Talk:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the meat industry in the United States

request edit August 17, #1

Hello, wondering if we can update the article for accuracy. Hormel is not a meat processor. Thank you. Suggested new info:

Delete: Hormel Foods, well known for its canned pork SPAM product, also processes other pork products as well as beef, lamb and chicken.

Add: Hormel Foods is an American company that is notable for packaging and selling pork, chicken, and beef packaged and refrigerated products to consumers including ham, the canned pork Spam product, and sausage.

 Not done The references you have provided say that Hormel processes meat. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 23:10, 17 August 2020 (UTC)

@Cullen: Thank you. Clarification: Hormel’s plant in its hometown of Austin Minnesota employs more than 1,800 people who make hams, bacon, Spam and other products. However Hormel itself does not process lamb, for example. Can we update that part of the text? Thank you.Hello-Mary-H (talk) 23:29, 17 August 2020 (UTC)

This makes no sense. Hormel's plant doesn't process lamb, so it's not a meat processor? What am I missing here? (I'm not watchlisting this - please ping on reply by including {{u|Premeditated Chaos}} in your reply somewhere. ♠PMC♠ (talk) 22:33, 11 September 2020 (UTC)

https://www.hormelfoodservice.com/products/fontanini-sliced-gyro-fully-cooked-28-lb-6-5-lb/ It says LAMB. Graywalls (talk) 06:43, 2 October 2020 (UTC)

Cullen & Premeditated Chaos & Graywalls the error is mine regarding the use of the phrase "meat processing" and I own that. Also, I focused on the role of lamb as a product in the company's history but it clearly doesn't add to the discussion or article. Thank you for your ongoing hard work and feedback. Best regards, Hello-Mary-H (talk) 19:20, 29 November 2020 (UTC)

References

Hello-Mary-H (talk) 22:59, 17 August 2020 (UTC)

request edit August 18, #1

Hello :@Cullen328:,

I hope the above is the tag that you had in mind. Please advise.

I found new information regarding Hormel’s business practices. Here are some sources. I am happy to format or/and find more information: Perhaps we can reword the opening of the Hormel section? Hormel did sell lamb products last century but lamb was phased out for the most part, aside from a U.S. gyro product under the Fontanini brand. It is a 84% beef, 17% lamb gyro meat product listed on the Hormel Foodservice site: https://www.hormelfoodservice.com/brand/fontanini/additional-offerings/

Alson, in 1962, Hormel constructed a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) sausage manufacturing building in Austin and discontinued the slaughter of calves and lambs.

Delete: Hormel Foods, well known for its canned pork SPAM product, also processes other pork products as well as beef, lamb and chicken.

Add: Hormel Foods is well known for its canned pork SPAM product, ham, and other pork, chicken, and turkey products. Since the 1980s, Hormel has also offered a wider range of packaged and refrigerated foods.

 Not done You've provided information that Hormel still sells lamb. That second sentence is Hormel promotionalism that simply does not belong in this article. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 17:58, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Business supply info: The Hormel 2019 report details the business set up and use of supply contracts: “Description of Business Products and Distribution The Company’s products primarily consist of meat and other food products sold across multiple distribution channels such as U.S. Retail, U.S. Foodservice, U.S. Deli, and International. Total revenues contributed by classes of similar products and sales channels for the last three fiscal years are reported in Note P - Segment Reporting of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Domestically, the Company sells its products in all 50 states. The Company’s products are sold through its sales personnel, operating in assigned territories or as dedicated teams serving major customers, coordinated from sales offices located in most of the larger U.S. cities. The Company also utilizes independent brokers and distributors. Distribution of products to customers is primarily by common carrier. Through HFIC, the Company markets its products in various locations throughout the world. Some of the larger markets include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Japan, Mexico, Micronesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. The distribution of export sales to customers is by common carrier, while the China and Brazil operations own and operate their own delivery systems. The Company, through HFIC, has licensed companies to manufacture various products internationally on a royalty basis, with the primary licensees being Danish Crown UK Ltd. and CJ CheilJedang Corporation. As of October 27, 2019, the Company had approximately 970 direct sales representatives engaged in selling its products globally. Raw Materials The Company has, for the past several years, been concentrating on branded products for consumers with year-round demand to minimize the seasonal variation experienced with commodity-type products. Pork continues to be the primary raw material for Company products. The Company’s expanding line of branded products has reduced, but not eliminated, the sensitivity of Company results to raw material supply and price fluctuations. The majority of the hogs harvested for the Company are purchased under supply contracts from producers located principally in Minnesota and Iowa. The cost of hogs and the utilization of the Company’s facilities are affected by both the level and the methods of pork production in the United States. The Company uses supply contracts to ensure a stable supply of raw materials. The Company’s contracts are based on market-based formulas and/or markets of certain swine production inputs, to better balance input costs with customer pricing, and all contract costs are fully reflected in the Company’s reported financial statements. In fiscal 2019, the Company purchased 93 percent of its hogs under supply contracts. In fiscal 2019, Jennie-O Turkey Store raised turkeys representing approximately 79 percent of the volume needed to meet its raw material requirements for branded turkey products and whole birds. Turkeys not sourced within the Company are contracted with independent turkey growers. Jennie-O Turkey Store’s turkey-raising farms are located throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Production costs in raising hogs and turkeys are subject primarily to fluctuations in grain prices and fuel costs. To manage this risk, the Company hedges a portion of its anticipated purchases of grain using futures contracts. The Company purchases other commodity based raw materials such as beef, pork, and chicken for use across all segments. Raw materials are obtained from various suppliers and manufacturers. The Company has long standing relationships with its sources of raw materials and expects to have an adequate supply for its present needs. Additionally, the cost and supply of avocados, peanuts, and whey are impacted by the changing market forces of supply and demand, which can impact the cost of the Company’s products. The Company uses long-term supply contracts and forward buying in an attempt to manage these risks. Manufacturing The Company manufactures its products through various harvest and processing facilities along with custom manufacturers.”

