VOLUME 4 / NUMBER 4 / FALL 2009 the newsmagazine for the food industry professional Safe, smart & sustainable from start to finish… Mountain States Rosen: MSR consistently delivers product that is distinctive in taste and mild in flavor and tenderness with an setting the standard overall emphasis on health and nutrition. It was only a few years “Mountain States Rosen completed its purchase of MSR. They ago that sustainable is the ONLY lamb and veal now are 100% owners. The new company, farming was Mountain States Rosen, became the only company in the nation considered an oddity, completely vertically integrated lamb and however, with the to achieve SQF Level 2 veal processor in the country. help of the “go green” (Excellent) Certification...” movement more The new business venture was farms and ranchers are Colorado, they have sources to supply the unprecedented and made perfect business committing themselves to providing and industry with the finest and freshest lamb sense as it allowed MSR to oversee all promoting sustainable agriculture from and veal nationwide. In 2008, Mountain phases in the supply chain, from farm to ‘farm to fork.’ States Lamb & Wool Cooperative, a group of some 140 producers in 15 states, Continued on page 57 Mountain States Rosen (MSR) is one establishment that has done this. This premier lamb and veal company Social networks critical to communication... saw traceability as a useful tool for consumers, as well as for food safety and retail informational purposes, and just Internet chatter gaining popularity “the right thing to do.” They realized consumers were seeking organically grown New to the social media network and or MySpace more than e-mail. This means and sustainably sourced products, and wondering what all the twitter is about? if you are not on one of those sites you since Mountain States Rosen was already Social media networking is a massively are missing out on one of the biggest on track to do so, they took it just one popular communication and business tool. shifts in human behavior and the way we step further and developed a completely Businesses questioning the social media all communicate with one another. This all-natural and traceable product. sites need to embrace them if they want to doesn’t mean you need to be on these sites better engage their customers—says the IT 24/7, but you do need to be engaged. Mountain States Rosen has been a consulting firm Parity. leading lamb and veal company in “Combined with effective information America for more than 50 years. With In fact, according to a recent Nielsen management, social media tools have been fabrication operations in New York and survey, people are using Facebook, Twitter Continued on page 58 On the Inside… Follow us online... 40 What’s your 34 UB’s 33rd Executive We are now on favorite college or Conference tackled Facebook university mascot industry issues in and worth? style. Twitter! Compare the estimated Intriguing keynote Become a ‘UB Reporter’ value of some favorite speakers, plus an exciting fan, friend, whatever! Go to campus characters as if and thought provoking www.urnerbarry.com/Reporter they were commodity agenda made this year’s and follow your preferred items. event a success. social media link! 2 • URNER BARRY’S REPORTER / VOL. 4, NO. 4 / FALL 2009 X _____________________________________ ____________________ Sign here for approval and fax to: 732-240-6332 Date Your Cold Storage Solution on the West Coast RICHMOND COLD STORAGE FULL SERVICE STORAGE & DISTRIBUTION FACILITY COMPETITIVE RATES • PERSONALIZED SERVICE STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY Built in 2000 10,500,000 lb. weight capacity Call Us Now 42,000 square foot freezer 43,000 square foot dock For Your Railcar Site – BNSF and UPSP Personalized Quote USDA / USDC inspectors on site OUR LOCATION IS IDEAL No city traffic or congestion • Get in and out in a timely manner Conveniently located near Oakland and San Francisco Airports and the Port of Oakland Close to Richmond-San Rafael, Golden Gate and Bay Bridges Quick, easy access to major interstates (I-580, I-80, I-880, I-101) OUR CUSTOMERS ARE OUR FIRST PRIORITY Flexible, customized programs to fit each customer’s needs CALL US NOW FOR YOUR PERSONALIZED QUOTE 2041 Factory Street Richmond, CA 94801 510-233-5111 • Fax: 510-234-0436 [email protected] www.RichmondColdStorage.net In the Meat Distribution Business Since 1959 • In the Cold Storage Business Since 2002 VOL. 4, NO. 4 / FALL 2009 / URNER BARRY’S REPORTER • 3 URNER BARRY’S REPORTER • VOL. 4, NO. 4 Center of the plate the newsmagazine for the Mountain States Rosen: food industry professional setting the standard Page 1 PUBLISHER Paul Brown Jr. SENIOR EDITOR Russ Whitman MANAGING EDITOR Internet chatter Joe Muldowney gaining popularity CONTRIBUTORS Page 1 Janice Brown Jim Buffum