms fire. The distance between the small craft and the merchant vessel subsequently increased to two nautical miles.
At 5 am local time, the master reported that two unidentified projectiles had struck the vessel before being hit by a third projectile. Smoke was reported in the engine room as well as one minor injury to a crewmember. The ship has since come under a fourth attack and is not in a good condition.
Ambrey, another security firm, has advised merchant ships to remain at least five nautical miles from the vicinity and to report anything suspicious.
Philippe Mallétroit – Director for France and Africa
Hog market price
After a market very quiet in Europe in June, the pork price in Germany fell sharply by 10 cents per kg during the first week of July. This has led to price declines in other European countries.
In France, the pork price increased by 6.3 cts per kg during the month of July to reach 2.132 € per kg carcass, before to start to fall since the end of July. Between 25th of July and 19th of August, the price dropped by 19 cts to be less than 2 € per kg carcass.
Nevertheless, the pork price remain has a good level of profitability, even if it is lower than in 2023.
Pork prices in France: 2023 vs 2024
The average price was 1.572 € in 2022 for the same period (7 first months).
All of us know there are some pork prices cycles. Since the last two years the profitability is good for pig producers in France. We also know that at some point the prices will be lower, but we don’t know yet when.
Evolution of pig production in Europe
Recently, IFP (French Pig Institute) published interesting figures in their booklet “Le Porc par les Chiffres” *about pig production in France and in Europe. First, a look of the evolution of the pig inventory in Europe in the main pig producing countries:
Clearly pig production is decreasing in Europe (by 5.8 % between 2012 and 2022), but there are differences between countries. While most of them lost 5 to 10 % of their pig production, some have suffered a very strong decline, especially Germany (-24.6%) who was the biggest European pig producer and who is now number two. At the same time, the pig production increase has been very strong in Spain (+34.9 %), and Spain is now the biggest pig producer in Europe.
Main production regions in Europe
Source: IFIP
The top 10 biggest regions for pig production in Europe in 2022:
Pig production in France
In 2021, 23 million finisher pigs have been produced in France from 14 100 pig farms. 9 253 farms (65% of all pig farms) who have sold more than 300 head (finisher pigs + piglets) produce 99.2 % of the French production.
In 2021, about 51.5 % of the pig farms have produced between 300 and 5 000 pigs, and 4.5 % of the farms (641 farms) have produced 10 000 or more pigs.
73.3 % of the pig production is in West of France.
The French pig industry is dominated by the cooperative model. In 2022, there were 32 cooperatives who marketed 20.2 million pigs (88.9 % of the whole French production) produced by 6 872 producers (cooperative members).
The US-based precision fermentation company De Novo Foodlabs announces it has secured new funding to expedite the commercialization of its flagship ingredient, NanoFerrin.
NanoFerrin is said to be a “nature-identical” alternative to bovine lactoferrin, a protein renowned for its iron-rich content and effectiveness in mitigating aging-related changes, according to De Novo Labs.
The undisclosed round was spearheaded by California’s Joyful Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in sustainable proteins, led by prominent figures such as Jennifer Stojkovic of the Vegan Women Summit and Milo Runkle, co-founder of the Good Food Institute.
Including this round, De Novo Foodlabs has raised a total of $4 million following initial investments from Sustainable Food Ventures, Siddhi Capital, Pascual Innoventures (Mylkcubator), UM6P Ventures, CULT Food Science, and Prithvi Capital.
Runkle will join De Novo’s Board of Directors, underscoring the importance of collaboration. He shares: “De Novo Foodlabs exemplifies the innovation and sustainability we champion at Joyful Ventures. Their advancements in precision fermentation technology and dedication to creating impactful alternatives to high-value animal-derived ingredients pave the way for scalable and profitable industry solutions.”
De Novo Foodlabs focuses on producing rare, protein-based functional ingredients using a biopharma discovery model, machine learning, and microbial fermentation. Jean Louwrens (CEO), Leah Bessa (CSO), Richard Grieves (COO), and Joni Symon (protein R&D lead) founded the startup in North Carolina in 2021.
“The lactoferrin market has long been hindered by high prices and inconsistent supply”
Its first ingredient, lactoferrin, is a costly whey protein traditionally extracted from cow’s milk, burdened by sustainability and ethical concerns. It is highly sought after due to its anti-oxidation, anti-cellular senescence, and anti-inflammatory properties, which can enhance immunity, brain health, iron absorption, gut health, and longevity.
