176 FROZEN MEAT-POTENTIAL AND FROBLEMS" D. H. KROPF KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY For t h e past two decades, many c r y s t a l b a l l g a z e r s have p r e d i c t e d a c e r t a i n and r a p i d s h i f t t o f r o z e n meat r e t a i l i n g, but i n v a r i a b l y have been t o o o p t i m i s t i c. Some expensive failures have hampered expansion, A stigma o f poor q u a l i t y f o r some f r o z e n meat items has been brought about by t h e practice o f f i e e z i n g c u t s prepared f o r f r e s h r e t a i l sales when t h e y are about "over t h e h i l l " and a l s o by t h e p r e p a r a t i o n and sales of cheap frozen items t h a t a r e worth l e s s t h a n t h e i r c o s t. Why t h e cause f o r optimism on t h e part o f many i n d u s t r y groups today and o f r e s e a r c h groups such as OUT Frozen Meat Systems Research Team at Kansas S t a t e University? In enumerating advantages and disadvantages of r e t a i l i n g f r o z e n meat c u t s, it i s assumed that any frozen meat o p e r a t i o n would be associated w i t h c e n t r a l i z e d meat c u t t i n g as a part of t h e t o t a l d i s t r i b u t i o n system, The advantaaes would appear t o be as f o l l o w s t 1. Less Rework. A higher proportion o f c u t s should be s a l e a b l e before t h e y must be "pulled" from t h e case, p r i m a r i l y because a frozen r e t a i l d i s p l a y case l i f e of three weeks o r l o n g e r i s p o s s i b l e with good c o n d i t i o n s of processing, packaging, d i s t r i b u t i o n and d i s p l a y. This is c o n t r a s t e d with a maximum d i s p l a y l i f e o f 3 t o 7 days f o r many f r e s h r e t a i l c u t s, If t h e normal percentage of "rework" or "case p u l l s " is from 3 t o 5% i n a n average meat market, t h i s f a c t o r a l o n e could r e s u l t i n c o n s i d e r a b l e f i n a n c i a l s a v i n g s i f frozen meats are handled under optimal c o n d i t i o n s. An added advantage, somewhat r e l a t e d, i s that c u t s t h a t r e p r e s e n t a minor part o f sales such as lamb, could be handled i n r e t a i l m a r k e t s i n l e s s populated areas of t h e country, Many s t o r e s i n such areas now a v o i d lamb sales, because o f high l o s s e s due t o unusually l a r g e amounts o f s p o i l a g e o r rework, 2. * Reduced Shrinkaae. In a s t u d y involving lamb l o i n chops, weight l o s s e s averaged 0.29% d u r i n g f r e e z i n g and a n a d d i t i o n a l 0.42% after 6 weeks of f r o z e n d i s p l a y (half o f c u t s a t -21C and h a l f a t -29C w i t h two d e f r o s t c y c l e s d a i l y ), This i s far less than f r e s h meat s h r i n k a g e, Presented at t h e 24th Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference o f t h e American Meat Science Association, 1971.
177 3. Marketing F l e x i b i l i t y. This merely means t h a t i n d i v i d u a l c u t s can be channeled away from lower t o e are no longer higher demand areas f o r t h a t c u t. W s t u c k w i t h s e l l i n g a l l t h e parts of a c a r c a s s, a q u a r t e r o r even a primal o r sub-primal c u t i n one s t o r e. If t o p round s t e a k s can b r i n g a higher p r i c e i n one s t o r e l o c a t i o n t h a n a n o t h e r, more could be channeled t o t h i s s t o r e. A d i f f e r i n g demand p a t t e r n might hold f o r "eye of t h e round" s t e a k s, 4. More E f f i c i e n t I a b o r Use, Better work scheduling is p o s s i b l e i n a c e n t r a l meat c u t t i n g o p e r a t i o n meaning l e s s s k i p p i n g from p r e p a r a t i o n o f one c u t t o a n o t h e r, as i s necessary i n a r e t a i l s t o r e. Since meat cutt,ers a r e i s o l a t e d from r e t a i l s t o r e customer t r a f f i c, more productive work time and less v i s i t i n g and g o s s i p should result. Another l a b o r f a c t o r i s t h a t b e t t e r work hours a r e p o s s i b l e with a c e n t r a l frozen meat o p e r a t i o n, C u t t i n g time