In Ep. 6 of MeatingPod, we're getting smart manufacturing advice from Paul Kafer, principal and managing member of Anabasis Technical Consulting.  Meatingplace readers will recognize Paul from his nearly two decades of engineering smart and lean manufacturing initiatives at Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. Here, Paul gives his insights on the meat industry's slow-but-steady adoption of Industry 4.0 initiatives, including what's up with remote access, cybersecurity and AR tech.

In Episode 5 of MeatingPod, we're taking a virtual trip to Oz to talk with Dr. Julian Cox, a noted food microbiologist and food safety scientist whose work in poultry and egg science is recognized around the world. Julian covers a range of topics in this interview, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poultry industry and why declaring salmonella as an adulterant as proposed to USDA FSIS has some scientific downsides. 

In this episode of MeatingPod, we're talking meat quality and processing trends with Nelson Gaydos, outreach specialist with the American Association of Meat Processors, North America’s largest meat trade organization. Listen in as Nelson  shares his insights on meat color, animal welfare and handling, and automation trends that have an impact on product quality.

Australia’s v2 Food joined the race to bring plant-based meat substitutes to a global audience two years ago. It has an advantage over the competition, though, in that right from the beginning, it had a ready outlet in that country’s Hungry Jack’s burger chain. CEO Nick Hazell spoke with Alt-Meat Editor in chief Lisa M. Keefe about v2’s origins and philosophy.

In Episode 2 of MeatingPod, we're talking Industry 4.0 tips and tactics with Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development for PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.  Jorge shares his wealth of knowledge and insight on how the COVID-19 pandemic is spurring the adoption of digital transformation strategies and technologies in meat and poultry processing operations. He also explains how remote maintenance programs can truly make your manufacturing operation smarter, and why wrangling data is the name of the game for companies looking for increased productivity.

In this episode of MeatingPod, we're talking poultry research trends with Dr. Denise Heard, director of research for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.  Find out about the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on poultry research priorities, what's on the slate for new USPOULTRY supported projects, including salmonella and campylobacter control, and what IPPE attendees can expect from the virtual event platform this year.

This is a trailer introducing MeatingPod, the podcast powered by Meatingplace and Alt-Meat magazines, which will launch in January 2021.