Greg Deppeler Jenn Fitzpatrick Main Ingredients Kelsey Juszczak 5 Retail sees great value in meat case Jim Kenny Andrew Knox 7 P.F. Chang’s continues to experience good fortune Rachel Kretzmer 11 Where beef begins: tracking adds focus for Angel Rubio Oklahoma cattleman John Sackton 15 Farmhouse fare featured in Chicago’s PUBLICAN James Serpico Bill Smith 16 How to clean, cook and pick a Jersey blue crab MaryAnn Zicarelli Page 54 Page 16 CO P Y EDITORS Lynn Dekovitch News Bites Linda Lindner 9 Domestic shrimp prices precariously low CREATIVE DIRE C TOR 10 Game attendance becomes a “sporting Glenn F. Juszczak experience” 18 Making the rounds with UB’s Reporter PRODU C TION MANAGER 21 The real perspective on seafood sustainability 20 The economic posture of eggs Chris Ashley 23 Butterball, LLC: excellence in feed production 22 Deviled dish with dozens of deviations ASSO C IATE DESIGNERS 24 Calf, steer, heifer... what it all means 32 Meet and greet just got tastier Maria Morales 26 Social networking platforms keep turkey top of 36 Supermarket jingle shopping Gary Swarer the mind 40 New commodity market: university and college ADVERTISING 34 Urner Barry’s Annual Executive Conference and mascots Janice Brown Marketing Seminar tackles key industry issues in 46 Northeast hot dog stands serve up tradition style 51 Psychology of color at retail SUBSCRIPTION INFOR M ATION 38 Price to raise a child rising 800-932-0617 39 Gourmet Magazine piles on Chilean salmon, citing heavy use of antibiotics A la carte 8 Opening the door to 42 Global Aquaculture leaders to address GOAL 2009 traditionally ethnic foods conference in October 12 Uruguay: South America’s 43 Automated Commercial Environment small secret 44 Soaring costs and not-so-soaring prices: pork 14 CLA: Fighting fat with fat An Urner Barry Publication producers are in a bind Published Quarterly 25 The essential trinity of making Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright © 2009 good paella 48 Shrimp School at University of Florida 14 years Page 30 Editorial and Publishing Offices strong 28 Eye on Dining... Chicago style pizza Tel. 732-240-5330 • Fax 732-341-0891 and hot dogs 182 Queens Boulevard, Bayville, NJ 08721 53 Marketing your products to Native American www.urnerbarry.com • [email protected] casinos 30 The Reporter’s Guide to... Sushi Nothing may be reproduced in whole or part 54 Porkopolis: The city of swine 49 Test your LAMB knowledge without written permission from the publisher. 50 Always cooking with Chef Paul Prudhomme 4 • URNER BARRY’S REPORTER / VOL. 4, NO. 4 / FALL 2009 Door opens for middle meats… Retail sees great value in meat case National “…there Retailers then passed these meat savings Cattlemen’s Beef has been a onto their customers, who were more than Association, resurgence happy to bring home great-tasting, tender through programs of in-home middle meat steaks at a significant cost funded by the advantage. cooking Beef Checkoff, has recognized and fewer In fact, data from Freshlook Marketing that the current people are shows that total supermarket sales are on economic climate eating out in the rise. Figures show that for the 13-week has brought about casual dining period ending 5/24/09, beef middle meat a change in the and white steak (from the rib, loin and sirloin) pound way consumers sales increased 5.3 % versus year ago tablecloth Lemon-Pepper Seasoned Ribeye Filets are purchasing restaurants…” figures. Pound sales for the middle meat with Roasted Tomatoes their meats. With steak category showed higher increases this insight, the door has been opened to than pound sales for total beef, which rose numerous value cuts – specifically from 4.4%. Dollar sales also increased for middle to prepare a delicious and nutritious the middle meats which have experienced meat steaks and total beef for the same time family meal with beef as the major staple. a decline in wholesale prices. In fact, June frame. Rib and loin steak dollar sales rose For more information please visit: www. sales figures indicate that this “Middle 1.0%; while total beef dollar sales jumped beefretail.org.UB Meat Mania” for rib and loin steaks is 4.6% during the 13-week timeframe. continuing to positively impact retail sales. As consumers are watching every penny, That’s a big plus for beef retailers, as they America’s beef producers are proud to have been witness to record produce a product that sales of middle meats provides great value, as consumers made nutrition and taste without a switch in their breaking the bank. SAVAGESAVAGE buying habits. Why Consumers are happy P O U L T R Y , I N C . the switch? Research purchasing middle indicates there has meat steaks because been a resurgence they know they are MARYLAND OFFICE of in-home cooking. getting a great buy on a Billy Savage Additionally, fewer people premium steak.