does not have t o conform c l o s e l y t o any r e t a i l s t o r e hours nor do workers need t o begin a t 5 a.m. i n o r d e r t o supply needs as i s necessary w i t h a c e n t r a l f r e s h meat o p e r a t i o n, Higher employee morale could result. Perhaps t h e b e t t e r hours would e n t i c e more people i n t o a c a r e e r of meat c u t t i n g, A growing CRISIS i n t h e meat i n d u s t r y today i s t h e s h o r t a g e o f r e t a i l meat c u t t e r s, Because o f t h e c r i s i s, e s p e c i a l l y on t h e east c o a s t, central c u t t i n g may be needed t o i n s u r e s u r v i v a l of our i n d u s t r y. Labar c o s t s are p r e s e n t l y climbing and r e p r e s e n t as high as 10% of meat s a l e s i n some s t o r e s, w h i l e 5% is r e a l l y a l l we can a f f o r d. The e f f e c t i n g o f l a b o r c o s t economies is e s s e n t i a l t o t h e well-being and s u r v i v a l of t h e e n t i r e l i v e s t o c k a n d meat i n d u s t r y. 5. More S a l e s Space, "Retail s t o r e space i s f o r s e l l i n g and not f o r manufacture o r processinp" is a n opinion given by a former s u p e r v i s o r o f meat o p e r a t i o n s o f Winn-Dixie S t o r e s. Manufac+urinq areas i n r e t a i l s t o r e s are g r a d u a l l y s h r i n k i n e and meat backrooms i n one s t o r e c h a i n a r e now only 1/3 as l a r g e i n new s t o r e s as t h e y were 5 t o 1 0 y e a r s aco. Precedents a l r e a d y have been s e t i n this d i r e c t i o n i n r e t a i l meat m a r k e t s since s l i c i n p and packagin: of luncheon meat and bacon has moved out of t h e r e t a i l market and %be same is occuring today w i t h i n c r e a s e d handlinq o f c h i l l - p a k p o u l t r y, The same w i l l occur f o r beef, lamb, and pork.
6. Less muipnaent Cost. At least in larger retail store systems, central frozen meat cutting should lower total capital investment costs as both less equipment or loner capacity equipment or loner capacity equipnent would be needed in retail markets. Just elimination of rails in new stores should effect considerable cost savings, 7. A More Uniform Product, Currently, each market tends to cut meat differently and perhaps some variation is desirable, However, a central meat operation is more amenable to automation and work specialization. Tight qnality control of composition, such as ground meat urnposition, is more possible in a central meat cutting operat ion, 8, Improved Sanitation. It is possible to have a stricter sanitation program in a central meat plant and to have a more extensive microbiological monitoring system. 9. Increased Total Carcass Utilization. Less discolored, spoiled, unuseable meat will result if some carcass parts such as outside flank muscle, diaphragm (skirt), hanging tender, neck meat and chuck trim from the inside of vertebra were removed while still fresh and wholesome, perhaps as little as 24 hours post mortem. In one store system operation, the value of these cuts paid for an entire operation of breaking carcasses into sub-primal cuts, Central meat cutting also makes possible improved utilization of fat trim and bone. 10. Consumer Convenience. In various consumer surveys, from 75 to 90% of housewives purchase fresh meat cuts and freeze them in home freezers. We are trying to sell the idea of cooking from the frozen state, realizing that cooking time with conventional methods will be 113 to 112 longer than for fresh meat, However, the housewife need not plan ahead (for chops, steaks, patties and thin cuts) but can decide on her meat menu shortly before the meal. Perhaps other advantages could be enumerated for frozen meat cuts such a8 the longer retention of high product quality. Reducing tonnage would tend to reduce transportation costs, although these might be partly offset by increased costs of maintaining freezing temperatures in distribution,
