Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Meat Processing Workers in Nebraska, USA, and Effectiveness of Risk Mitigation Measures.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has severely impacted the meat processing industry in the United States. We sought to detail demographics and outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections among workers in Nebraska meat processing facilities and determine the effects of initiating universal mask policies and installing physical barriers at 13 meat processing facilities. During April 1-July 31, 2020, COVID-19 was diagnosed in 5,002 Nebraska meat processing workers (attack rate 19%). After initiating both universal masking and physical barrier interventions, 8/13 facilities showed a statistically significant reduction in COVID-19 incidence in <10 days. Characteristics and incidence of confirmed cases aligned with many nationwide trends becoming apparent during this pandemic: specifically, high attack rates among meat processing industry workers, disproportionately high risk of adverse outcomes among ethnic and racial minority groups and men, and effectiveness of using multiple prevention and control interventions to reduce disease transmission.

Correction of leg-length discrepancy among meat cutters with low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of non-specific low back pain (LBP) is complex and not well understood. LBP is common and causes a remarkable health burden worldwide. Leg-length discrepancy (LLD) is potentially a risk factor for development of LBP, although this relationship has been questioned. Yet only one randomized controlled study (RCT) has been performed. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of insoles with leg-length discrepancy (LLD) correction compared to insoles without LLD correction among meat cutters in a RCT-design. METHODS: The study population consisted 387 meat cutters who were over 35 years old and had been working 10 years or more. The LLD measurement was done by a laser ultrasound technique. All workers with an LLD of at least 5 mm and an LBP intensity of at least 2 on a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale were eligible. The LLD of all the participants in the intervention group was corrected 70%, which means that if the LLD was for example 10 mm the correction was 7 mm. The insoles were used at work for eight hours per day. The control group had insoles without LLD correction. The primary outcome was between-group difference in LBP intensity. Secondary outcomes included sciatic pain intensity, disability (Roland Morris), RAND-36, the Oswestry Disability Index, physician visits and days on sick leave over the first year. We used a repeated measures regression analysis with adjustments for age, gender and BMI. The hurdle model was used for days on sick leave. RESULTS: In all, 169 workers were invited and 114 (67%) responded. Of them, 42 were eligible and were randomized to the intervention (n = 20) or control group (n = 22). The workers in the intervention group had a higher improvement in LBP intensity (- 2.6; 95% confidence intervals - 3.7 - - 1.4), intensity of sciatic pain (- 2.3; - 3.4 - - 1.07) and RAND-36 physical functioning (9.6; 1.6-17.6) and a lesser likelihood of sick leaves (OR -3.7; - 7.2 - -0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Correction of LLD with insoles was an effective intervention among workers with LBP and a standing job. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN11898558 . Registration date 11. Feb 2011. BioMed Central Ltd.

Factors influencing meat emulsion properties and product texture: A review.

Emulsion-based meat products play an important role in modern meat industry. Though meat batters have been prepared traditionally since long back in the history, the scientific principles and the knowhow are significantly important in the case of commercial products. In India, the market for emulsion meat products is gaining importance in the recent years and the native producers are in critical need for the scientific basis of production of emulsion meat products with better yield, good sensory qualities and nutrition. Hence, this review will throw light on some of the important factors which influence the properties of meat emulsion such as stability, structure, etc. and the product texture and yield as the revealed by past researches which will be useful to the meat processors in their practical application in preparing meat emulsion products.

Applications of Computer Vision for Assessing Quality of Agri-food Products: A Review of Recent Research Advances.

