The Meat Business By
Gregory Bloom
Gregory Bloom shares over 26 years of industry experience working in six USDA inspected meat plants - buying and selling meat, working with chefs and restaurants and teaching COP classes. He is the CEO and owner of U.S. Protein.
April 18, 2024 | How Long Does Frozen Meat Last?
April 04, 2024 | New Organic Certification Rules: Are They Reasonable?
March 21, 2024 | The Charm of Street Food: Exploring Why it Tastes So Good
March 07, 2024 | Meat Mischief: A Humorous Take on Foiling the Meat Thieves!
February 22, 2024 | The Evolution of Equipment Durability
February 08, 2024 | Balancing Acts: Navigating Food Equity, Immigration Realities, and Compassion
January 25, 2024 | Unlocking the secrets of accurate beef yields: A rancher's journey
January 11, 2024 | Why are meat plant tours important?
December 28, 2023 | Trends in 2023
December 14, 2023 | All You Should Give for Christmas is a Wood Pellet Smoker
November 30, 2023 | The dynamic duo of beef and beans
November 16, 2023 | Contemplating whether to spatchcock your Thanksgiving turkey?
November 02, 2023 | The goods Grandma cooked: A culinary journey through generations
October 19, 2023 | Why Stay in the Meat Business: A Reflection on Three Decades of Dedication
October 05, 2023 | The evolution and grilling mastery of California's beloved beef tri tip
September 21, 2023 | New York City Mayor Eric Adams' anti-meat and dairy agenda
September 07, 2023 | Refrigeration Units in Truck Transport: Thank you, Frederick Jones!
August 24, 2023 | Why the beef ribeye rules the protein world
August 10, 2023 | Air-Chilled Chicken: Is it better?
July 27, 2023 | Why does Costco sell so much meat?
July 13, 2023 | The stories behind the meat
June 29, 2023 | Your summer mission: should you choose to accept it
June 15, 2023 | A Father’s Day tribute to grilling meat with dad
June 01, 2023 | How is meat priced?
May 18, 2023 | Our Fight for Survival
May 04, 2023 | Meat plants large and small: Is there a food safety & meat quality disparity?
April 20, 2023 | mRNA vaccine use in animals: Is it happening? Is it safe?
April 06, 2023 | Protein and Plant Based Trends in 2023: What are you seeing?
March 23, 2023 | Facebook/Meta’s anti-meat agenda
March 09, 2023 | Changing the checkoffs
February 23, 2023 | Immigration reform: Will we ever find a solution?
February 09, 2023 | The true tests of personal and business integrity
January 26, 2023 | Working in a toxic office or with toxic people
January 12, 2023 | What to do when you get fired
December 29, 2022 | Beef prices in 2023 – how high will they go?
December 15, 2022 | Retail slotting fees
December 01, 2022 | Who has the best retail meat cases?
November 17, 2022 | Pick up some picanha!
October 20, 2022 | The fake meat fad is fading...
October 06, 2022 | Will this be a no-turkey Thanksgiving?
September 22, 2022 | Triple-frosted chocolate sugar bombs for breakfast?
September 08, 2022 | The Ultimate Burger, Part 3 – Best of buns and the wonderment of condiments
August 25, 2022 | The Ultimate Burger, Part 2
August 11, 2022 | The Ultimate Burger, Part 1
July 28, 2022 | Trading down in a recession
July 14, 2022 | Is the writing on the wall for American agriculture?
June 30, 2022 | Meat’s actual environmental impact: It’s complicated
June 16, 2022 | Into the weeds of climate hypocrisy: Marijuana industry burns out the environment
June 02, 2022 | Agriculture’s waning demand for water
May 19, 2022 | Engaging in civilized discussions with contentious topics
May 05, 2022 | Myth-busting the current environmental benefits of electric vehicles
April 21, 2022 | Bill Gates on climate change and meat consumption
April 07, 2022 | Climate change in the Bible?
March 24, 2022 | Global warming: Reality or hype, Part 2
March 10, 2022 | Global warming: Reality or hype?
February 24, 2022 | Big Pharma influence
February 10, 2022 | Beef saves the planet! Where’s the catch?