179 Disadvantages o f frozen meat r e t a i l i n g combined w i t h c e n t r a l meat c u t t i n g must a l s o be c a r e f u l l y considered. These include: 1. Union T r a d i t i o n and Contract P o s i t i o n, Labor unions have been very s t r o n g i n most areas and have s u c c e s s f u l l y r e s i s t e d t h e system we advocate, In many p l a c e s, t h e i s s u e r e a l l y b o i l s down t o which union, as one union may c o n t r o l r e t a i l s t o r e c u t t i n g and another might be involved i n c e n t r a l meat c u t t i n g. If l a b o r unions f a i l t o r e c r u i t and t r a i n enough h e l p f o r meat i n d u s t r y needs, t h e i r s t r o n g r e s i s t a n c e t o c e n t r a l c u t t i n g w i l l be weakened. Some "break through" c o n t r a c t s on t h i s i s s u e have been n e g o t i a t e d and o t h e r s w i l l follow. 2 Consumer Resistance. Some consumer a v e r s i o n t o f r o z e n r e t a i l meat c u t s has been brought about by bad e x p e r i e n c e s, Frozen c u t s are o f t e n d a r k, f r o s t e d over o r sometimes p a r t l y bloody i n appearance, and t h e r e f o r e do not h e l p overcome r e s i s t a n c e. However, t h e package w e have used i n r e c e n t s t u d i e s conforms v e r y c l o s e l y t o t h e meat surface and e l i m i n a t e s t h e f r o s t and blood problem, W e a r e attempting t o determine proper conclitions s o as t o produce a s t a b l e and consumer a c c e p t a b l e c o l o r, Consumer r e s i s t a n c e w i l l be l e s s i f frozen meats a r e merchandized from c a s e s placed i n l i n e w i t h r e g u l a r f r e s h meat c a s e s r a t h e r t h a n from c a s e s?laced o f f i n a c o r n e r of t h e s t o r e, We were pleased w i t h o u r a b i l i t y t o place product w i t h a c c e p t a b l e appearance i n two supermarkets and f o u r convenience s t o r e s i n o u r t e s t s run i n 1970. Our package showed both s i d e s o f meat c u t s and was well accepted shown by frozen meat sales t h a t averaged 16% and 20% o f t o t a l f r e s h and f r o z e n sales o f t h o s e c u t s t e s t e d (26 and 19 b e e f, pork and lamb c u t s, r e s p e c t i v e l y, e were a l s o encouraged by t h e s t e a d y i n two s t o r e s ). W rate o f sales o f f r o z e n meat c u t s over a 13 week and 6 week period, r e s p e c t i v e l y, i n t h e two supermarkets. 3. Tonnwe, Gross P r o f i t a r e Less. Unfortunately, many r e t a i l meat markets measure t h e i r s u c c e s s by a y a r d s t i c k o f e i t h e r tonnage o r g r o s s p r o f i t, b u t i f tonnage is 50% higher by purchasing carcass beef, but one-third o f t h i s tonnage i s non-saleable i n t h e r e t a i l c a s e, t h i s measure o f s t o r e p r o d u c t i v i t y is meaningless. Since n e i t h e r tonnage figures nor gross p r o f i t can be i s s u e d t o s t o c k h o l d e r s as d i v i d e n d s, it would appear t h a t only NET PROFIT is t h e key measure of success,
180 Some s h i f i i n g of l a b o r i n p u t s would be required from r e t a i l s t o r e s t o c e n t r a l meat p l a n t s. Perhaps t h e major manpower requirement i n t h e r e t a i l market would be a meat maerchandiser/market manager/public r e l a t i o n s / meat educator type person who enjoys meeting t h e public. Obviously s t o r e s nould not use t h e same amount of manpower i f fewer j o b s need t o be done, 4. Retailer Scepticism. Since t h e wholehearted, e n t h u s i a s t i c support of a market manager is important i n success o f a new venture, few problems can be as damaging as a r e t a i l e r who believes "It Won't Work" and then may s u b t l y o r n o t so s u b t l y assure t h a t it doesn't work, 5. Cost of Equipment Changeover. More automated, more expensive equipment w i l l be needed a t t h e c e n t r a l c a t t i n g p l a n t, but more productivity per employee and per machine should r e s u l t, People problems include t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of abuse of e o s e n product, mostly due t o poor temperature c o n t r o l, 6, Abuse, Our c o n t a c t s with retailers brought t o our a t t e n t i o n a s i t u a t i o n where frosen meat was a c t u a l l y l e f t outside on a loading dock f o r most o f a warm s m e r day. A t t r a c t i v e frozen meat c o l o r i s l o s t very r a p i d l y with temperature abuse, Rather than t o r e l y e n t i r e l y on employee education and concern, t h e s o l u t i o n would appear t o be i n development of "goof-proof" meat d i s t r i b u t i o n systems such as completely self contained meat handling u n i t s with b u i l t i n r e f r i g e r a t i o n t h a t could be plugged i n upon delivery. 