With consumer concerns increasing over food quality and safety, the food industry has begun to pay much more attention to the development of rapid and reliable food-evaluation systems over the years. As a result, there is a great need for manufacturers and retailers to operate effective real-time assessments for food quality and safety during food production and processing. Computer vision, comprising a nondestructive assessment approach, has the aptitude to estimate the characteristics of food products with its advantages of fast speed, ease of use, and minimal sample preparation. Specifically, computer vision systems are feasible for classifying food products into specific grades, detecting defects, and estimating properties such as color, shape, size, surface defects, and contamination. Therefore, in order to track the latest research developments of this technology in the agri-food industry, this review aims to present the fundamentals and instrumentation of computer vision systems with details of applications in quality assessment of agri-food products from 2007 to 2013 and also discuss its future trends in combination with spectroscopy.

Not appropriate dinner table conversation? Talking to children about meat production.

Although Australians on average consume large quantities of meat, their attitudes to farm animal welfare are poorly understood. We know little about how farm animal production is discussed in Australian households or how children learn about the origins of meat. This study consisted of an online survey completed by 225 primary carers throughout Australia recruited through social media. Findings include that conversations about the origin of meat were generally stimulated by meal preparation within the home rather than visits to agricultural shows or similar activities. Parents preferred to initiate conversations with children about meat production before they were 5 years of age. Urban parents were more likely than rural parents to reveal that they were conflicted about eating meat and would be more empathetic to children who chose to stop eating meat. Rural parents were more likely than urban parents to feel that children should eat what they are given and that talking about meat is not a major issue. Both groups felt that it was important that children should know where their food comes from. The findings of this study suggest that parental attitudes to meat production and consumption influence conversations about meat origins with children.

History of the Landmark U.S. Ergonomics Guidelines for Meatpacking.

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS The 1990 publication of the Ergonomics Program Management Guidelines for Meatpacking Plants by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was a milestone in the history of occupational ergonomics and the prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). This paper provides an overview of the development of these guidelines based on personal experience and perception, with special emphasis of the central role the industry trade association, the American Meat Institute (AMI). Industry-wide efforts were successful in reducing the extremely high rates of WMSDs in the U.S. meatpacking industry. Described here are the specific steps the AMI undertook, which serve as a model for other groups on ways to address shared problems. Insights are also offered on why these OSHA guidelines were accepted by industry and succeeded, while other equivalent standards did not - including to some extent the de facto application of concepts of cognitive ergonomics to government documents. This report addresses specific events in the U.S., but the implications are broader and have potential widespread relevance.

Historical Trend of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Meatpacking and Auto Industries, 1980s-Present.

Occupational Applications This paper provides a historical overview of the rise of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) in the U.S. from the 1980s to the present, with a special focus on the two industries with the highest recorded rates: Meatpacking and Auto Assembly. The activities underlying this account amount to a major occupational health success story (although still incomplete) in the recognition of these disorders and the development of a nation-wide effort for prevention. An obstacle in creating the data presented here was that the system of recordkeeping changed in multiple ways, making it difficult to compare WMSD rates over time. The work summarized here evaluated the effect of these changes and combined temporal segments that were judged to be the most accurate to create an overall trend line. These results can aid in: 1) showing the overall history of the recognition and prevention of WMSDs, 2) understanding the effects of the recordkeeping changes, and 3) allowing international comparisons of the trends.

The environmental impact of growth-promoting compounds employed by the United States beef cattle industry: history, current knowledge, and future directions.

