"Sustainability is about thinking globally. Responsibility is about what happens locally within your operations," said Jim Perdue, chairman of the board of directors for Perdue Farms. Perdue gave his opening remarks at the U.S. Egg & Poultry Association's 2013 Poultry Processor Workshop held at the Embassy Suites Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Ga.
During his presentation on "Sustainability: Social Responsibility/Managing Packaging Wastes," Perdue stressed that the concept of sustainability is wrapped around providing the world with a nutritious product that is safe, affordable, accessible to the consumer and produced in a way that respects the earth, animals and people with the understanding that it does not necessarily cost you more money to do this.
Dr. Ashley Peterson, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the National Chicken Council, provided a regulatory update on Salmonella and Campylobacter. She focused on regulations related to the poultry slaughter rule, chicken parts baseline, activities within the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Program, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Reassessment Notice and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration activities at hatcheries. Peterson noted that there seems to be more regulation in recent history, commenting that government agencies are feeling pressure from consumers, consumer groups and industry.
In his presentation on "Yield: Back to Basics … What Does It Mean in Dollars and Cents?" Kevin Ingram, quality assurance manager with Koch Foods, remarked that yield is an area that is often overlooked or misunderstood. He provided various scenarios reflecting how much yield is worth and where it can be found within the poultry production process. Ingram said, "Everyone can make an impact on yield, and it is very important that we give it our full attention."
Other topics included:
- Further Processing: Marination 101 and Breading
- Controlling Foreign Material: Challenges in Rendering and Animal Feeds
- New Innovation
- The Impact of Leadership on Employee Retention
- Animal Welfare…Combating the Public's Perception
- GFSI Audits: Root Cause Analysis