By leveraging precision fermentation and its sustainable production process, the startup aims to address the high costs and inconsistent supply by providing a more affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly alternative.
CEO Louwrens comments: “The lactoferrin market has long been hindered by high prices and inconsistent supply. Our team of leading scientists and engineers has dedicated themselves to overcoming these challenges through precision fermentation technology, and we are thrilled to have achieved a breakthrough.”
The startup says the new capital will facilitate market expansion in the food, beverage, and supplements sectors to meet increasing consumer demand for innovative nutrition solutions focused on health and well-being.
According to the North Carolina team, the global lactoferrin market, valued at $773 million in 2023, is projected to grow by 15.8% annually over the next decade. Leveraging its competitive edge, NanoFerrin aims to penetrate this expanding market by promoting human health as well as environmental sustainability.
Louwrens adds: “NanoFerrin is not only more affordable and eco-friendly; importantly, it also provides a reliable supply source compared to traditional bovine lactoferrin products. We are excited to collaborate with our investors to elevate De Novo to new heights.”
Just outside of Monroe, NY, resides a mostly Yiddish-speaking Hasidic Jewish community in the village of Kiryas Joel. More than 25 years ago the residents of the community began slaughtering about 200 chickens a day behind a shopping center due to a lack of fresh, kosher chicken. The Grand Rabbi of the community asked a local businessman, Mayer Hirsch, to open a kosher poultry plant to serve the community’s growing demand for fresh, kosher chicken. Hirsch dutifully obliged the Grand Rabbi’s request and opened KJ Poultry. At the time, the new plant covered 5,000 square feet and slaughtered about 3,000 chickens a day while following the strictest kosher standards.
“There are many different standards for kosher,” said Meni Bruk, plant manager at KJ Poultry. “It’s not just kosher or not kosher; the standard is how strict you go by kosher. The community here is very strict on kosher and wanted a kosher standard that matched their standards.”
“The Grand Rabbi is here every single week, and he’s walking through the whole place keeping on top of it, and making sure we keep the highest standard,” said Chaim Oberlander, chief executive officer at KJ Poultry, and Mayer Hirsch’s son-in-law. “…You’re not going to find such a high standard in the United States, in the whole world, you’re not going to find such a high standard in a kosher poultry plant.”
In demand
The plant grew incrementally over time and now spans 75,000 square feet. Also, KJ Poultry began using another slaughter-only plant in Pennsylvania one year ago that covers 50,000 square feet. Currently, the KJ facility is adding a second cook line, with other projects, including a live handling area that is planned for the future.
KJ uses the Pennsylvania facility to cover the ongoing increase in demand while the expansions and renovations continue at the Kiryas Joel facility. Kosher chicken, both raw and cooked, is in such high demand KJ Poultry cannot keep up with it, and that demand has maintained throughout the history of the plant.
“Slowly the community has grown and the demand outside for this product also has grown,” Bruk said. “Every two years or so we expand and by now we slaughter 50,000 a day and it’s still not enough. So, we do another 30,000 in Pennsylvania. So, we went from 3,000 at the beginning to 80,000 a day. And still the demand is there. We’re sold out every night.”
But all the growth does not come only from the local community. The product’s high kosher standard makes it popular throughout the United States, as well as internationally. KJ ships domestically using company-owned trucks to deliver to customers in California, Florida, Chicago and Atlanta, just to name a few, and by sea to cities abroad. Bruk said the company has become the largest kosher poultry plant in America.
“Every place there is a Jewish community we ship there,” Bruk said.
The market demand for KJ Poultry products is so great, the company told Costco it had to wait on a deal until the company could produce enough additional product for the club store because KJ Poultry wasn’t willing to sacrifice products for existing customers only to sell to the club store giant.
“They came after us for a few years, but we pushed them,” Bruk said. “We were not ready. We couldn’t. What’s the point of committing to them and then not fulfilling? It’s the worst thing to do. I will not take a new customer if I know that I cannot serve them and irritate my existing customers because I took a new one on.”
With the Pennsylvania slaughter plant and additions at the New York location, KJ has been selling chicken franks and pretzel-coated tenders to Costco now for about four months.
Bruk and Oberlander credit the company’s meticulous detail to the highest kosher standards for the demand.
The salting conveyor moves slowly, allowing chickens one hour to move to the top. (Source: Sosland Publishing Co. / Bob Sims)
Processing strict kosher
KJ’s kosher processing starts on the company-owned farms in Pennsylvania. The farms hold between 30,000 and 50,000 chickens on average, and depending on the size of the farm, some might have as many as 80,000. Schedules and vaccinations are strictly monitored for health and the chickens can never be fed any by-products. When ready for slaughter, company owned trucks bring the live chickens to the plant.
