Well, it’s been a year.

As I’ve said several times before, one of the thrills of covering the meat and poultry industries is the many dynamics at play, the interaction with the players that make it move, and the unending education that the experience provides.

And as a journalist, we sure do love a good quote. 2022 offered plenty of those, reflective of a broad spectrum of subjects generated by another churning, action-packed year in the industry.

Looking back, and flipping through the pages of magazines, here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):

On labor shortages in meatpacking plants:

“I’m surprised that in the current conversation about labor shortages, the fault has not been laid at the foot of a restrictive, moralistic immigration policy in which economic interests and needs are trumped by the moralism of ‘We should only have jobs for American worker.’ Well, American workers don’t want those jobs.” — Roger Horowitz, director of the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library

On recruiting, retention and career development:

“By providing housing, transportation, childcare and offering a career instead of a job, that can set us apart from other employers. They can come to build a life, not just to get a job.” — Ron Holbrook, corporate affairs, SugarCreek

On inflation and the Fed’s response:

“We haven’t seen anything like this in a long time. I’m not sure we’ve seen anything like this in a century.” — Samir Sonti, assistant professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies

On plant-based meat struggles:

“I always said [the complicated ingredient list] didn’t matter until it mattered, and I think now, it matters.” — Chris DuBois, senior vice president, IRI’s protein practice

On salmonella deemed an adulterant in raw, breaded chicken products:

“The message really to stay at the forefront of food safety [is] that salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, and other STECS, are not the same. And unfortunately, we have been drawn into a perception that salmonella and E. coli are the same, and they should be addressed equally.” — Dr. Mindy Brashears, former Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety

“The poultry industry should take this as an opportunity to go after salmonella the way that the beef industry went after E. coli.” — Bill Marler, foodborne illness attorney, Marler and Clark

On butchering fundamentals:

“We’re adamant about respecting the animals that feed us. We must respect the animals when they’re alive, and we must respect the animals when they’re dead. How do you do that? By leaving the meat on the primals.” — Cam Daniels, director of marketing, Harmony Beef

On sustainability:

“I have a strong belief that you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” — Randy Huffman, chief food safety and sustainability officer, Maple Leaf Foods

“Sustainability is extremely emotional, and it’s polarizing for folks; so, if we can bring this supply chain together, we can get alignment around baselines and goals.” — Kim Stackouse-Lawson, director of AgNext and professor of animal science at Colorado State University

On changing meat buying habits of consumers working from home:

“This might be one of the biggest fundamental shifts in eating occasions that we’ll see in our entire lifetime. It’s a huge addressable audience.” — Chris DuBois, senior vice president IRI’s protein practice

On increased government funding to boost small meat processors:

“Part of [the decision on whether to expand] is the question, ‘Is this a blip… or is this a permanent change in the landscape?” — Bruce Dunlop, co-founder and project manager, Island Grown Farmers Cooperative

“We thought we were going to see something truly for the small side of the industry. And that’s not where the money ended up going.” — Chris Young, executive director, American Association of Meat Processors

On producer-owned packing plants:

“I don’t rail against the Big Four. We need them just as badly as we always have. If they were broken up or disrupted worse than they have been in the last few years, it would be devastating to our industry. … We’re not trying to shut them down at all. We’re just trying to put another option out there for cattlemen that want to participate with us.” — Chad Tentinger, project manager, Cattlemen’s Heritage Beef Company

On diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts:

“For me, it was less about being empowered as a female and more about empowering others’ thought processes, to be able to say, ‘Yes, this is achievable.’” — Andrea Tucker, first female manager of Smithfield Foods’ Tar Heel, N.C., pork plant

On cultivated meat:

“The exciting thing about cultivated meat is that it exists today. We are pre-revenue, but we are not pre-product.” — Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, CEO of Believer Meats (previously Future Meat Technologies)

On China’s influence in the global pork market:

“We have a strategic petroleum reserve; they have a strategic pork reserve. So that tells you something.” — Altin Kalo, economist, Steiner Consulting

On the HPAI outbreak:

“I would not say we dodged a bullet by any means.” — Dr. Denise Heard, vice president of research programs, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

On automation:

“Those employees on the floor? They work hard every day. They work in a 6-foot area most of the day. That’s their world. And if you can do something to make that area better for them — that improves their life and how much they like the company and like to work where they’re at — that’s one of [the benefits of automation].” — Andrew Lekewa, complex manager, Butterball’s Ozark, Ark., turkey plant

“Automation is generally inequality producing, [and] the reason for that is very simple — we have no technology that automates the work of the very well paid.” — Daron Acemoglu, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

On rebuilding meat processing in Native American communities:

“In places and economies that were built around agriculture, they know that agriculture, in a traditional sense, has failed them, because we do not have control of our markets. It’s a tough pill for me to swallow. — Manny Encinias, professor of animal sciences, Mesalands Community College, owner of Buffalo Ranch Creek and Trilogy Beef Community

Happy holidays! See you in 2023.

You said it!

Join for free* to continue reading.