Differentiation is key to the success of smaller meat and poultry processors. After all, the big chains can produce generic bricks of ground beef and steaks cheaper than any mom-and-pop processor in the country.
However, a growing segment of consumers want something better than a generic cut of meat. A slew of ongoing consumer studies shows that shoppers increasingly value meat and poultry sourced locally from producers dedicated to environmental stewardship and humane animal husbandry.
The USDA organic label is the only federally administered label claim that provides audit-based, legally enforceable assurance of environmental and animal welfare practices. The organic marketplace is growing, with USDA-certified meat and poultry sales estimated at $1.9 billion in 2022, according to the Organic Trade Association.
But only a sliver of organic beef in the marketplace comes from U.S. ranchers, even though USDA’s National Organic Program lists nearly 2,500 cattle operations in the U.S. as certified organic. The majority of organic beef in the marketplace is imported from Uruguay, Australia, and elsewhere.
With organic shoppers increasingly committed to supporting local farmers and ranchers, expanding the processing and marketing of locally raised organic beef represents a significant opportunity.
The lack of certified organic meat processing capacity is a major bottleneck preventing local organic ranchers from connecting with potential customers. For example, the 436 certified organic cattle ranches in an 11-state area of the Upper Midwest have only about 28 certified organic processors to help get their cattle into the meat marketplace.
Smaller processors unsure about getting certified organic are often intimidated by misconceptions regarding the complexity, cost, and performance requirements for certified organic meat. It’s time to demystify organic certification for meat processors.
The Rodale Institute, which has a Cooperative Agreement with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to coordinate USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program, has teamed with Flower Hill Institute to develop informational resources and seminars to assist processors in becoming certified organic.
The first educational seminars will occur on Thursday afternoon, January 9th, at the Midwest Meat Summit in Des Moines, IA. Flower Hill Regional Director Dave Carter, a former chair of USDA’s National Organic Standards Board, will facilitate the “Organic Certification Opens Opportunities for Processors” session. Additional seminars will be held in the coming months, and Flower Hill will expand the organic certification resources available in its online toolkit.