Tyson: Vertical Integration
1. Farmers: They have great relationships with contract farmers, partner with over 11,000
independent farmers
2. Chicken: Hatched in own farm
3. Livestock: Work with feedlots that finish raising livestock, till proper age & weight
4. Processing & Distribution: Plants throughout the U.S. produce 1 in 5 pounds of all chicken, beef,
and pork in the U.S. Own distribution system with a vast network of distribution centers,
warehouses, and drivers. They have one of the largest cold-chain distribution networks
Cargill:
The beef operation includes four ground beef production lines that manufacture millions of pounds of
product per week
The beef operation includes four ground beef production lines that manufacture millions of pounds of
product per week. Each shift, about 45 employees work in ground beef operations, producing chubs and
case-ready packages. Case-ready processing includes products that are used for Cargill’s Rumba line
targeting the growing number of Hispanic consumers
the plant utilizes a combination of automated equipment, technology and digital analytics to make
workers’ jobs easier and safer while streamlining processes, improving yields and delivering logistical
solutions.
Cargill’s foreign object detection (FOD) technology that is an integral part in each step of its ground beef
production process and throughout the Facility of the Future food safety applications. The company
utilizes detection technology that specializes in providing computer vision systems using artificial
intelligence technology to sort products and detect foreign material in the food supply
“Processing” includes all the steps involved in turning a live animal into meat for sale:
Slaughter: stunning, bleeding, skinning, eviscerating, and cleaning; end products are carcass
halves or quarters, which go into a cooler for immediate chilling. Edible and inedible offal are
separated and enter various streams (rendering, compost, tanneries, trash, etc.);
Cut and wrap: cutting chilled half/quarter carcasses to desired end size (primal, subprimal, or
retail cuts) and packaging as desired (e.g., vacuum-packed subprimals, “case-ready” retail
packages);
Value-added processing: grinding, casing, smoking, cooking, drying, and otherwise transforming
meat and trimmings from the cutting step into sausage, ham, bacon, jerky, and other products
(including Ready to Eat products). Includes “portion cutting”: cutting subprimals into fixed-
weight steaks, roasts, and other retail cuts.
Poultry:
The process is similar for poultry but with fewer cutting options and different value-added options.
Also, stunning is not legally required for poultry, but most processors stun birds
Source:
https://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CrashCourseOne.Final_revised_8.
13.pdf