The current state of knowledge regarding the environmental impact of growth-promoting compounds associated with the U.S. beef cattle industry is extensive in some areas but virtually nonexistent in others. The compounds administered to the cattle are quite well understood, as are bovine metabolism and excretion. If the sex and age of the cattle on the feedlot are known, the metabolites excreted by the cattle should be predictable with a great deal of accuracy. The fate, transport, and biological effects of growth-promoting compounds are just beginning to be studied. Most of the research conducted on the fate and transport of growth-promoting compounds has focused on 17beta-E2; however, much of this research was not conducted using feedlot runoff or manure. Studies are needed that focus specifically on manures and runoff from experimental or commercial feedlots. To date, the degree to which growth-promoting compounds are released from feedlots in a bioavailable form remains a point of speculation. The environmental fate and transport of TBA, P, and MGA have not been well studied. Comparisons between the fate and transport of T and 17beta-E2, however, make it clear that compounds with similar structure may behave very differently once released into the environment. Considering that 17beta-E2 is a naturally occurring estrogen and that TBA is a nonaromatizable androgen, it is not surprising that these compounds directly impact the reproductive physiology of fishes. The effects of these two compounds have been well documented, as has been described here; however, the effects of P and MGA exposures have gone largely uninvestigated. This is a serious critical gap in our knowledge base because progestogins play an important role in sex steroid synthesis and reproduction. Clearly, additional research on the consequences of exposures to P and MGA is warranted. The majority of research investigating the effects of 17beta-E2 and TBA metabolites on fish has been conducted in the laboratory and has typically focused on continuous, pharmacological exposures to single compounds. These exposures may not bear much similarity to environmentally relevant exposures, and as such may offer little information regarding biological effects seen in nature. Cattle feedlot runoff is likely to contain a suite of growth-promoting compounds rather than any single compound. Clearly, deciphering the biological effects of exposure to complex mixtures containing androgenic, estrogenic, and progestogenic compounds will remain an important area of study for the next few years. A second complexity associated with the biological runoff from cattle feedlots is the discontinuous nature of the release. It is likely that inadvertent entry of growth-promoting compounds will follow spring snowmelt or rainstorm events. These events will result in intermittent, pulsed exposures to high concentrations of these compounds interspersed by long-term exposures to lower concentrations. The effects of exposure timing and duration should be considered to generate a clearer understanding of the biological consequences of exposures to growth-promoting compounds. To date, a very limited number of studies (only one!) have sought to determine whether fish living in waterways receiving runoff from cattle feedlots are adversely affected by growth-promoting compounds associated with the runoff. Clearly, more field studies need to be conducted before a relationship between cattle feedlot effluent and biological consequences can be elucidated.

Consumer acceptance of cultured meat: A systematic review.

Cultured meat grown in-vitro from animal cells is being developed as a way of addressing many of the ethical and environmental concerns associated with conventional meat production. As commercialisation of this technology appears increasingly feasible, there is growing interest in the research on consumer acceptance of cultured meat. We present a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature, and synthesize and analyse the findings of 14 empirical studies. We highlight demographic variations in consumer acceptance, factors influencing acceptance, common consumer objections, perceived benefits, and areas of uncertainty. We conclude by evaluating the most important objections and benefits to consumers, as well as highlighting areas for future research.

Guinea pig for meat production: A systematic review of factors affecting the production, carcass and meat quality.

In developing countries, interest in guinea pig farming is growing exponentially because it provides a regular source of high quality animal protein for domestic consumption. Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are prolific animals, grow and are capable of reproduction on a flexible diet, and are adaptable to a wide range of climates. This article mainly reviews findings on guinea pig meat production, including factors affecting raising guinea pigs, carcass and meat quality. We also present some studies that describe biological and pathologic effects on carcass component composition. During the last decades no standard procedure has been established for guinea pig carcass evaluation, which makes very difficult any comparison of results with other studies around the world. Herein we highlight a variety of factors that significantly affect carcass and meat quality. Some of these factors are production systems, environmental and genetic factors, management systems, the diet and health status, age, sex and reproductive management.

Pink slimed: Media framing of novel food technologies and risk related to ground beef and processed foods in the U.S.

In March 2012 ABC World News Report aired a series of reports on lean finely textured beef (LFTB) that resulted in a 10-year low for beef prices and the bankruptcy of a major firm that produced LFTB. Using a random sample survey, we tested the effects of the media frame "pink slime" and industry frame "lean finely textured beef," alongside media use, food-related knowledge, trust in food-related institutions and preference for local, fresh, organic and GMO-free foods on perceptions of risk related to ground beef containing pink slime/LFTB, processed foods and red meat. The "pink slime" frame was strongly and positively associated with risk related to ground beef, but not risk related to red meat or processed foods. Attention to news stories about pink slime/LFTB was strongly associated with risk related to ground beef and processed foods, but not red meat. We found varying effects of food values, knowledge and trust on all three dependent variables. Implications are discussed.