The kosher process begins with rabbis hand slaughtering every chicken. The rabbis who slaughter must pay close attention during this process. Each rabbi has his own knife and sharpening stone and has learned his craft from a book, as well as from one specific rabbi that teaches the technique. Nine rabbis work on the slaughter line for an hour and a half then rest while nine other rabbis work for an hour and half. This nine-on, nine-off system goes throughout the day.
“They have to stay so focused on their job, they cannot work the full day straight,” Bruk said. “So, we have two crews doing the same job, one on and one off.”
During the off time, KJ Poultry has specific quarters for rabbis only that include a breakroom for eating, individual rooms for rest and a synagogue inside the plant.
While working the slaughter line, rabbis check their knives every five minutes for any nicks in the blade. If a knife has even the smallest nick in the blade it cannot be used to slaughter, and any bird killed with a nicked blade will not meet the kosher standard. A light above each kill site illuminates to let the rabbi know five minutes has passed. Should a knife have a nick in the blade upon inspection, every chicken killed with the blade the five minutes prior will not meet the company’s kosher standard and will go to products designated as halal. KJ Poultry is also certified halal under Circle H.
Next is a series of checks beyond what the USDA does. Kosher rules dictate a chicken must have been able to live for at least another year if it had not been slaughtered to be kosher.
“Even if it’s alive and well, but if you have any signs in it that tells you that within a year it would have died, it’s not a kosher chicken,” Bruk said. “So, we check beside what the USDA checks; we are checking to see if we can tell any signs of that happening.”
Once chickens pass the rabbinical and USDA health inspection, KJ Poultry rinses them in water only, to keep kosher, and because kosher rules dictate no eating of blood, they pass through a salting process. And again, KJ Poultry prides itself on keeping the highest standards of kosher within the entire process from slaughter, through salting, cut up and further processing.
“Most companies use any salt,” Bruk said. “We use only rock salt.”
KJ Poultry went to Italy and began importing rock salt used for pretzels. Now the company sources its salt from Arrow Salt.
“We went to the mine and found a special salt,” Oberlander said. “A rock, pretzel salt, it doesn’t melt.”
Rabbis salt the chickens as they come down the line and place them on a slow-moving conveyor. The chickens remain salted for one hour before moving to a tumbler to remove the salt. The salt from the tumbler is captured and used for beef hide tanning elsewhere and kept out of wastewater. The chicken processing operation requires 20 tons of salt a day with 16 tons being reclaimed for the beef hide industry.
“People often say kosher chicken tastes better, but they don’t know why,” Bruk said. “It’s because it’s been seasoned. It’s brined and softer.”
After salting and tumbling, the chickens are rinsed and chilled to below 40°F and sent to cut up. One cut up line and one deboning line process the ready-to-cook and raw chicken. The company uses an automatic breast debone machine with the other cuts being done by hand. About 80% of the product is shipped to retail outlets and the rest to foodservice. Ninety percent of production is sold as raw while the other 10% is cooked.
The cook line resides on the third floor of the New York plant with an elevator that brings up raw products and sends cooked products down. A mixing and stuffing room handles kosher chicken franks and deli meats cooked by two, three-rack Vemag ovens and one nine-rack Alkar oven, according to Bruk. The franks and deli meats move out the back of the ovens to a cooler that brings the products to 30°F before further processing, metal detection, packaging, palletizing and shipping.
A small Marlen line works on the company’s battered, breaded and fried chicken tenders. Once fully cooked, the tenders move to a Unitherm spiral freezer and are then packaged. A new Marlen fry line, scheduled to start operation by July 16, 2024, at the plant will handle roughly four times the volume in addition to the existing Marlen line.
KJ Poultry is in the process of adding a second, bigger Marlen fry line to meet the high demand. (Source: Sosland Publishing Co. / Bob Sims)
Solid workforce
The KJ Poultry plant in New York employs 250 people from the area and 80 rabbis. Many processing facilities today consider labor to be one of the most, if not the most difficult challenges they face in running operations smoothly. But the kosher plant does not struggle with labor.
KJ poultry recruits and retains labor with a simple technique. The company gives its employees overtime and pays overtime at time-and-a-half. Working on a typical chicken line does not pay the highest wages in general. Bruk said being too strict on regular hours causes employees to not earn enough take-home pay to survive.
