K-Mart stopped using case-ready beef, ground beef and pork in mid-spring of 2002, returning to butcher-cut preparation to "ensure consistent quality and freshness," according to spokesperson Susan Dennis. Perception is a critical factor in the acceptance of case-ready meat. For the consumer, a cleaner package implies a safer, higher quality product which is therefore worth more. One of the most cited advantages of case-ready prepackaged meat is that it comes in a clean, sealed package, while the "local" package is sometimes hastily wrapped and may have unsightly leaks. Balancing this concern is a desire for freshness. The prepackaged product may be clean, but how long has it been in that package? In the end, which does the consumer perceive as more "fresh": the branded package or the package prepared 10 feet away by the local butcher? In the case of meat, "better" involves a greater concern for safety than it does for extended shelf life. Consumers' natural concerns for safe meat have been further reinforced by widely-publicized stories of salmonella outbreaks and massive recalls like the 27.4 million-pound recall of poultry products by Pilgrim's Pride Corp. in 2002.
I'm worried now Leon. Today I saw for the first time in our cooler. Case Ready prepackaged Eye of Round Roasts, Bottom Round Roasts, and Shoulder Roasts. Is this the future for meat cutters? Am I going to have to try to find a job 2 or 3 years down the road at a cutting factory?
Unfortunatly case ready is the future of some large companies, Wal-Mart and Kroger are currently leading the pack. I worked for Kroger (Fred Meyer) for 16 yrs. at the beginning it was a wonderful company with an emphasis on quality. Once Fred Meyer was bought out by Kroger we started to see Chub Ground beef 1# & 3# chubs, I thought it was a bad thing and the consumer will think the same, I was wrong, next came case ready pork, it was not M.A.P. (modified atmosphere pakaging) but cut at a central plant and wrapped to look like it was store produced. Not only was it produced out of state, it came in totes with a seven day shelf life. What is wrong with this picture? When I cut a fresh natural pork loin that is not injected with some sort of tenderizing agent (water & salt) sometimes up to 12% or more I only give it a 4 day shelf life reducing it on the 5th day. Pre-pack or central pack is the way of the future for alot of companies mostly Wal-Mart and Kroger and their family of companies, which I must say is a lot of companies, even after 16 yrs with the same company I could not whole heartedly stand behind what they were selling, I thought it was a terrible product (case ready pork, case ready ground beef, and chub ground beef retail packed) I said what I thought and my merchandiser said this is what we sell and you need to tell the consumer it is the best thing since sliced bread, or find another place to work. Guess what ? I found another place to work, in fact the company I work for now Safeway headhunted me at my job and told me they never plan to go to case ready meat, that is all I needed to hear,I gave my 2 week notice took my hit on vacation weeks lost and started over, they brought me on as a manager to start! cutting meat is an art, and I enjoy it! every aspect of it from merchandising primals to profitable cuts to digging out stew meat from any trim I can, I AM A MEAT CUTTER not a meat order clerk. And damn proud of it! If you are seeing case ready beef of any kind that you have nothing to do but take it out of the tote and price it and stock it, your time as a meat cutter has a shelf life! and not a very long one. Best of luck, and by the way the cutting plants that produce this case ready product pay about 1/3 less than a union journeyman meatcutter.
Unfortunatly case ready is the future of some large companies, Wal-Mart and Kroger are currently leading the pack. I worked for Kroger (Fred Meyer) for 16 yrs. at the beginning it was a wonderful company with an emphasis on quality. Once Fred Meyer was bought out by Kroger we started to see Chub Ground beef 1# & 3# chubs, I thought it was a bad thing and the consumer will think the same, I was wrong, next came case ready pork, it was not M.A.P. (modified atmosphere pakaging) but cut at a central plant and wrapped to look like it was store produced. Not only was it produced out of state, it came in totes with a seven day shelf life. What is wrong with this picture? When I cut a fresh natural pork loin that is not injected with some sort of tenderizing agent (water & salt) sometimes up to 12% or more I only give it a 4 day shelf life reducing it on the 5th day. Pre-pack or central pack is the way of the future for alot of companies mostly Wal-Mart and Kroger and their family of companies, which I must say is a lot of companies, even after 16 yrs with the same company I could not whole heartedly stand behind what they were selling, I thought it was a terrible product (case ready pork, case ready ground beef, and chub ground beef retail packed) I said what I thought and my merchandiser said this is what we sell and you need to tell the consumer it is the best thing since sliced bread, or find another place to work. Guess what ? I found another place to work, in fact the company I work for now Safeway headhunted me at my job and told me they never plan to go to case ready meat, that is all I needed to hear,I gave my 2 week notice took my hit on vacation weeks lost and started over, they brought me on as a manager to start! cutting meat is an art, and I enjoy it! every aspect of it from merchandising primals to profitable cuts to digging out stew meat from any trim I can, I AM A MEAT CUTTER not a meat order clerk. And damn proud of it! If you are seeing case ready beef of any kind that you have nothing to do but take it out of the tote and price it and stock it, your time as a meat cutter has a shelf life! and not a very long one. Best of luck, and by the way the cutting plants that produce this case ready product pay about 1/3 less than a union journeyman meatcutter.
Glad to see a man of integrity when it comes to the job.
Despite this post about K-Mart I cannot help but still dislike the company. Staying away from prepacked meats is about the only thing this company has ever done right. They were my first real meat shop gig outside of a small shop. In my short time there (a little over a year) we went through 3 meat shop managers, and 2 store managers.
We had our hands so tied on force-shipped items that we had both freezers packed full. Pallets of left over turkeys and hams.
The second manager and I tried to shake things up. We reworked a lot of ordering, stirred some sh-- up with the buyers, and actually started increasing the sales.
My manager and I typed up an e-mail one day to the buyer about how we could not keep receiving so much product because we were simply not selling it. We received a smart a-- e-mail back.
Shortly there after they fired my meat manager and store manager. Both great guys trying to turn things around for a company burning down.
Shortly after that I had my chance to stick it back to the company, and show my loyalty to the two people who had helped me move up and learn. Went on vacation. Never came back. My former meat manager then got me a job where he was currently employed.
Needless to say about a year after I left the entire grocery side of our local K-mart closed down.
I will stick with my fellow cutters before I side with corporations.
Pre-pack cuts will never be fully realized where I manage. I dealt with that with a major company for about 2 years when I saw fellow cutters either losing their jobs or being forced into lower paying positions in other depts, then I had enough. The product is generally lower quality and nowhere near as pretty.
