This year brought a series of scandals, innovations and developments in the sector that was closely monitored by our readers.
1. New Zealand opposes UK’s WTO quota plan
The EU and UK quota split proposal generated large interest from our readers, which sparked a negative reaction from New Zealand’s meat bodies Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and Meat Industry Association (MIA).
The UK and EU notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) of their draft tariff schedules, which proposed to split tariff rate quotas allowing access for New Zealand sheepmeat and beef exports.
The meat bodies believed New Zealand would not accept any proposal that eroded the quality and quantity of its WTO quotas.
You can view the full story here.
2. Naturli’ Foods launches 100% plant-based mince into 400 Sainsbury’s stores
International meat alternative firms really took advantage of UK demand for plant-based proteins, with Denmark’s Naturli’ Foods being among those to get their products listed at major retailers.
Naturli’ Foods’ ‘Minced’ product was a major success across Scandinavian food stores, with more than 121,000 kg of the product consumed across Danish retailers.
The firm believed the UK would echo Denmark’s overwhelming demand following the UK’s expanding appetite for plant-based foods.
You can view the full story here.
3. Smithfield Foods suspends worker over urinating incident
A rather embarrassing moment for Smithfield Foods, which generated a large amount of global coverage. The US pork processor giant was forced to dispose of 50,000 lb of products after an employee decided to do his ‘business’ on a production line in Virginia, US.
The incident led to the company halting production to fully clean the processing line and sanitise equipment multiple times before resuming operations.
The worker was suspended pending a complete investigation.
You can view the full story here.
4. Tesco to launch plant-based steak in 400 UK stores
Another one of the big four retailers tapped plant-based meats from overseas as Vivera scored a listing at 400 Tesco stores in May this year.
The product is sold in 23 European countries and 25,000 supermarkets. The steak has been a big success in mainland Europe countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy.
Vivera boasts a portfolio of more than 40 different meat alternatives, derived from wheat, soy, peas, corn, rice and vegetables.
You can view the full story here.
5. Brazilian poultry refused entry by key international markets
Despite Brazilian authorities making huge efforts this year to re-ignite its reputation in the meat industry, its poultry sector took a knock after 10 consignments of frozen chicken were rejected by border controls.
UK, Germany and the Netherlands all refused entry of the Brazilian chicken after discovering a risk of salmonella.
Four of the refusals came from the UK and the Netherlands, while two came from Germany.
You can view the full story here.