Industry Gears Up for Return to San Francisco for Western States Convention
It's almost time for meat industry executives and officials to head back to San Francisco for the Western States Meat Association's 49th annual Convention, set for Feb. 15 through Feb. 18 at the San Francisco Hilton & Towers.
AMI held its 1994 convention in San Francisco last September. It was there that USDA Acting Undersecretary for Food Safety Michael R. Taylor made his first public appearance and pitched his controversial five-point regulatory policy on E. coli 0157:H7 in raw ground beef. Taylor is invited back to San Francisco and WSMA to speak on USDA's pathogen reduction legislation. At presstime, Taylor was undecided on attending.
Taylor's presence would only enhance an already strong line-up of speakers and seminars, headed by Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), who will speak Feb. 18 on the actions of Congress and its impact on the meat industry.
Kerrey, the former governor of Nebraska, was actively involved in the writing of the 1990 Farm Bill. He is involved in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and the Committee on Appropriations.
Industry executives and public relations officials, who often find themselves under the lens of the media's microscope, can learn how to better deal with media personnel by attending a keynote address by Van Gordon Sauter, the former president of CBS News and Fox News and current consultant to Fox.
Van Sauter, a 30-year media veteran, will provide tips on how to deal with media and improve the public's perception of the meat industry in the process. He will speak Feb. 15.
Sixteen seminars will touch on matters currently affecting the industry including safety, marketing and legislation issues. Some seminars include:
-- Intervention Technologies: This seminar will give an overview of intervention strategies that could be used at different meat processing steps, as well as the different equipment available to implement these strategies. The government's role will also be discussed.
-- Trends in Ethnic Foods: This seminar will teach marketers what the consumer really wants. Consumer market research shows that new types of consumers are emerging and new products are being marketed to satisfy the diversity of the population.
-- HACCP Status: The seminar will provide an overview on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Alliance status and what is ahead for packers and processors if HACCP becomes mandatory.
-- International Trade Outlook: The North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade provide opportunities for increased exports. This seminar will focus on the Pacific Rim countries, Mexico and Canada as prospects for exporting U.S. products.
-- Ingredients for Low-Fat Technologies: The seminar will discuss new ingredients that have been developed to overcome problems resulting from the reduction of fat in meat products.
-- Economic Meat Industry Outlook: This seminar will discuss the effect that high supplies will have on 1995 prices.
-- Pathogen Reduction Legislation: USDA's Taylor has been invited to speak at this seminar, which will discuss the status and potential effects of potential legislation on meat processors. USDA has prepared draft legislation to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Animal Quarantine Acts.
New to the convention is the Software Showcase, which features the latest computer programs and equipment available to the industry. The showcase will be unveiled Feb. 18.
WSMA EXHIBITORS
Company & Booth
ABCO Laboratories 409
AEW North America Ltd. NA
Alkar 510
American Food Equipment 101
Andermac Inc. 1100A
Anresco Inc. 608
Aspen Systems 104
Barliant & Co. 900
Barr Brothers Co. 500
Bettcher Industries 708
bioMerieux Vitek 701
Birko Corp. 801
BK Ladenburg 1004A
Brechteen Co. 407
Carruthers Equipment Co. 003
CEM Corp. 204
Chad Co. 502
Cryovac 1100
DCS Sanitation Management Inc. 600
Dodge, Warren & Peters Insurance 1003A
Enviro-Pak 201
Everson Spice Co. 1006
Famco Sausage Linkers 103
Farmer John Meats 1102A
First Spice Mixing Co. 802
FMC Corp. 703
Foran Spice Co. 511
Formax Inc. 415
FPEC Corp. NA
Frigoscandia Food Process Sys. 506
FTR Processing Equipment Co. 710
Group III Computing 107
Handtmann Inc. 515
Harris Specialty Chemicals Inc. 1001
Heat and Control Inc. 206
Helios Research Corp. 403
Heller Seasonings & Ingredients 501
Industrial Label Corp. 902
Irvine Analytical Laboratories 706
International Casings Group Inc. 611
Jif-Pak Mfg. 202
King's Command Foods 1001A
Koch Supplies Inc. 601 & 817
The Lazar Co. NA
LeFiell Co. 815
Liquid Carbonic Industries 609
Meat & Poultry magazine NA
Meat Marketing & Technology magazine 105
Meat Packers and Butchers Supply 205
Meat Processing magazine 417
Meritech Inc. 401
Multivac Inc. 507
Organon Teknika Corp. NA
Overseas Casing Co. 203
Plastech/RMI-P, Div. of Rotonics Mfg. 503
Professional Food Flavors NA
PURAC American Inc. 508
Quality Food Equipment 106
Red Arrow Products 509
Rhone-Poulenc Food Ingredients 303
Robert Reiser and Co. 707
State Compensation Insurance Fund 411
Teepak 607
Toby Enterprises 610
Townsend Engineering Co. 714
U-MEC Food Processing Equip. NA
Viskase Corp. 905
Vista International Packaging 514
W.B. Clausen Engineering 1000
W.E. Lyons Construction NA
Webber/Smith Associates 102
Weiler & Co. 901
Western States Meat Assoc. 1105