I live in New Jersey (see my reference to pork roll last month). Within a half hour of my home, there are at least 20 grocery stores, and even when I have lived in other areas of this BEAUTIFUL state (don’t even start, it’s the Garden State for a reason), there were always a ton of retailers to choose from. Lucky, right? But here’s the thing — when it comes to protein, all of those various stores carried the same brands.

Enter Urner Barry. Until I worked in my current role, I quite literally did not realize that there were so many other brands out there. Whether it was chicken, turkey, beef, or pork, it was always the same few, trusted labels. And I am not complaining — I love those brands and have relied on them most of my adult life (in childhood it was mostly venison). And in my earlier days in this company, I would ask a lot of questions to my clients about why I did not see their products locally, which I get now.

Enter the novel coronavirus. People panicked. People bought boatloads of meat and toilet paper (putting those things in the same clause feels a bit icky now that I am reading it back to myself). And suddenly, the labels that used to line the meat case were gone and the shelves barren. But it didn’t stop there. Labor shortages, covid outbreaks, supply chain disruptions, oh my! Our resilient industry got thrown curveball after curveball; and the grocery store never quite returned to the 2019 scene.

Enter inflation. We hear it all over the news and see it in our bank accounts; things are getting more and more expensive. Food is certainly not an exception. On top of that, suppliers are still struggling to keep up with demand with so many variables stacked against them. But as I have said many times, the protein industry never stops amazing (or feeding) me.

Enter the silver lining. I remember heading over to the store that is about a half mile from my house — masks, gloves, glasses, hand sanitizer, panic. It was 2020 and someone posted in a local Facebook group that the store had just restocked some chicken and eggs. I sprinted to the meat case while maintaining a ridiculous amount of distance from the other shoppers and immediately hit the meat case. I couldn’t believe my eyes — it was family sized tray packs of chicken, glorious chicken, waiting to be purchased (and eaten, I love to eat). But something looked different.

Upon closer inspection, the label was different. In fact, it was a new brand. It was chicken that I had never seen, and it was exciting. I bought a ton of it, cooked it all, and it was delicious. Fast forward through the next two years (that feel like a singular month that never, ever ends), and this is an ongoing trend. I started seeing product from so many of my customers that had never done business here in New Jersey. I started seeing different pork, beef, eggs, all of it. And now that the shelves are almost always full, there are so many options.

In my career, I see how devastating the last few years have been to the protein space and how every day is a game of catch up. I speak to retailers trying to find product, distributors struggling with rising transportation costs, producers with the price of feed, and everyone else under the sun fighting the battle to keep people fed.

But as a consumer, I have seen new products, brands, and unprecedented options. I’ve tried new recipes with new cuts, and I have enjoyed it. Personally, I have never consistently been a “glass half full” kind of gal (anxiety will do that). But this pandemic, for me, has had some serious silver linings. Putting aside the renewed focus on family, gratefulness for my health, and many other things this virus has helped me appreciate, I am thrilled to see so much variety and quality finding its way to the center of my plate.

Thank you to the hardworking people who continue to make it happen.

Delicious Silver Linings

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