Kosher slaughter paradigms: Evaluation of slaughterhouse inspection procedures.

Slaughter by Jewish religious rite is the killing of an animal by cutting the trachea and oesophagus and major blood vessels using a very sharp blade. This operation is subject to strict rules laid down by religious authorities that characterize its sacredness. The aim of the study was to evaluate the specific criteria inherent in the Jewish religious rite, by analysing reject rates during the different phases. In this study, 52.4% of the carcasses failed to quality as Kosher, with 22.9% being rejected due to pulmonary lesions and only 3% for miscuts. The study also revealed legal vacuums in the field of labelling rules.

Beef quality attributes: A systematic review of consumer perspectives.

Informed by quality theory, this systematic literature review seeks to determine the relative importance of beef quality attributes from a consumer perspective, considering search, experience and credence quality attributes. While little change is anticipated in consumer ranking of search and experience attributes in the future, movement is expected in terms of ranking within the credence category and also in terms of the ranking of credence attributes overall. This highlights an opportunity for quality assurance schemes (QAS) to become more consumer focused through including a wider range of credence attributes. To capitalise on this opportunity, the meat industry should actively anticipate new relevant credence attributes and researchers need to develop new or better methods to measure them. This review attempts to identify the most relevant quality attributes in beef that may be considered in future iterations of QAS, to increase consumer satisfaction and, potentially, to increase returns to industry.

An extended theory of planned behavior to predict consumers' willingness to buy mobile slaughter unit meat.

The current study investigated the determinants of consumers' intention to purchase meat from mobile slaughter units (MSU). The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the value belief norm theory (VBN) were used as conceptual lenses to guide this investigation. We conducted a survey among 329 respondents in the Netherlands who buy meat for themselves and/or for others. The results indicated that (1) TPB and VBN explain a high proportion of the variance in consumers' intention to buy MSU meat, and that (2) an extended TPB that includes peoples' attitude, personal norm, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control turned out to be the best model to predict willingness to buy MSU meat. Further implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Trends in the microbial contamination of bovine, ovine and swine carcasses in three small-scale abattoirs in central Italy: A four-year monitoring.

The microbial contamination of animal carcasses with respect to the limits established by Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 was investigated. Bovine, ovine, and swine carcasses (n=536 samples) from three small-scale abattoirs were sampled using abrasive sponges and tested for aerobic colony counts (ACC) and Enterobacteriaceae in the period 2010-2013. Mean ACC values reached 1.96 log cfu/cm(2) on bovine carcasses and 2.27 log cfu/cm(2) on both swine and ovine carcasses; Enterobacteriaceae counts of 0.01, 0.20 and 0.27 log cfu/cm(2) were found for bovine, swine and ovine carcasses, respectively. Abattoir 1 showed the highest values of ACC; no differences among abattoirs were highlighted for Enterobacteriaceae. Compared with swine and ovine carcasses, bovine carcasses showed significantly lower means for both ACC and Enterobacteriaceae. The data collected indicated that the management of the three abattoirs met high quality standards, thereby proving that it is feasible to achieve good microbiological quality in abattoirs when adequate Good Hygiene Practices are applied.

Beef and pork packing industries.