7. Packaging Productivity, Large meat packers have expressed concern about packaging productivity o f t h e system w e have worked with. The first model of t h e machine used I n i n d u s t r y for t h e packaging system we are norking with wad capable of 20 cycles per minute with one package per c y a l e. The MSP-3, due for d e l i v e r y t h i s f a l l, w i l l have a c a p a b i l i t y o f 15 t o 20 c y c l e s per minute with up t o 3 o r 4 packages per c y c l e, Other systems are a l s o a l r e a d y developed for use o f s k i n t i g h t f i l m, 8. Inadequate M s p l a y Cases. Optimum d i s p l a y temperatures nould involve a maximum temperature of -10F o r lower a t t h e meat surface. Many d i s p l a y cases are not capable o f reaching t h i s low temperature and, i n a d d i t i o n, a r e s u b j e c t t o two d e f r o s t c y c l e s d a i l y. Even t h e e f f i c i e n t operation of t h e s e cases is hampered by p i l i n g product t o o high i n t h e case or by poor c o n t r o l of s t o r e temperature and humidity,
183 Improved d i s p l a y equipment w i l l be a v a i l a b l e, i n c l u d i n g m u l t i - c o i l cases nhere one s e t of c o i l s is working w h i l e a n o t h e r is being d e f r o s t e d and a t t r a c t i v e upright f r o z e n d i s p l a y cases w i t h very e f f e c t i v e a i r c u r t a i n s t o minimize e f f e c t o f s t o r e c o n d i t i o n s on case performance. 9. Cryogenic Freezing Costs, Some p o t e n t i a l u s e r s e x p r e s s s c e p t i c i s m about c o s t estimates. One processor i n Kansas r e p o r t e d f r e e z i n g c o s t s of up t o n i n e c e n t s p e r l b., but a n o t h e r v e r y e f f i c i e n t u s e r of t h e same t y p e of l i q u i d n i t r o g e n cryogenic system was g e t t i n g t h e j o b done f o r t n o c e n t s p e r pound, compared t o an o f t quoted c o s t of t h r e e c e n t s. Obviously, management was involved. When cryogenic f r e e a e r s are cooled, a nnaximum throughput must be used a n d q p e r a t l o n time must be mjnimized i n t o one period (as s h o r t a time as p o s s i b l e ), Most u s e r s a l s o a c h i e v e o n l y a c r u s t f r e e z e with a cryogenic system and t h e n allow product t e m p e r a t m e t o e q u i l i b r a t e under f r e e z e r s t orage c o n d i t i o n s, 10. LiKhting V a r i a t i o n s. Few s t o r e engineers or management personnel seem t o be aware of e f f e c t s o f l i g h t i n g i n t e n s i t y o r t y p e on frozen meat c o l o r s t a b i l i t y, An undergraduate s t u d e n t a t Kansas State U n i v e r s i t y surveyed f r e s h meat l i g h t i n g c o n d i t i o n s i n Manhattan, Kansas, and found l i g h t i n t e n s i t y t o vary from about 30 t o well over 300 f o o t c a n d l e s a t t o p meat c u t l e v e l. O u r s t u d i e s have shown t h a t frozen meat cuts are v e r y s e n s i t i v e t o l i g h t i n g i n t e n s i t y, b u t t h a t higher i n t e n s i t y i s p o s s i b l e with some l i g h t i n g s y s t e m without speedina up c o l o r d e t e r i o r a t i o n, 11. A r t i f i c i a l Appearance, My first r e a c t i o n when I saw beef c u t s packaged i n t h e film w e a r e c u r r e n t l y using was that appearance was " a r t i f i c i a l. " Now t h a t we are involved i n this p r o j e c t n e no longer can judge t h i s o b j e c t i v e l y. I n follow-up i n t e r v i e w s o f o u r s t o r e t e s t s last summer, 14.0 and 5.3% (10 and 3 r e s p o n s e s ) i n d i c a t e d t h a t "meat d i d not look a t t r a c t i v e ( s h r i v e l e d, a r t i f i c i a l, dog food, dummy l i k e ). " 12. Cuts Cold t o Handle. None o f o u r i n t e r v i e w e e s i n d i c a t e d t h i s was a problem, s o packages can be designed t o e l i m i n a t e t h i s problem. 