Regarding the Rochelle plant, after looking at this https://www.kaaltv.com/coronavirus/hormel-foods-plant-in-illinois-shut-down-due-to-covid-19-outbreak/5703571/ wonder if we can do an update:

Delete: On April 18, local health officials shut down a Hormel Foods plant in Rochelle, Illinois, that employed 800 people after at least 24 workers tested positive for coronavirus.

Add: On April 18, a Hormel Foods plant with 800 employees voluntarily closed in Rochelle, Illinois, after 24 workers tested positive for coronavirus. The plant’s 800 employees were tested and a majority of the tests were negative. Employees were paid during the plant’s fourteen day closure, and the site’s management team instituted updated safety measures.

Thank you,

 Not done The source you provided states "The Ogle County Health Department in Illinois has ordered the closure of Rochelle Foods plant due to a COVID-19 outbreak." Hormel can issue all the press releases they want calling the closure "voluntary" but that corporate spin does not belong in this article. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 18:03, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

References

Hello-Mary-H (talk) 23:09, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

Hello-Mary-H, please explain why you think that a book self-published by Hormel 54 years ago is relevant to this article about events of 2020? Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 17:52, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Cullen328, the text from this book shows the ways Hormel have evolved as a business. While Hormel's roots were in processing meat, that is no longer the case and in 1962, Hormel discontinued the slaughter of calves and lambs. Best, Hello-Mary-H (talk) 20:37, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Hello-Mary-H, that 1962 change in operations is utterly irrelevant to this article about events in 2020. If you are trying to argue that Spam, ham, sausage, gyro meat and other similar products are not "processed meat", then I do not know what to say to you, except to express my amazement, and suggest that you read Food processing. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 20:59, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

request edit August 19, #1

Hello, wondering if we can update the article for accuracy.

Delete: Hormel Foods, well known for its canned pork SPAM product, also processes other pork products as well as beef, lamb and chicken. On April 18, local health officials shut down a Hormel Foods plant in Rochelle, Illinois, that employed 800 people after at least 24 workers tested positive for coronavirus.[64] On April 21, Hormel announced the closure of three meat processing plants, including its Alma Foods plant in Alma, Kansas. That plant employs about 100 workers and at least one worker tested positive for the coronavirus.[65] Hormel also closed its Don Miguel Foods factory in Dallas, Texas, which is a joint venture with a Mexico City company, Herdez Del Fuerte. The plant made pork, beef and chicken burritos and tacos, and employed about 700 workers.[66] On April 24, Hormel announced the closure of two plants in Willmar, Minnesota, after 14 workers tested positive for coronavirus. These Jennie-O turkey plants employed over 1,200 workers.[67]

Add: Hormel Foods is a Fortune 500 global branded food company well known for producing food products including SPAM, Skippy Peanut Butter Skippy, Justin's, and Applegate. The company relies on third party meat production companies for its supply.

On April 18, local health officials recommended a temporary closure of a Hormel Foods food processing plant in Rochelle, Illinois, that employed 800 people after 24 workers tested positive for coronavirus. The facility was reopened. On April 21, Hormel announced the temporary pausing of three food processing plants, including its Alma Foods plant in Alma, Kansas. That plant employs about 100 workers and at least one worker tested positive for the coronavirus.MegaMex also paused its Don Miguel Foods production facility in Dallas, Texas, which is a joint venture with a Mexico City company, Herdez Del Fuerte. The production facility makes a wide variety of Mexican food items, and employed about 700 workers. On April 24, Jennie-O announced the closure of two plants in Willmar, Minnesota, after 14 workers tested positive for coronavirus which employed over 1,200 workers. The company instituted an initiative called KEEP COVID OUT! early in the pandemic and also instituted a pay protection program to ensure that its team members stayed home if they didn’t feel well at 100% pay.

 Not done, not an improvement. Graywalls (talk) 00:33, 3 October 2020 (UTC)

External links

• Hormel Foods Corporation website
• Hormel brand website
• [1]

Hello-Mary-H (talk) 22:32, 19 August 2020 (UTC)