A remarkable transformation of the meatpacking industry occurred in the last 25 years. That transformation consolidated the industry into one that could deliver large volumes of meat at low costs. Slaughter plants grew much larger and realized economies of scale from their size, and operations within plants were rationalized to emphasize the delivery of a small set of consistent major products (boxed beef, cut-up pork, and by-products) to retailers, wholesalers, and other processors. Similar developments occurred in livestock feeding whereby the industry realized significant cost reductions by consolidating production in very large cattle feedlots and hog farms. Gains from scale have largely been met (absent the development of new technologies that are not yet on the horizon); therefore, we are unlikely to see similar shifts in plant sizes in the next 25 years. The major forces affecting meatpacking and livestock feeding in the near future are more likely to revolve around tighter coordination among livestock production, meatpacking, wholesaling, and retailing. Although much of the recent response to food safety concerns took the form of investments in equipment, testing, and training within meatpacking plants, packers and retailers are likely to focus more on assurance of livestock production quality and methods in the future. Such assurance can be met through vertical integration or through a greater reliance on tightly drawn contracts; producers who attempt to provide the assurance while still selling through cash markets will need to develop paper trails of testing and quality assurance that will move through the marketing chain with livestock. Similarly, because of likely increased future demand for meats of assured consumer qualities, such as organically grown products or branded meat products with very specific traits, producers will likely need to provide similar indicators of assurance throughout the marketing chain. Finally, the funding offered through federal environmental assistance programs such as the USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program along with related regulations governing waste management will likely lead to greater control over livestock production practices by investors, financiers, integrators, and packers through contractual design. Shifts toward tighter vertical coordination will force continuing changes in traditional ways of doing business in livestock production and in meatpacking. In turn, public policy discussions and corporate strategies in meatpacking are likely to focus continuing attention on the particulars of contract design: how to meet consumers', retailers', and regulators' requirements for quality assurance while ensuring efficient low-cost production without retarding competition in the industry.

Market power in the United States red meatpacking industry.

The basic question asked in the beginning of this article was whether the evidence from research is persuasive enough to conclude that competition in the meatpacking industry is deficient. The literature review led to the conclusion that the answer is no. Research varies widely in terms of data and methodologic approaches. The research, however, clearly finds evidence of market power. Many SCP studies indicated the existence and exercise of market power, but the failure of the paradigm makes definitive conclusions dangerous. The NEIO studies showed a persistent gap between the price of livestock and marginal costs but the studies did not incorporate sufficient detail to prove specific behavior. Azzam and Anderson [4] conducted an extensive review of competition in meatpacking. In their summary, they offered criticisms of the SCP approach and the conduct parameter approach. These investigators concluded that the body of empiric evidence was insufficient to persuasively argue that the meatpacking industry was not competitive. Sexton [69] discussed more recent critiques of the conduct parameter appraoch. Despite its weaknesses, he concluded that market power estimates in meatpacking are modest but that structural changes on balance are beneficial, from an efficiency viewpoint. Examining the evidence either by data aggregation, methodology, or time period results in little difference in the qualitative interpretation. The research community has done what Nicholls [2] said was needed. The need remains relevant. The research leaves us with a clear picture and nagging questions. Azzam and Anderson [4] recommended that further research focus on the process of competition or the rivalrous interaction between competitors, and on competitors' strategies for responding to technologic and market forces, as the business history of the industry suggests. Specifically, they recommended two approaches. First, to develop empiric pricing models for short-term monitoring. Such models infer conduct from spatial price linkages rather than from concentration as do SCP studies or estimation of conduct parameters as do NEIO studies. Second, to study the dynamics of the competitive process, making use of data describing changes at the firm and plant level, to better understand the effect of market and technologic forces on the evolution of firm behavior and industry structure. After discussing existing research quality and future research needs, two practical things remain to do. The first centers on the following question: How important are the relatively small measures of market power? Most believable price distortions are found to be 3% or less. These distortions are below the 5% regulatory standards related to mergers used by the US Department of Justice and US Federal Trade Commission [70]. These standards, however, are guidelines and not law. Antitrust laws state that the exercise of market power is illegal. Courts and regulatory agencies also have not defined how much market power is significant and for how long a firm or firms must maintain significant market power [71]. From the viewpoint of public welfare, small impacts on price make a substantial difference to livestock producers and rival meatpacking firms. In relatively low-profit commodity businesses, small degrees of market power have significant profit implications. Small price or percentage impacts represent large total dollar amounts, especially over long time periods. To some, the evidence of market power provides clear reasons for antitrust lawsuits, conclusive evidence of weak and disinterested antitrust enforcement, and undeniable grounds for corrective legislation. If we conclude that action is needed, then the second issue emerges: What should be done and will our actions result in a net improvement? The research reviewed in the article by MacDonald elsewhere in this issue clearly shows the economic benefits of large meat processing firms. Likewise, some of the research reviewed here shows that increased concentration benefits producers and consumers. Some of the benefits of lower costs are passed on to producers through improved prices. The clear problems seen in the 1910s and 1920s--the pools and trusts--are not present in the 1990s and 2000s. Legislative action requiring the restructuring of the meatpacking industry or limiting behavior (similar to the Packer Consent Decree of 1920) will come at a large cost to the industry and society. So what should be done? Some people want to do nothing and allow the market to function unencumbered by political action. This approach ignores the problems seen in research. Some people want to go back in time, forgetting the economic incentives for change. They would legislate change in the market structure where they perceive problems, break up large meatpacking firms, restrict supposed problematic conduct, and eliminate contracting and vertical integration. Some people want to treat agriculture as a unique sector of society and create laws and regulations applicable to agriculture alone, regardless of whether the issues driving these actions apply to other sectors of the economy. Little, if any, thought is given to public and private costs or public and private benefits. Structural changes are clear. Research findings on the impacts and consequences are robust. What should be done, however, is not clear or robust. We are in the realm of second-best choices. The fact that we are in a realm of second-best choices is not satisfying to me nor will it likely be to agricultural producers and policy makers. What to do from here is not an economic decision (i.e., economics cannot provide a clear best answer). Rather, it is a political and public choice question that has economic implications: What do we want our livestock and meat industry to look like?

