Meat

Soapbox

Bugs: A strange case of amnesia

25-Apr-2016 By Massimo Reverberi, founder of Bugsolutely

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not a fervent entomophagist; I am just passionate about edible insects as a new food industry.

Alpaca meat hot on Australia’s menu

22-Apr-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Think-tanks all over the world have called for the need to diversify protein to ensure a more sustainable food economy, but is eating alpaca meat a step too far?

Report: Almost all Vietnamese cattle and seafood farms use antibiotics

21-Apr-2016 By RJ Whitehead

A staggering number of cattle seafood farms across large areas of Vietnam have been found to feed their stock antibiotics, the country’s animal welfare authority has found.

Australian cattlemen advised on maximising production

19-Apr-2016 By Aaron McDonald

Beef producers have been warned that South Australia’s dry weather could put serious pressure on the reproductive performance of cattle.

Inner Mongolia Tianmu Group invests in beef production

15-Apr-2016 By Mark Godfrey

A Chinese food processor is bulking up its beef output with a RMB450 million investment to breed 50,000 cattle.

Australian meat industry to benefit from technology investment

15-Apr-2016 By Aaron McDonald

A new government grant worth AUS$4.8 million to help develop advanced measurement technology in the meat industry has been welcomed by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

Aspire Food Group: Right now, our goal is simply to make eating insects – in any form – ‘normal’

13-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

If the edible insect movement is to meaningfully impact the protein market (and the planet) by displacing less sustainable animal-derived protein sources (beef, poultry, dairy), cricket companies will have to move beyond snacks into the center of the...

Germany in social media storm over halal meat

12-Apr-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

German social media campaigners have called for pork to be placed in the halal section of supermarkets to challenge the “cruel” way animals are slaughtered, but critics argue this is an Islamophobic attack.

Earnings at listed Chinese meat companies rise

11-Apr-2016 By Mark Godfrey

A rebound in demand for pigs and poultry is boosting the books of some of China’s leading meat companies.

Islam was the fastest growing religion in America from 2000 to 2010

GUEST ARTICLE: US halal food regulations… Are you up to speed?

11-Apr-2016 By Jeanne Cullen and Furqan Mohammed, Perkins Coie LLP

A growing segment of US consumers is scrutinizing animal treatment and slaughter from an Islamic lens, while halal food consumption among the nation's fast-growing Muslim population has become a ballooning enterprise in the United States and is now...

Australia exports sheep to China in genetics breeding program

08-Apr-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Australia has flown 1,400 specially-reared Suffolk sheep to China as part of a breeding program geared up to stimulate the genetic development of China’s growing livestock.

Australian livestock exporters air concern over ‘fundamental problems’ with reform

07-Apr-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) has welcomed government reform to streamline export certification processes, but harbours concern over the amount it will save meat producers.

China pounces on Marfrig's Argentinian assets

07-Apr-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Brazilian meat processing giant Marfrig has sold a raft of its Argentinian assets to the red meat Chinese business Black Bamboo Enterprises, a subsidiary of Foresun Group.

Australia’s watchdog plans beef sector dissection

06-Apr-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced plans for a major probe and analysis into competition, efficiency and transparency in the country’s red meat industry.

Beston beats import prohibition through Chinese distribution deal

06-Apr-2016 By RJ Whitehead

South Australia’s Beston Global Food Company has signed a manufacturing and distribution agreement with Hondo Agricultural Company of China for the production, marketing and distribution of its range of allergen-free, ready-to-eat meals.

Entomo Farms rides the edible insects wave: ‘Things really exploded for us in 2015’

06-Apr-2016 By Elaine Watson

2015 was a difficult year for some in the embryonic edible insect ingredients business, with Big Cricket Farms suspending activities due to water supply problems and All Things Bugs facing significant challenges. However, Ontario, Canada-based Entomo...

Japan struggles to meet Middle East wagyu beef demand

05-Apr-2016 By Eliot Beer

Japanese wagyu beef is a hit in the Middle East, but producers are struggling to export to regional markets because of Halal issues, according to a Japanese food importer in the UAE.

China’s Sunner becomes official McDonald’s supplier

01-Apr-2016 By Mark Godfrey

Chinese poultry-focused Sunner Development Group has celebrated with much fanfare its first dispatch this week of value-added and pre-cooked chicken products to McDonald’s.

Beef imports rise as China’s growth cools

30-Mar-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

China’s official beef imports surged by more than 50% last year as a government crackdown on grey market meat bolstered formal trade figures, according to a new report.

South Korea hit with bird flu outbreak

29-Mar-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Just one month after securing its bird flu-free status, South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed bird flu has been detected near the country’s capital, Seoul.

Vietnam: Nor Feed to capitalize on shift away from antibiotic growth promoters

25-Mar-2016 By Jane Byrne

French plant extracts producer, Nor Feed, says its new alliance in Vietnamese will strengthen its presence in Asia.

Kyrgyzstan eyes China as an export market

22-Mar-2016 By Mark Godfrey

Chinese meat processors are being courted for investment by a leading destination for the country’s meat exports.

Greenhouse gas mitigation potential from livestock sector revealed

22-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Australian scientists believe that the world’s livestock sector could account for up to half of the global agricultural, forestry and land-use sectors’ potential to mitigate greenhouse gases while still maintaining its economic and social benefits.

Parkside plans Malaysia investment

21-Mar-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Meat packaging manufacturer Parkside has announced plans to “invest significantly” in its Malaysia plant to offer its Asian customer base the same products as supplies to its European clients.

Innovation conference

Edible insects: coming to a manufacturer near you

18-Mar-2016 By Michael Stones

Edible insects are set for mainstream manufacturing success, as their US popularity is repeated on this side of the Atlantic, according to speakers at Food Manufacture’s innovation conference – New Frontiers in Food and Drink.

