SEMA_________________________________

SOUTHEASTERN MEAT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 620777; Oviedo, FL 32762 Phone: 407-365-5661

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
SEMA ANNUAL CONVENTION

“TEAM STRATEGY = VICTORY LANE”

ADAMS MARK HOTEL
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
JUNE 10 – 13, 2004

CONVENTION PACKETS WILL BE IN THE MAIL SOON!!!!

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MEAT ASSOCIATION COUNCIL MEETS WITH DR. MASTERS

Dr. Barbara Masters, the acting administrator of FSIS, and part of the FSIS staff met in Washington with the Meat Association Council (MAC). MAC members that were not present in Washington were included in the meeting by telephone conference call. It was a positive meeting and as part of the agenda we discussed:

• Better communications between FSIS and the industry by having an omnibudsman person for the industry to voice their concerns to and will work with FSIS on problem solving
• Go back to having regular FSIS and industry meetings
• “User fees”
• For the agency to review its policy on requiring suppliers to have letters “proving” their product is free of Specified Risk Materials (SRM)
• Regulations on BSE—the agency is to increase BSE testing and it is to expand testing so state and university labs can be certified by USDA to test for BSE

The outcome is for FSIS and the industry to work in harmony…

“USER FEES”

FSIS has a prominent role in protecting the security of the national food supply by ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products.

To ensure that FSIS continues to achieve the goals for improving food safety that are identified in the USDA Strategic Plan, the 2005 budget proposes a program level of $952 million. Of the total, $715 million would be funded through appropriated funds and $237 million would be funded through user fees.

FSIS provides in-plant inspection to all domestic establishments preparing meat, poultry, and processed egg products for sale or distribution into interstate commerce, and also reviews and approves foreign inspection systems and plants exporting these products to the United States. FSIS provides technical and cost-sharing assistance to, and review of, States that maintain inspection programs equal to the Federal inspection program. To accomplish these functions, FSIS employees are stationed in approximately 6,400 establishments, including approximately 115 import stations.

FSIS expects to collect $113 million in 2005 user fees to recover the cost of overtime, holiday, and voluntary inspection. Under the 2005 budget, legislation will be proposed to collect an additional $124 million in user fees annually by recovering the cost of providing inspection services beyond an approved eight-hour primary shift.

SEMA along with other meat associations had encouraged the House and Senate to reject the new user fees and as such they have not been included in their budgets. However, the Appropriations Committee could reinstate the proposed “user fees” but at this time, it seems very unlikely it will be included in the FY 2005 budget.

CHANGES COMING FROM FSIS

Dr Dan Englejohn, head of policy analysis and formulation at USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, told the NAMP Convention attendees that within the next few days, FSIS will issue a new directive for E.coli O157:H7 in ground beef to replace directive 10,000 10.1. The new directive will establish a baseline for contamination of trim. The next phase of HACCP will take HACCP to retailers and consumers. FSIS will begin to inspect grocery stores and meat transportation and distribution firms for food safety risks.

FSIS plans to train 2,500 staff members in food safety regulatory essentials as well as 100 percent of FSIS veterinarians and front-line supervisors.

FOOD LABELING

The Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) drafts provisions on labeling applicable to all foods. As this newsletter is being written the Codex Committee on Food Labeling is meeting with the public. Some things to be discussed are:

1. Draft guidelines for the use of health and nutrition claims.
2. Guidelines for the production, processing, labeling and marketing of organically produced foods: proposed draft revised sections: Annex 2—Permitted Substances.
3. Labeling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering
4. Consideration of country of origin labeling.
5. Consideration of food labeling and traceability.

The update is available on-line through the FSIS Web page located at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov.

PACKAGING RAGE

More consumers are feeling “packaging rage”, frustrated at trying to pry open jam jars, safety caps and ring-pull cans.

Older people particularly are struggling to open grocery items that are becoming more childproof, tamper-proof and sealed tightly to keep in freshness. Even the sheer quantity of packaging frustrates consumers, especially the trend for more items to be individually wrapped. A recent survey observed that 71 percent of over-50s had injured themselves trying to get into a grocery product.

With an aging population, these issues are becoming more and more important.

U.S. TO BROADEN MAD-COW TESTING

The USDA will run mad-cow tests on over 200,000 cattle, mostly those that are lame, unable to stand, found dead or have neurological symptoms. After finding an infected cow in December, the U.S. doubled its planned tests this year to 400,000. Japan and South Korea said they would ban US beef until all cattle killed each year are tested.

ALBERTSON’S TO IMPROVE INVENTORY CONTROL

Albertson’s will require suppliers to attach radio frequency tags to packages and pallets by April ’05. Other big retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have pushed use of these RFID tags as they try to improve inventory control.

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81% OF THE PUBLIC BELIEVE EMPLOYERS HAVE THE RIGHT
TO MONITOR PHONE CALLS AT WORK……………………….
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RETAIL NEWS

Since the beginning of August, the restaurant industry has accounted for 18% of the 300,000 new jobs created in the nation. The fastest growing category includes nonalcoholic beverage and snack shops. Much of the growth, however, is coming from fast-casual restaurants. The restaurant business, which has about $420 billion in annual sales in the U.S., accounts for just 6.6% of economic activity and has 11.7 million workers, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Restaurant-industry sales in the U.S. are predicted to rise in 2004, reaching a record $440.1 billion, marking the 13th consecutive year of real sales growth for the industry. Sales have risen from $42.8 billion in 1970. A more positive economic environment and gains will drive sales in 2004 in consumer’s disposable personal income.