Perspective from Western Canada and the Canadian meat industry.

The Canadian broiler chicken and turkey industries are distributed approximately according to human population. Individual components of these industries tend to be smaller than their U.S. counterparts and not to be vertically integrated. The outlook of the poultry meat industries is positive because of increasing per capita consumption of chicken and the potential for gains in turkey consumption. The number of permanently employed poultry scientists at publicly funded institutions has declined in Western Canada. University training in Poultry Science is restricted to four major institutions where it has been integrated into Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine programs. For the most part, poultry scientists have developed successful research programs and this research has been enhanced by scientists employed in term positions. Publicly funded poultry extension has declined but this reduction has been compensated to some degree by industry-sponsored programs and the private sector. The majority of research funding, which was once derived from government, is now provided by industry; government contributions are frequently contingent on initial industry support. The consequence of this type of funding arrangement is a trend to more short-term and less long-term research. Canada has no strategic plan regarding poultry training, research, or extension and this needs to be addressed before there is a further reduction in the country's infrastructure. Modern communication technology offers promise to reduce the isolation of scientists in different parts of Canada.

Innovations and trends in meat consumption: an application of the Delphi method in Spain.

The meat sector in Spain is an important industry. However, traditional consumption is changing as a result of the country's economic crisis and the new structure of households. The objective of the present study was to identify trends in meat consumption in Spain extrapolated to 2016, and the main innovations that should be of interest to firms in the sector. The study was conducted in 2011 using the Delphi method with the participation of 26 experts. The results showed that, while the demand for meat will not vary significantly in amount, it will do so in composition, with chicken replacing beef as the meat of most importance in the shopping basket. In addition, significant growth is expected in certified meat, but the demand for organic meat will not take off. Neither will there be no significant changes in end purchase formats, but there will be a clear trend in consumers' purchasing decision criteria away from price, external appearance and origin towards quality certification and the attributes of the packaging. With respect to end purchase channels, the experts estimate that the current trend will be accentuated with increasing market share for large supermarkets and major distribution brands.