January 27, 2022 | Superbowl Supermeats!
January 13, 2022 | What makes a hot dog ‘snappy?’
December 30, 2021 | Cooking the perfect prime rib roast — and thoughts on ‘meaty back ribs’
December 16, 2021 | A tribute to the Christmas Ham
December 02, 2021 | It’s Chili Contest time!
November 04, 2021 | Using multiple hurdles to keep meat plant workers safe from COVID
October 07, 2021 | Wagyu beef, Duroc pork and bison — the triply tasty trio
September 23, 2021 | When is ‘frozen’ meat really frozen?
September 09, 2021 | Selling alt-meats, a six-month progress report
August 12, 2021 | Denver Burger Battle 2021— and the winner is…
July 29, 2021 | What produce has over meat: Limited protections from the Packers and Stockyards Act
July 15, 2021 | Cutout challenges at small processing plants
July 01, 2021 | Packaging challenges at small processing plants
June 17, 2021 | Let the beef burger battle begin!
June 03, 2021 | Help! DOJ, we need you to fix cattle prices!
May 20, 2021 | Higher meat prices in 2021: Mitigating complications arising from food cost inflation
May 06, 2021 | Sheltered income programs and slotting fees
April 22, 2021 | If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em. Is it time to join, or beat, the plant-based party?
April 08, 2021 | Twenty-seven years of frustration selling grass-finished beef
March 25, 2021 | Our culture’s changing attitudes about animal slaughter
February 25, 2021 | Giving up meat for Lent: Why meat?
January 28, 2021 | Yummy salami
January 14, 2021 | Salumi vs. charcuterie
December 31, 2020 | Liverwurst! Or, end-of-the-year reflections on comfort foods
December 17, 2020 | The delights of charcuterie and cheese
December 03, 2020 | The COVID credit crunch: Is the worst yet to come?
November 19, 2020 | It’s Turkey Time! Do you know your turkey trivia?
November 05, 2020 | Cutting business down to 25% — worse than COVID
October 22, 2020 | Keto diets, Nina Teicholz and forthcoming 2020 Dietary Guidelines
October 08, 2020 | Why doesn't the meat industry use more celebs for marketing?
September 10, 2020 | Creating the ultimate space for a thriving sales culture
August 27, 2020 | It’s time to ‘beef up’ your plant security
August 13, 2020 | Local ‘gone loco’ marketing claims
July 30, 2020 | Virtual meetings, classes and food shows: some work, some fail
July 16, 2020 | My Keto diet journey: one month’s progress
July 02, 2020 | Are you ‘in the know?’
June 18, 2020 | Ketogenic eating plans: Are they really worth trying?
June 04, 2020 | The cattle-producer’s COVID-19 conundrum
May 21, 2020 | Singing the ‘Allocation Blues’
May 07, 2020 | Discovering silver linings during COVID-19
April 23, 2020 | Is it time to sell online?
April 09, 2020 | Rework: The practice of transformation and adaptation
March 26, 2020 | Dealing with the sudden shift of sales from restaurant to retail
March 12, 2020 | Big beef packing plants: Not always popular, but necessary
February 27, 2020 | Grain fed vs grass fed beef: The tale of two cows
February 13, 2020 | The challenging beef industry: Backgrounders/Stockers
January 30, 2020 | The challenging beef industry: Cow-calf operators
January 16, 2020 | The changing beef industry: Embracing tech-driven data measurements
January 02, 2020 | The humble Holstein: a great milk and beef breed
December 19, 2019 | Vanishing Veal: First in a blog series about U.S. beef production
December 05, 2019 | Faith and Food: What is the moral basis for eating meat?
November 21, 2019 | Faith and Food: a review of the new book “What Would Jesus Really Eat?,” Part 2
November 07, 2019 | Faith and food: A review of the new book “What Would Jesus Really Eat?”
October 24, 2019 | Faith and food: How beliefs shape food choices, part 3: kosher programs
October 10, 2019 | Faith and Food: How beliefs shape food choices, part 2: Halal programs
September 26, 2019 | Faith and food: How beliefs shape food choices
August 29, 2019 | In-N-Out, Whataburger, Shake Shack; what makes a burger chain your favorite?