“If you give them one day of overtime, and I’m not talking crazy, even 10 hours overtime a week, it’s time-and-a- half,” he said. “It makes a huge difference in their paycheck, and they stay.”
Bruk and the company believe that paying overtime, while not ideal to any company’s bottom line, is a small price to pay to maintain the labor they need and more.
“You have to give them the minimum to survive, and the minimum is at least 10 hours overtime a week, at least, and the employees are more than happy,” Bruk said. “They stay here, and you cannot get them out.”
Bruk compared employee wages to a company reviewing its bottom line. While a company does business to make money, so does an employee work to make money.
“They’re not here because they like to hang chicken, they don’t wake up in the morning and dream about it,” he said. “They’re here because they need food on the table, don’t forget this. If you’re going to hurt their bottom line, they’re not going to be here. That’s it, very simple. If you don’t meet the bottom line the employee is looking for, they’re not staying.”
The 80 rabbis on staff oversee all the operations throughout the plant, not just perform the kosher slaughter. The strict kosher standards require this. Rabbis must turn the ovens on in the morning and turn them off when the shift is over. The company’s rabbis also ensure outside ingredients used on the cook side meet the highest kosher standards before being added to product.
“We’re going to send down a rabbi to stay at the ingredient manufacturer, to observe, to make sure that it’s a high standard,” Oberlander said.
Continual expansion
While KJ Poultry has expanded over the years, it continues to do so today and into the future. With various projects presently, there are many planned for the future. The growth of the company itself, and the demand for its product, see no end in sight for the potential of the company.
The current addition at the back of the plant is for the new Marlen fry line and contains its own bagging, packing and labeling systems. It occupies the third floor of the facility, because of a mountain behind the plant, it had to be built up. A bay door was installed so a crane could bring the large equipment in. KJ Poultry left the door just in case it might be utilized in the future.
A fourth floor, under construction currently, will house an employee area including a breakroom and restrooms one floor above the new fry line, as well as an electrical room, boilers and refrigeration. Once the additions are complete, all further-processing employees will work exclusively in the newly added space.
At the front of the plant, a complicated and intricate expansion of the slaughter area has recently been finished. Because the mountain is immediately behind KJ Poultry’s current building, excavation crews dug out the base of the mountain to make room for more processing space. Apartments on top of the mountain required the main sewer line to be rerouted. The rerouting was approved by local government, and that portion of the project is complete.
On the backside of the property, the company owns a flat piece of land. KJ will develop that land to serve as a new chicken receiving and live holding area. The new lairage space will provide room for the company’s ever increasing demand.
“Over the years the demand grew because we did what we did so good and we built a lot of trust and slowly we grew,” Oberlander said. “We started with about 3,000 chickens a day. Right now, we are roughly 300,000 a week. A big jump in 20 years. So, 20 years from now, we hope to be 300 million a week. That’s our vision.”
The probe follows a revised tariff plan for China-made electric vehicles
22 August 2024
3 minute read
China opened an anti-subsidy probe into dairy imports from the European Union on Wednesday, stepping up tension with the bloc a day after Brussels published its revised tariff plan for China-made electric vehicles, reported Reuters.
The EU on Tuesday revised its proposed punitive duties on imports of Chinese EVs to 36.3% from an initial planned duty of 37.6%, but fell short of abandoning them, as Beijing had called on Brussels to do.
The revision drew rebuke from China’s commerce ministry, which in response said it is “firmly opposed to and highly concerned” about the findings, and vowed to take all necessary measures to protect Chinese firms.
The anti-subsidy investigation on dairy announced by China’s commerce ministry on Wednesday, the latest in a series of Chinese probes this year into EU agricultural goods, will focus on various types of cheeses, milks and creams intended for human consumption.
It was prompted by a complaint submitted by the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association on July 29 on behalf of the domestic dairy industry, the ministry said.
China will examine 20 subsidy schemes from across the 27-strong bloc, specifically those from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and Romania, it said in a statement.
European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said the bloc “will firmly defend the interests of the EU dairy industry and the Common Agricultural Policy, and intervene as appropriate to ensure that the investigation fully complies with relevant World Trade Organization rules.”
The European Dairy Association, meanwhile, said it was confident that EU farm subsidies were compatible with World Trade Organization rules and would seek to clarify “the dairy part of the rather complex trade relation between China and the EU today”.
Of the EU countries listed by China’s commerce ministry, Ireland is by far the biggest exporter of dairy products to China, having sold $461 million worth of goods to the Asian nation last year.