13. Longer Cooking T i m e. If c u t s a r e t o be cooked from t h e f'rozen state as we recommend, one-third t o one-half a d d i t i o n a l time should be allowed f o r cooking. This should not be a problem with s t e a k s and t h i n n e r c u t s where cooking times a r e r e l a t i v e l y s h o r t, but could add s u b s t a n t i a l l y t o r o a s t i n g time s c h e d u l e s,
182 14. Color Two-Toning. Some beef c u t s (such as T-bone s t e a k s ) r e t a i n c o l o r uniformity whereas o t h e r s show a wide c o l o r d i f f e r e n c e between muscles, even when a l l processing s t e p s are c a r e f u l l y c o n t r o l l e d. The degree of c o l o r uniformity seems t o be a carcass c h a r a c t e r i s t i c and w e a r e now a t t e m p t i n g t o c h a r a c t e r i z e muscles from uniform and non-uniform s t e a k s i n a n e f f o r t t o understand how t o s e l e c t carcasses f o r f r o z e n r e t a i l merchandising o r w h a t processing s t e p s t o a l t e r t o achieve c o l o r uniformity. This c o n d i t i o n occurs w i t h i n one day a f t e r f r e e z i n g and c o l o r c o n t r a s t can be so great as t o d e f i n i t e l y affect m e r c h a n d i s a b i l i t y. Many c u t s c o n t a i n so c a l l e d "red muscles" which are capable o f becoming v e r y dark v e r y r a p i d l y post k e e z i n g. Muscle boning i s not a n answer i n a l l cases s i n c e some of t h e s e muscles are small, i. e. t h e s p i n a l i s d o r s i o r c a p muscle i n r i b s t e a k s, Perhaps o t h e r p o s s i b l e disadvantages should be included. Some o f t h e r e c e n t f r o z e n r e t a i l i n g e f f o r t s have been hampered by packaging f a i l u r e o r by t o o expensive packaging c o s t s. Consumers are q u i t e wary of frozen meat, consequently w e f e e l t h a t both side v i s i b i l i t y i s e s s e n t i a l i n t h e r e t a i l package. Recent f r o z e n meat r e s e a r c h e f f o r t s a t Kansas S t a t e University have been headed by Harold J. Tuma but have included cooperation by c o l l e a g u e s i n Departments o f Animal Science and I n d u s t r y, A g r i c u l t u r a l Economics, Foods and N u t r i t i o n, S t a t i s t i c s and Mechanical Engineering. The e f f o r t s of o u r Frozen Meat Systems Research Team have shown t h a t u n i v e r s i t y expertise can be drawn t o g e t h e r t o s o l v e important i n d u s t r y p r o b l e m and can provide t h e s e answers i n a r e l a t i v e l y s h o r t time, W e have had 6 month and 1 y e a r d e a d l i n e s on some of our r e s e a r c h o b l i while much of t h e r e s e a r c h is of an g a t i o n s and have & them!! t h i s p r o g r m has a l s o led t o some v e r y basic r e s e a r c h applied nature, Our work would n o t have been p o s s i b l e without a long l i s t of studies, c o n t r i b u t o r s i n c l u d i n g t h e National U v e s t o c k and Meat Board, American Sheep Producers Council, Foodararaa-Shop Rite S t o r e s, Uawa Food k r k e t s, American Can Company, Blue Mamond Meat Co., E, I, W o n t De Nemours and Co., E & R R e f r i g e r a t i o n, Hoerner-Ualdorf Corporation, Husamann R e f r i g e r a t i o n Company, National Cylinder Gas Division o f Chemetron Corp., Thermo-King Corporation, Wilson C e r t i f i e d Foods, Wilson-Sinalair Corporation, u.s, Department o f Agriculture (mansp o r t a t i o n and Facilities), W. R. mace and Company, Holophane Corporation of America and Sylvania Corp. Since we have agreed t o g i v e l e a d t i n e t o some of o u r c o n t r i b u t o r s before making some o f t h e r e s u l t s o f our s t u d i e s p u b l i c l y available, we c a n ' t d i s c l o s e a l l r e s u l t s a t this time. However, some of our f i n d i n g s are:
163 1. Beef c u t s appeaz t o pose t h e greatest c h a l l e n g e i n maintaining a c c e p t a b l e appearance and lamb c u t s t h e least. Pork c u t s o f t e n are q u i t e two-toned, b u t t h e consumer may a c c e p t greater q u a l i t y v a r i a t i o n i n pork, 2, Marbling i n lamb l o i n chops did not, affect fl-ozen d i s p l a y c o l o r s t a b i l i t y. Marbling l e v e l s s t u d i e d were moderate o r s l i g h t l y abundant (USDA Prime), s l i g h t o r small (USDA Good), Quality effects i n beef have n o t been e x t e n s i v e l y s t u d i e d, 3. Ageing beef steaks f o r 10 days doesn t have s u f f i c i e n t advantage i n cooked product acceptance over t h a t c u t hours post mortem t o merit, t h e extra c o s t, at 24 or 4, Packaging film must have some oxygen p e r m e a b i l i t y or packaged muscles turn dark, presumably because oxy- myoglobin r e v e r t s t o reduced myoglobin, Cuts become d a r k v e r y r a p i d l y when packaged i n a v e r y low p e r m e a b i l i t y saran or nylon-polyethylene film. This problem was more i n t e n s e when c u t s were packaged before f r e e z i n g o r when d i s p l a y e d a t t o o high d i s p l a y temperatures. 5, Some f r e e z i n g systems are t o o slow r e s u l t i n g i n dark c o l o r of frozen product, such as mechanical air blast f r e e z i n g at -26 t o -29 C f o r 24 hours. Generally, faster f r e e z i n g r e s u l t e d i n a b r i g h t e r frozen meat c o l o r. Cryogenic systems are d e s i r a b l e, at. least i n c r u s t f r e e z i n g. 6. Some v e r y r a p i d f r e e z i n g systems cause a l i g h t e n i n g o f product c o l o r, This l i g h t e n i n g can be overcome, a t least p a r t l y, by heat a p p l i c a t i o n, 7, F rozen meat c o l o r is s t a b l e (does not d e t e r i o r a t e r a p i d l y ) i n t h e d a r k if kept a t a reasonably cold temperature, Color seems v e r y s e n s i t i v e t o d i s p l a y l i g h t i n t e n s i t y l e v e l s, more so under some l i g h t i n g systems than o t h e r s, 8. Display l i g h t i n g systems v a r y c o n s i d e r a b l y w i t h respect t o c o l o r balance ( r e n d i t i o n ) and e f f e c t s on s t a b i l i t y o f meat c o l o r, There is c o n s i d e r a b l e controversy i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e r e g a r d i n g c o l o r s t a b i l i t y e f f e c t s, but our s t u d i e s show d i f f e r e n c e s. W e recommend use of one o f 4 or 5 l i g h t i n g systems, In e v a l u a t i n g c o l o r s t a b i l i t y e f f e c t s o f v a r i o u s l i g h t s o u r c e s, one should e v a l u a t e c u t s under a common l i g h t s o u r c e s i n c e some d i s p l a y systems mask c o l o r d e t e r i o r a t i o n,
9. Colder d i s p l a y c a s e temperatures are h e l p f u l i n prolonging acceptable c o l o r l i f e o f meat c u t s, 10, Use of n i g h t c o v e r s over d i s p l a y cases may n o t be needed, Much of our r e c e n t r e s e a r c h work and a l s o p r e p a r a t i o n o f product f o r s t o r e testing has been done w i t h DuPont Iolon s k i n t i g h t packaging e were v e r y film system using a n MSP-1 or MSP-2 packaging machine. W pleased at our a b i l i t y t o p l a c e product o f acceptable appearance i n r e t a i l s t o r e s and were pleased w i t h t h e package that u t i l i z e d a headerback support paper board a t t a c h e d t o one edge o f t h e f i l m w i t h "both side v i s i b i l i t y. " Sales of 3 c u t s i n a p i c t o r i a l high g l o s s c a r t o n were s p o r a d i c, i n d i c a t i n g consumers wanted t o see what t h e y were buying, Frozen meat sales amounted t o about 16 and 20% o f t o t a l sales of c u t s used i n t e s t and sales were s t e a d y over t h e t e s t period. A great d e a l of i n t e r e s t has been shown i n our fyozen meat r e s e a r c h, but some problems remain t o be r e s o l v e d, One might q u e s t i o n why we a n t i c i p a t e s u c c e s s i n f r o z e n meat r e t a i l i n g i n view o f p a s t failures, C e r t a i n l y, we don't a n t i c i p a t e a r a p i d changeover t o frozen meat systems, b u t r a t h e r a gradual t r a n s i t i o n. However, t h e f o l l o w i n g r e a s o n s should c o n t r i b u t e t o success I I. S M n TiKht Packaging has been a real asset i n improving product appearance. 