August 15, 2019 | Sell the sizzle, not the steak
August 01, 2019 | Chipotle says no to meat substitutes; what should the meat industry say no to?
July 18, 2019 | Product of USA?
July 04, 2019 | The beef carcass: are there any new cuts left?
June 20, 2019 | Beyond Meat’s marketing claims are beyond belief
June 06, 2019 | Keeping track of contacts, customers and prospects with CRMs
May 23, 2019 | Bullies, tariffs and tough choices
May 09, 2019 | Food trucks 2.0
April 25, 2019 | Have you eaten Wagyu or Kobe beef?
April 11, 2019 | The fake meat fad will fade
March 28, 2019 | Selling all the parts of the beef cutout
March 14, 2019 | Life lessons from line dancing
February 28, 2019 | Accountability and veggie processors
February 14, 2019 | Valentine’s Day and the dietary guidelines
January 31, 2019 | Have you ever thought about mentoring or being mentored?
January 17, 2019 | Beef: The Movie?
January 03, 2019 | Blissful bacon New Year!
December 20, 2018 | Santa Claus and hormone use in beef
December 06, 2018 | Are cold chain violations the roller coaster you want to ride?
November 22, 2018 | Thanksgiving memories of a typical dysfunctional family
November 08, 2018 | Bison Blues
October 25, 2018 | Fake meat companies show their stuff in Paris
September 27, 2018 | Is it Halloween? Fake meats dress up as real meats
September 13, 2018 | Serving up outrageously delicious pork ribs with minimal effort
August 30, 2018 | Risking sickness from eating undercooked beef burgers; who’s to blame?
August 16, 2018 | Where’s Sherlock when you need him?
August 02, 2018 | The meat business isn’t the only one you are in
July 19, 2018 | Which tattoos are taboos for you?
July 05, 2018 | Meats deserve more national days of special recognition
June 21, 2018 | Want to sell more meat?
June 07, 2018 | The humbling beef brisket: getting it right
May 24, 2018 | Sous vide cooking at home: an idea that’s time has come
May 10, 2018 | The future of communication, commerce and trust in the meat industry
April 26, 2018 | The Instant Pot is hot, but do you know how to cook meat in one?
April 12, 2018 | Beef burgers: why we crave them, why restaurants love selling them
March 29, 2018 | Is beef really that bad for the planet?
March 15, 2018 | Does fake meat have science on its side?
March 01, 2018 | BEEFshi: The name is catchy, it’s easy, delicious; but will it catch on?
February 01, 2018 | How we’ve been manipulated by social media to think our ad campaigns are working
January 18, 2018 | The beef checkoff: Augmenting offense with defense
December 21, 2017 | Got Wow? The dairy checkoff may be the envy of all checkoffs
December 07, 2017 | The Lamb Checkoff: Doing a lot with a little
November 28, 2017 | Pork Checkoff: Nice job with PQA, exports. How about a grading system?
November 09, 2017 | How do we know if commodity checkoff programs work?
October 26, 2017 | Reforming the Dietary Guidelines process: Can it be done?
October 12, 2017 | Learning to live and eat; Japanese style
September 28, 2017 | On food, football, and politics
September 14, 2017 | Temple Grandin turns 70 and still going strong
August 31, 2017 | What we owe truckers and how we can thank them
August 17, 2017 | Need to cheer up? Eat your meats!
August 03, 2017 | Animal welfare vs. animal rights: What’s the difference, really?
July 20, 2017 | An open letter to animal welfare activists
July 06, 2017 | Animal welfare positions: sadists need not apply
June 22, 2017 | Planning on selling beef to China? Great, but be cautious
June 08, 2017 | Connecting to consumers through culinary creativity
May 25, 2017 | Can consumers handle the truth?