Australian meat firm redesigns organic labelling

15-Mar-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Australian clean meat company Cleaver’s has redesigned its meat packaging to help consumers easily identify the ethical and humane way the company believes meat should be produced.

Soapbox

Six-legged livestock: The next ‘bug’ thing

11-Mar-2016 By Massimo Reverberi, founder of Bugsolutely

There is only one obstacle between insect-based foods and supermarket shelves: western people don’t like to think of eating them.

Mumbai meat traders angry with airport sales restrictions

09-Mar-2016 By Raghavendra Verma, in New Delhi

Meat traders in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai are concerned about a potentially precedent-setting tightening of restrictions on sales within a 10-kilometre radius of the city’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

This week Down Under

Where do sausages come from? Parents prefer to tell kids the facts

09-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Knowing a cow died to make the sausage may trigger endless questions. It’s something many parents avoid—or so one might assume (writes Sarah Keenihan).

China celebrates International Women’s Day with meat snacks

08-Mar-2016 By Mark Godfrey

China's Sentai Foods is celebrating International Women’s Day by selling a gift box of its new range of pre-cooked meat snacks.

China direct

Food safety chief: FDA struggling to cope with scale of adulteration

07-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

China’s food authorities are unable to keep up with cases of chemical and drug adulteration, according to the head of its Food and Drug Administration.

App helps Aussie farmers improve standards

04-Mar-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

A newly-launched app for beef farmers has been developed to help the meat and livestock industry set up a forage budget and improve best practices among producers.

Meat demand bolsters New Zealand export growth

03-Mar-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

New Zealand meat exports have been one of the key performers of 2015, helping the country earn NZ$2.5 billion more than the amount it spent on imported goods last year.

Kyrgyzstan poultry farms on the verge of extinction

01-Mar-2016 By Vladislav Vorotnikov

Common customs space with Russia and Kazakhstan has almost killed off poultry farming in Kyrgyzstan, according to a report from the chairman of the country’s Union of Poultry Farmers, Rustam Osmonaliev.

Pakistan experiences strong growth in the meat export sector

29-Feb-2016 By Aaron McDonald

Pakistan’s meat export industry is growing at a rate of 30% every year, head of meat and nutrition at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Dr Muhammad Hayat Jaspal.

Chinese authorities split over antibiotic overuse

26-Feb-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

China’s top regulator for food safety has said overuse of antibiotics is a “prominent problem” for the country’s meat industry and has called for agriculture and meat processors to do more to reduce traces of antibiotics.

Huge shipment of rotting pork found in Manila

25-Feb-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

A total of 165 containers of rotting meat is sitting at a shipping port in the Philippines – and nobody has claimed responsibility for it.

Hong Kong gets a taste of Northern Ireland

25-Feb-2016 By Aaron McDonald

Hong Kong and Macau are the latest destinations to have been added to Hannan Meats’ growing portfolio of international markets.

Fall in meat-eaters prompts decline of the specialist Aussie butcher

25-Feb-2016 By RJ Whitehead

A survey has outlined the decline of the traditional butcher against against a fall in the number of meat-eaters, with the proportion of Australians buying their fresh meat from a specialist dropping by almost 5% in just three years.

Thailand tipped as key market for Australian beef

23-Feb-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Thailand has been earmarked as a potential processing and distribution hub for Western Australian live cattle exports, according to a government report on trade opportunities in south-east Asia.

TasFood eyes Nichols Poultry acquisition

22-Feb-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Australian agrifood business TasFood Limited is planning a takeover of the family-owned, Tasmanian chicken producer Nichols Poultry.

China’s meat firms invest in pig herd growth

22-Feb-2016 By Mark Godfrey

Nearly 25 million pigs will be added to China’s herd between 2015 and 2018 by a handful of leading companies in investments worth RMB70 billion ($10.74bn).

Russia creates pork hub to target China

17-Feb-2016 By Vladislav Vorotnikov

Two Russian companies plan to create a pig breeding cluster in the far east of the country within the next five years, designed to have a capacity for 1.2 million head of pigs, with an investment of RUB72 billion (US$954m).

Kiwi meat-free movement sees 27% growth in four years

17-Feb-2016 By RJ Whitehead

Vegetarianism is growing in popularity in New Zealand, where the proportion of Kiwis who say the food they eat is completely, or almost all, vegetarian has grown by 27% since 2011, a survey has found.

FAO member countries urged to lobby over edible insects

16-Feb-2016 By Kizzi Nkwocha

Member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are being urged to lobby the UN body to clarify its position on edible insects.

Meat firms should target China’s tourists

15-Feb-2016 By Mark Godfrey

Hotel chains like Hilton, InterContinental and Sheraton and airlines like Air Asia, Air China and Cathay Pacific have been busy expanding their operations in China to capture the rise in outbound tourist numbers due to stronger incomes and a stronger...

China’s first welfare code for feed lots, slaughterhouses due in June

10-Feb-2016 By Mark Godfrey

China will have its first draft animal husbandry and slaughtering standards code by June, according to the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), which is working with 30 domestic livestock breeding and slaughtering enterprises to draft the standards.

Japan lifts ban on Danish beef imports

09-Feb-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

Japan has ended its 15-year ban on the imports of Danish beef after long-running mad cow disease fears were addressed by European politicians.

China's slowdown hits second-biggest pork company

03-Feb-2016 By Mark Godfrey

Yurun Food, China’s number-two pork player, continues to go through turbulent times, with some industry watchers forecasting a sell-off of company assets this year to get the firm back on track, after a massive investment in real estate has exposed the...