MPPTA Technical Support

Power of Meat Offers Marketing Nuggets for Smaller Processors

The Annual Meat Conference, held in March each year, draws thousands of processors, retailers, consultants, and others from across the nation. The Big Four packers, executives from Walmart, Kroger, and other major retailers, are well represented at the conference. But the audience also includes a host of smaller processors, distributors, and retailers.

They come for networking, glimpses into new products, and information on the commodity outlook for beef, pork, and poultry. But mostly, they come for the unveiling of the latest Power of Meat Report.

This year didn’t disappoint.

Pet Trends are Promising for Smaller Processors

The humanization of pets has exploded over the past few decades as Fido moved off the front porch and into the bedroom (or on the bed), and Fluffy traded chasing mice in the barn for curling up on the couch.

This trend has translated into how pet parents view the food and treats they feed their companion animals. Some consumers want their companions to follow the same diet as they feed the rest of their family. However, pet nutritionists warn that dogs and cats still have unique digestive systems that require different nutrition than humans.