May 11, 2017 | Agriculture is a social cause millennials could get excited about
April 27, 2017 | Antibiotic resistance in humans is a real problem, but causes less clear
April 13, 2017 | The questions no one is asking about raising food animals without antibiotics
March 30, 2017 | It’s time for third-party audits of restaurant menu claims
March 16, 2017 | Lessons from Mexico
March 02, 2017 | Exports: Why they matter so much to agriculture
February 16, 2017 | Finding good employees and improving retention in the meat plant
February 02, 2017 | How do we better tell the positive story of ag production?
January 19, 2017 | Do imports hurt or help the U.S. beef industry?
January 05, 2017 | A tribute to meat industry traders, brokers and wholesalers
December 22, 2016 | Parenting: The hardest job ever
December 08, 2016 | Credit chaos can put you out of business
November 24, 2016 | Is our generation as thankful as previous generations?
November 10, 2016 | United in beef: Not grass fed vs. grain fed
October 27, 2016 | Increasing retail meat sales to the millennial generation
October 13, 2016 | Why FSIS shouldn’t continue verifying animal-raising claims
September 29, 2016 | Eating fat vs. getting fat
September 08, 2016 | Social Sustainability: the good, the bad and the ugly
August 25, 2016 | Sustainability: it’s not a bad word and it also means profit
August 11, 2016 | The ancient art of smoking meat
July 28, 2016 | Should future Safe Quality Food audits include a farm visit?
July 14, 2016 | Bring back the beef fat
June 30, 2016 | A chicken in every pot, but are we saving the broth?
June 16, 2016 | Adding value to meats by providing easy-to-fix meals
June 02, 2016 | Exporting meats isn’t just for big companies
May 19, 2016 | Educating gullible consumers about food production: An impossible task? What works?
May 05, 2016 | Looming large-animal veterinarian crisis will affect meat industry
April 21, 2016 | How Chick-fil-A’s famously cute ad campaign hurts beef sales
April 07, 2016 | How “The Big Fat Surprise” has exposed the big fat shutdown on science
March 24, 2016 | Lumping: a great service or extortion?
March 10, 2016 | I’ve got a bone to pick about bone chips
February 25, 2016 | The ongoing hypocritical cold chain violations in food service
February 11, 2016 | The retail beefsteak consumer-rip-off rolls on…
January 28, 2016 | Whose bright idea was it to give out free samples, anyway?
January 14, 2016 | A tribute to unseen, underappreciated meat industry workers
December 31, 2015 | Irrelevant marketing claims erode consumer confidence
December 17, 2015 | Food Waste and the new “Just Eat It” documentary
December 03, 2015 | It’s time to reform $200,000 diplomas
October 29, 2015 | Who cares what the WHO says?
October 15, 2015 | The challenges and rewards of raising bison
October 01, 2015 | The challenges and rewards of raising pigs
September 03, 2015 | Back to school lessons from a cattle drive
August 20, 2015 | Adopting an “Agri-Millennial” into the meat business
August 06, 2015 | ‘Meatifying’ the Millennials
July 23, 2015 | Social Media: A complete waste of time or the new way of influencing?
July 09, 2015 | Technology advances in the meat business
June 25, 2015 | Technology advances in the meat business
June 04, 2015 | A decent work environment. What? At a meat plant?
May 14, 2015 | The case for the science of GMOs - A town hall style debate, part 2
April 30, 2015 | The case for the science of GMOs: A Town Hall style debate, part 1
April 16, 2015 | The case against GMO labeling - A town hall style debate: Part 2
April 02, 2015 | The case for GMO labeling - A town hall style debate: Part 1 of 2
March 19, 2015 | Should GMOs be disclosed on food packaging by law?
March 05, 2015 | Robots in the meat plant and the melon field?
February 12, 2015 | Why fly solo when you can glide behind a slipstream?
January 29, 2015 | Talking Heads: A good enough band, but not good enough for seminars at food shows
January 15, 2015 | Give us Cirque du Soleil instead of Barnum and Bailey
December 30, 2014 | The ultimate food show — a food tasting
December 24, 2014 | The pros and cons of large food shows
December 18, 2014 | Are you a Fred?
December 09, 2014 | Working effectively with your plant inspector (Part 2)
November 25, 2014 | Working effectively with your USDA plant inspector