French dairy sector body CNIEL said France was also part of the EU-wide Chinese probe, adding that the country was China’s second-largest supplier of cream after New Zealand.
The EU was China’s second-largest source of dairy products with at least 36% of the total value of imports in 2023, behind only New Zealand, according to Chinese customs data.
The EU exported 1.7 billion euros ($1.84 billion) in dairy products to China in 2023, down from 2 billion in 2022, according to data from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, which cited Eurostat.
China already launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of EU pork in June, which mainly affects Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, following an anti-dumping investigation into EU brandy announced in January that was almost exclusively related to France.
“The combined value of EU pork and dairy exports to China —areas of goods potentially affected by tariffs — are smaller than the value of China’s battery EV exports to the EU, which we estimate to stand at around $13.5 billion in 2023,” Chim Lee, senior China analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said.
“Domestic economic pressures, alongside the increasingly important role played by external demand in supporting China’s economy, will keep Chinese policymakers cautious about invoking an overly confrontational approach to trade,” Lee added.
USMEF Chair Randy Spronk joined a team of representatives from the Indiana Soybean Alliance to meet with prospective buyers and study market opportunities for U.S. soybeans and red meat in Indonesia. USMEF member ISA, which has developed strong trade relationships providing soy protein in Indonesia, coordinated with USMEF staff on the daylong event.
USMEF ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin and Indonesia Representative Arrofi Satrio Alam set up a meet and greet for the ISA group with Indonesian meat importers and presented a market overview about opportunities and challenges for U.S. red meat in the region. USMEF then led the ISA group to Food and Hotel Indonesia, one of the ASEAN region’s largest food trade shows.
“Indonesia has a young and growing population of 279 million and 13% of the population is not Muslim. That’s about 36 million people, which for U.S. pork is an export market about the size of Canada,” said Spronk. “There are opportunities to develop markets in regions of Indonesia where a high percentage of the population is non-Muslim.”
U.S. pork market share in Indonesia grew from 11.5 % in 2023 to 38.5% in 2024, largely due to reduced supply from the European Union. In the first half of 2024, U.S. pork exports to Indonesia increased 21% to 380 metric tons and 14% in value to $1.5 million. USMEF has been conducting promotions at upscale retail outlets in targeted markets to grow awareness and differentiate U.S. pork as high quality.
“Indonesia is a long-term growth market and pork consumption is very low, even among the non-Muslim populations.” Spronk said. “It reminds me of Colombia, where we helped double the consumption of pork over a 10-year period.”
For U.S. beef, Spronk sees opportunities for middle meats in high-end foodservice and modern retail, while underutilized cuts and variety meats have potential in foodservice and wet markets. Per-capita beef consumption is also low, as much of the population has not experienced high-quality, grain-fed beef.
The main challenge for U.S. beef in Indonesia is the plant approval process, which is the most extensive of any country that requires establishment registration.
“With USMEF staff on the ground in Indonesia and USDA’s support for the development of new markets through the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, we have resources available to address trade barriers and develop market opportunities for U.S. red meat,” said Spronk.
Spronk’s inclusion on the ISA team was funded by the National Pork Board. Funding support for the activity was provided by the Indiana Soybean Alliance, Beef Checkoff Program, National Pork Board and USDA’s Market Access Program.
The Middle Thorofare Bridge that connects the cities of Cape May to Wildwood Crest and Diamond Beach in the US state of New Jersey is expected to be closed for several weeks due to the failure of a motor used to open the drawbridge, which is bad news for motorists. […]
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African swine fever virus (ASF) has been detected for the first time in a domestic pig in Rhineland-Palatinate. The Friedrich Löffler Institute (FLI) has confirmed the positive result in a pig from a small farm in Gerolsheim (district of Bad Dürkheim).
An exclusion zone III (ten kilometers) has been delineated around the pig farm, where strict restrictions apply to the trade of pigs and pig products and slaughter. There are 13 domestic pigs on a total of seven farms in the area.
The new outbreak is again located a few kilometers from the French border, about 65 km as the crow flies.
The first case of ASF in wild boar in Rhineland-Palatinate was detected on July 9 in Gimbsheim in the district of Alzey-Worms. So far, only wild boars had been affected in Rhineland-Palatinate, with a total of 34 cases in the districts of Alzey-Worms and Mainz-Bingen.
August 15, 2024/ Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility/ Germany. https://mkuem.rlp.de/
