Welcome to the MEAT Traders’ Journal

You Best Guide for Meat Trading!

Some Tech

Keeping Your Meat Supply Chain Chill with Tech Upgrades!

As a meat importer or trader, keeping your cold chain running smoothly is mission-critical. Gaps in temperature control can lead to costly product losses and food safety risks. I have witnessed myself several times.

Fortunately, the industry is embracing cutting-edge solutions to reinforce cold chain integrity and traceability.

IoT Temperature Trackers

Internet of Things (IoT) enabled temperature sensing devices are becoming integral tools. Affordable wireless sensors from companies like Zebra Technologies, Testo and Emerson can now monitor conditions during every step of the meat supply chain in real-time

Zebra Technologies, their Bluetooth wireless temperature sensors and mobile computing devises allow monitoring transit conditions.

Testo: Testo offers data loggers and thermal images used by food processors, logistics providers and retailers to track cold chain temperatures.

Emerson: Their Cargo LoRa and Go Real-Time supply chain tracking solutions includes temperature monitoring capabilities for frozen shipments.

These data loggers automatically record time-stamped temperatures, generating alerts if parameters are exceeded. This provides an indisputable digital paper trail for compliance. Some suppliers are even exploring injectable wireless sensors that could track temperatures inside individual cuts of meat.

Blockchain Traceability

Companies like TE-FOOD are leveraging blockchain's virtually immutable, decentralized record-keeping to facilitate comprehensive food traceability.

This startup use blockchain to map the complete journey of a meat product - from the birth farm and processing facilities, to shipping, distributor, and retailer. Consumers can simply scan QR codes to verify the product's origin and path through the supply chain.

Click to watch this video to learn more about how blockchain technology is incorporated into supply chain from farm to retail. Blockchain for Food: The Case of BeefChain with Enver Yucesan, Tob Jennings, and Laura Heely.

In this video it is discussed topics such as the role of smart contracts, DeFi, (Decentralized Finance), tokenization, business models and what kind of blockchain network is better to create such ecosystem. If you have any questions about this, feel free to reach out to me. Very interesting!

Smart Packaging Alerts  

Innovative packaging technologies can also monitor cold chain conditions and signal lapses. Britain's Vitsab employs "best before" freshness time stamps embedded directly on meat packaging that change color if temperature variations cause premature spoilage.

Insignia Technologies offers an intelligent labels like their CO-Brand label that monitor time, temperature, and color changes to indicate freshness for meat and seafood products.

While maintaining ideal cold chain integrity remains challenging, meat businesses are finding ways to apply emerging technologies to this vital task. Embracing innovations can help get quality products to market safely and transparently.

BUSINESS CORNER

Meat Matters: the $1.3Trillion Opportunity

The meat industry is a protein-packed powerhouse driving serious profits worldwide. With global revenue projected to hit $1.3 trillion by 2027, this is a market opportunity that can't be ignored.

By the Numbers

• The 2023 meat market was valued at a whopping $1.03 Trillion.

• Forecasted to grow at 7.1% yearly clip through 2030 to nearly $1.66 trillion.

• Processed meat consumption alone is estimated to surge from $523 billion in 2020 to $737 billion by 2026.

Regional Leaders

North America, especially the U.S. as the biggest chicken consumer, is expected to be the most important market for meat production. But China can't be overlooked - they produced over 40% of the world's pork in 2022.

The Flex Appeal

While demand remains robust, there's also an undeniable trend towards reducing meat intake. Drivers like health concerns over processed meat, animal welfare issues, and environmental impacts of industrial meat production are motivating many consumers to cut back.

Studies show over a third of younger millennials and Gen Z-ers now identify as "flexitarians" - people who limit meat, but don't eliminate it entirely. This reduce-not-remove mindset means opportunity in the fast-growing plant-based meat alternatives market.

In Newsletter #10 is covered what is flexitarian.

Evolving Consumer Tastes  

To cater to flexitarians and snacking trends, meat giants like Tyson and Cargill are innovating with convenience products like chicken nuggets or pork plant-based blended patties. Transparency around sustainable, ethical sourcing is also becoming critical to earn consumer trust.

Industry Obstacles

However, the road is not without hurdles. Disease outbreaks like African swine fever ASF) can severely disrupt meat supplies. And as stricter vegan mindsets grow, manufacturers must invest in R&D to develop more alternatives and production practices that appease health/ethical concerns.

🥩Quick Q about The Meat Traders’ Journal

You've seen my newsletter insights breaking down the latest meat market trends and policy updates. But behind the scenes, I'm preparing even more valuable intel to revolutionize your meat trading strategies.

Prime Buying Opportunities: How can we better assist you in identifying and leveraging prime buying times in the meat market?

Navigating the Meat Trading Landscape Together

In our upcoming editions, we're diving deep to address the critical questions that shape your success in the meat trading industry. Here’s a preview of the key inquiries we're tackling to help optimize your operations and strategy:

1. Prime Buying Opportunities: How can you identify the most opportune moments to buy in the meat market, ensuring you get the best deals and quality?

2. Cold Chain Management: How can you enhance your cold chain logistics to improve traceability and maintain the highest quality from farm to table?

4. Leveraging Market Analysis: How can market analysis and forecasts be used to make informed decisions that will impact your bottom line positively?

5. Building Strategic Partnerships: What are the keys to forming and maintaining strong partnerships with suppliers, distributors, and other stakeholders in the meat industry?

6. Embracing Industry Innovations: How can you stay ahead by adopting the latest trends and innovations in meat trading, such as sustainability practices or alternative proteins?

My goal is to provide you with insights and strategies to answer these questions, enabling you to move through the intricacies of the meat industry with the assurance and achievement.

Click Here and tell me your biggest meat trading challenges.

One last thing…

If you are aiming to strengthen your business foothold in the APAC Market in this areas:

• Market Expansion and helping with client Acquisition (Exporters)

• New Market Fit with product/specification development (Exporters)

• Sales Training and objection ideation to gain new clients (Exporters and Importers)

There are 3 ways that Meat Trading Hub (MTH) can help you when you ready:

✅Your Supply and Purchasing Advisor 1:1 (30 minutes Strategy Session)

✅I create win-win partnerships between you and strategic importers and/ or suppliers

✅On-line/off-line Sales Training sessions to elevate your Global sales team

Schedule a discovery call. Though times are coming and we all need to source and sell with better margins, right?