MIRC to Tackle the Technical Development Challenges the Meat Industry Faces in the Current Economy
Thursday, August 20, 2009(American Meat Institute)
Meat industry scientists and technical experts will be discussing the new economic reality in the food industry and the impact it has had on technical development at the Meat Industry Research Conference (MIRC), to be held Oct. 27-28 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
The Meat Industry Research Conference (MIRC) will again be held in conjunction with the AMI International Meat, Poultry & Seafood Industry Conference and Exposition, scheduled for Oct.28-31, 2009.
This year’s scheduled session topics include:
New Economic Reality: The U.S. and Global
Consumer
This session will launch the
program by discussing global consumer behavior,
the role of technical developments for a
sustainable food industry and will feature an
economic question and answer session about
market volatility.
Speakers include: Charlie Arnot, CEO, The Center for Food Integrity; Michael Neal, CEO and chairman, SignalDemand, Inc.; Scott Eilert, Ph.D. vice president, director, Meat Technology Development, Cargill Meat Solutions
Value Enhancement
Opportunities
Recognizing opportunities
to enhance product value will be the discussion
in this session. Attendees will be
provided information on improving the value of
fresh meat, and how to utilize new ingredients
and formulation techniques and the
SmartChoices™ program to improve the bottom
line.
Speakers include: Chris Calkins, Ph.D., professor of Animal Science, University of Nebraska; Jesper Kampp, M.Sc., application specialist, head of Meat Innovation, Danisco A/S; Brian Smith, Ph.D., John R. White, Co.; Richard Black, Ph.D., chief nutrition officer, Kraft Foods Global
Reducing Pathogens and Improving Food
Safety
Food safety a constant of the
meat industry and is specifically highlighted
in the program through sessions such as
research in the retail deli and the role of
risk-assessments.
Speakers: Stacey Schultz-Cherry, Ph.D., associate member, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Martin Wiedemann, Ph.D., associate professor, Cornell University; F. Ann Draughon, Ph.D., professor & co-director, Food Safety Center of Excellence, co-director, UTIA Food Safety Initiative, University of Tennessee; Janell Kause, M.P.P, M.P.H, director, Risk Assessment Division, USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Quality Systems Management
Tools
The second day of the program will
begin with a trio of discussions on
implementing quality standards in the meat
industry.
Speakers include: Bryan Farnsworth, Ph.D., vice president, Quality Assurance, Hormel Foods Corporation; John Kukoly, senior technical marketing consultant BRC Global Standards; Holly Mockus, senior manager, Food Safety, Sara Lee Foods
Broadening of the International
Marketplace: Research and Development Needs of
the U.S. Meat Exporters
To close the
program this session will address the
international marketplace as attendees examine
relations with China, value enhancements for
export opportunities and will be given a global
update for red meat exports.
Speakers include: Courtney Heller, manager, Export Services, USMEF; Xiong Wei, president, Wenda Co., Ltd.; Joe Frend, vice president of International, Prairie Orchard Farms
For additional information, contact AMI's Vice President of Education and Development Marie Ternieden, Ph.D., at mternieden@meatinstitute.org.
Registration is $75 per person with registration for the World Wide Food Expo before September 16, 2009. To register, go to http://www.worldwidefood.com/register.