2, Cryogenic F'reezinsr, systems a r e a v a i l a b l e and t h e i r proper use makes p o s s i b l e a b r i g h t, a t t r a c t i v e, h i g h l y a c c e p t a b l e product w i t h e x c e l l e n t e a t i n g and n u t r i t i o n a l q u a l i t i e s. 3. e are h i g h l y encouraged by Consumer S a t i s f a c t i o n, W r e s u l t s of consumer t e s t i n g both concerning purchasing f r o z e n c u t s and cooked s a t i s f a c t i o n. 4. Innovative P r o g r e s s i v e Retail I n d u s t r y w i l l use methods that c a n improve r e t a i l o p e r a t i o n. hrozen meat is e s p e c i a l l y a d a p t a b l e t o two new t y p e s o f s t o r e s that w i l l i n c r e a s e i n number, namely convenience s t o r e s and v e r y large supermarkets with pallet-loaded, pre-priced merchandise, 5. Squeeze of Meat C u t t e r Shortage will create p r e s s u r e toward l a b o r e f f i c i e n c i e s. The a l t e r n a t i v e is i n c r e a s e d meat c o s t and reduced meat sales, 6. Improved Waste Disposal is more p o s s i b l e in a c e n t r a l l o c a t i o n where waste can be r e c y c l e d f o r u s e and where volume is s u f f i c i e n t t o j u s t i f y p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l c o s t s, This w i l l be i n c r e a s i n g l y important i n our e c o l o g i c a l l y aware s o c i e t y.
7. Low Volume S t o r e s can handle a greater v a r i e t y of f r o z e n meat c u t s t h a n of f r e s h meat c u t s without undue l o s s e s. 8, I n c r e a s i n g Labor C o s t s m u s t be c u t o r meat consumption w i l l suffer. O u r group is o p t i m i s t i c a b o u t f r o z e n meat r e t a i l i n g and o u r e a r e p l e a s e d t o be n.rthusiasm is supported by many i n d u s t r y people. W!rq*qlved i n a v i t a l and p e r t i n e n t r e s e a r c h area siich as t h i s,. H, J TUMAr Thank you v e r y much, Don. C e r t a i n l y t h e r e have been a l o t of failures i n f r o z e n meats and we do have a l o t o f optimism at Kansas State, de s t i l l have a l o t of q u e s t i o n s and I would hope we c o u l d g e n e r a t e some enthusiasm on t h e part o f some o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s.o h e l p answer t h e m u l t i t u d e o f q u e s t i o n s t h a t s t i l l remain 'There are s t i l l some t e c h n i c a l d i f f i c u l t i e s i n t h i s t h i n g. Me've had a +,earn approach and have had about s i x d i f f e r e n t departments involved :n v a r i o u s stages o f t h i s r e s e a r c h, The next gentleman on t h e p r a y r a m i s, as Don mentioned, from o u r Mechanical dngineering Department, D r. Paul Miller, and Paul and I have a l o t o f t h i n q s i n Tommon, W e both l i k e t o f i s h and i f ne d i g a l i t t l e d e e p e r we both 9:ot OUT f i r s t two d e g r e e s a t Kansas S t a t e a n d Paul Miller f i n i s h e d U L ) a t Oklahoma S t a t e, W e t h i n k t h a t ' s a p r e t t y good s c h o o l even :bough we're p r t i a l t o Kansas, Paul has been i n s t r u m e n t a l i n nelping w i t h o u r f r e e z i n g s t u d i e s, both retail-case wise and o u r Yryogenic system. W e a s s i g n e d a tough t o p i c t o Paul on Commercial e f i n d t h a t t h i s information Freezinq Systems f o r t h e Food I n d u s t r y. W h a s n ' t r e a l l y been p u t t o g e t h e r i n t h e past and I t h i n k P a u l ' s done t r e a l n i c e j o b doing i t. W e a p p r e c i a t e t h e time and e f f o r t he took ta be on o u r p r q r a m. Dr. Paul Miller.