REV UP YOUR IDEA ENGINE

(Come to the SEMA convention to help you and your team rev up your engine…)

• Start with Problems: Encourage workers to pinpoint methods that make work more difficult, reduce customer satisfaction or waste money. Don’t limit ideas to employees’ own departments or divisions.
• Welcome Ideas: Create a departmental “opportunity board” on which everyone is encouraged to post solution. Promote an “opportunity of the month”.
• Don’t Limit Yourself to Home Runs: Large numbers of small ideas are the secrets to many firms’ success.
• Review Ideas for Additional Potential: An idea that streamlines methods in one area might be usable in several departments, multiplying the benefit.
• Make It Quick and Effective: Instead of channeling ideas up the ranks for approval, give front-line managers the power to act.
• Set Aside Time: Promote off-site get-togethers, special lunches or pizza parties where brainstorming is the focus. Offer rewards such as gift certificates for the best new concepts.
• Whenever Change Occurs, Ask for Ideas: Change poses new problems, opportunities and solutions.
• Work on Reluctant Participants: Target those who seldom offer ideas. Ensure that nothing is standing in their way.
• Recognize People; Calibrate Success: When using new ideas, give credit where it’s due.
• Stress It: Make the discussion of ideas part of your meeting. Sometimes the best ideas come out of left field.
• Publicize Results: Track the number of ideas each department generates.
• Address Bottlenecks: If processing ideas takes too long, find out why. Find out if managers are sitting on ideas, and get to the bottom-line cause.
• Don’t Limit New Approaches to Specific Groups: Champion the process companywide. Look for ways to increase its effectiveness.

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THINGS TO PONDER……………

Quality is to a product what character is to a man…

Henry J. Heinz
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SUCCESSION PLANNING

(Attend the Succession Planning “Final Test of Greatness” Meeting at the Convention)

Are you ready to take your company to the “next level”? Some characteristics of owners that may limit the potential for growth include:

• Maintains vague lines of authority and responsibility and tends to make all business decisions with little or no delegation.
• Manages day-to-day operations.
• Decisions based on owner’s intuition.
• Lacks ability to communicate a shared vision, mission and overall direction.

THANK YOU – THANK YOU

We would like to thank Lisa Small of Vista International Packaging for their monetary donation to the SEMA scholarship fund. A silent auction will be held at the convention to raise money for scholarships. If any of you would like to make a donation to the auction or scholarship fund it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Anna at the SEMA office.

MEMBER NEWS

Stan Earlywine of Curwood, Inc. has retired. Dan Dooley has become the South Regional Sales Manager. Dan can be reached through the Curwood office at 920-303-7869. A big thank you goes out to Stan for his support of SEMA and we wish him well with retirement. Welcome to Dan and we all look forward to working with you.

Chris Salamone has left Red Arrow Products and is now with John R. White Company, Inc.

Cindy Carmack is the new Technical Sales Representative for Red Arrow Products and can be reached at 901.229.2037.

Robert Cullen in no longer with Inovpack Vector. John Thomas (previously with Devro, Inc.) is the new Regional Sales Manager for Inovpack Vector. He can be reached at 919.522.8273.

NOTE: The U.S. Meat Industry Tour to IFFA is sold out……………..

UPCOMING EVENTS

USDA released a series of new regulations that are aimed at keeping Specific Risk Materials (spinal cord, brain, and small intestine) from cattle out of the food supply. These regulations are directed at the packers and processors of our beef product. The University of Florida has scheduled a series of meeting around the state. The meetings target producers and small packing plants. Anyone associated with the beef industry is invited at NO CHARGE. For more information contact Dr. Todd Thrift (352.392.8597) or Larry Eubanks (352.392.1921)

Meeting Dates and Locations are:

• Madison, Florida - April 8
• Arcadia, Florida - April 13
• Dade City, Florida - April 22
• Palatka, Florida - April 25
• Okeechobee, Florida - April 29
• DeFuniak Springs, Florida - TBA

SOUTHEASTERN MEAT ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL CONVENTION

“TEAM STRATEGY = VICTORY LANE”
ADAM’S MARK HOTEL
DAYTONA BEACH, FL
JUNE 10-13, 2003
Registration Packets Will Be In The Mail Soon
For Information: Call the SEMA Office
407.365.5661
E-mail: anna_ondick@earthlink.net

65th AMERICAN CONVENTION OF MEAT PROCESSORS (AAMP)

“Meating The Regulations”
Grand Rapids, Michigan
July 15-18, 2004

Call the AAMP Office for Further Details: 717.367.1168

FLORIDA RESTAURANT SHOW

September 10-12, 2004
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
For Further Details Call: Glenn Celentano at 203.840.5315

WELCOME TO OUR NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

INTEPLAST GROUP, LTD.
IBS DIVISION
Inside sales: Mr. Antonius Tanudjaja
Phone: 973-740-8290
E-mail: atanudjaja@inteplast.com
9 Peach Tree Hill Road
Livingston, NJ 07039
Fax: 973.994.8002
or contact Frank Fang, Marketing Director
E-mail: frankfang@inteplast.com

PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING, INC.
Mike Wilson, Business Development/Estimator
2401 Willamette Drive; Suite 130
Plant City, Florida 33566
Phone: 813.764.8284
Fax: 813.767.8234
E-mail: mike.wilson@pcg.com

(Referred by: Associate Member-Joe Clark)
Thanks! Joe