Consumers might be embracing plant protein at an unprecedented pace, but this has not diminished their craving for protein from animal sources—in a word, meat. (You’ll find dairy and egg ingredients in the Dairy Cheese/Cheese Ingredients section of FoodMaster.) Prepared food makers recognize the consumer appetite for meat, poultry, and seafood remains strong and so are not slowing their development of the next generation of animal protein-centered products that are a cut above what they have been in the past.
Animal welfare and sustainable practices regarding land and water use have become increasingly important issues for consumers and thus for the meat industry, with both much more aware of the consequences of carelessly raising and processing animal and marine products. The industries have responded accordingly to meet consumers’ interest in where ingredients come from, how the animals are treated, and what is being done to minimize impacts on the environment.
Sources for the protein ingredients in general have expanded to include much greater variety. Trends such as the huge boom in jerky and snack stick products are a good example. No longer defined as “beef jerky,” dried and smoked seasoned meat jerky strips are being crafted from sources that include nearly every animal protein category. Beef, venison, and bison are now sharing shelf space with turkey jerky, chicken jerky, and even jerky from duck and other game birds as well as salmon and tuna. Boutique sausage makers have launched in force and they, too, are turning to these protein sources and more.
Sourcing meat in general also has taken a major shift by almost completely omitting the animal from the equation. New sources of meat making news are product made from cultured cells derived from animals, a.k.a. “cell-based protein,” and from precision fermentation (using bacteria or yeasts to produce nature-identical animal proteins). Although production of cell-based proteins is on the cusp of commercial scalabilty, the past year has seen a flood of companies jump in, and progress has been more rapid than initially predicted. Look for cell-based fish and possibly even chicken to be on shelves in early 2023, if not sooner.
With food product development, the advent of new technologies, such as large-scale sous vide cooking and botanical preservatives from extracts of rosemary, celery, and even tart cherries, different cuts and forms of meat, poultry, and seafood are able to be included in convenience products. The ability to mass produce tender and perfectly seasoned animal protein-centered products from perfectly suitable and quite flavorful cuts or portions, and without additives such as chemical tenderizers or preservatives, is being reflected in new lines of prepared and processed category offerings being launched almost on a daily basis.
In this section, we offer detailed listings for suppliers of meat, poultry, and seafood ingredients as well as ancillary ingredients to support the development and manufacture of such products. Click below for references by company name, headquarters, and website.
To view all suppliers of Meat, Poultry, Seafood products CLICK HERE.
