Meat companies urged to embrace technology to boost sustainability
Speaking at the Teagasc Food Gateways event yesterday, Teagasc director Prof Gerry Boyle said: “The industry faces serious challenges including the need to further reduce its carbon footprint, stronger competition in the food protein sector, a rising cost base, and an increasingly health-conscious consumer.
“Ireland produces a high quality product with genuine ‘green’ credentials. The industry has embraced the latest technologies to ensure safety and quality, but what is now needed is to embrace opportunities that exist through science-based innovation so that the industry can become more competitive, maintain and grow markets and meet the latest consumer trends on the global stage,” he said.
Yesterday’s event in Ashtown, Co Dublin, showcased the Teagasc/ UCC Food Innovation Alliance, a research collaboration in the area of meat science and technology that pools Teagasc’s and UCC’s expertise.
The alliance delivers research updates and publications, and focuses on training, consultancy and product development and developing intellectual property.
Guest speaker Dr Chris Calkins, professor of meat science at the University of Nebraska, said a US initiative had identified new innovative value-cuts of beef estimated to have increased the value of beef by over $1bn (€730m) annually.
