The machines in a meat processing plant are getting ever more sophisticated, efficient and programmable — but hacking them can be as easy as sending an email. Cyber attacks on companies, especially manufacturers, are picking up speed and food companies are a favorite target for bad actors looking to make high-profile trouble or arrange a ransomware payday.

Paul Kafer of Anabasis Consulting has been writing and advising on how to manage that electronic portal for hackers for years. In most cases, the technology exists to provide protection — but management has to acknowledge the threat, first.

Paul joined MeatingPod to discuss the state of automation, electronics, and cyber security in meat plants — now and in the new year.

Jeff “Trip” Tripician has played in nearly every sandbox in the meat industry: Conventional animal proteins to claims-based brands, the meat industry’s bleeding edge of technology — cultivated meat — to, most recently, a step back in time as CEO of Charcuterie Artisans. In this position, Tripician oversees the storied Daniele and Creminelli brands of salumi and charcuterie.

Charcuterie is exploding as a consumer category, spurred on by beautiful images of assembled charcuterie boards on Instagram and TikTok, especially among younger millennials and Gen Z. Boards can be made for large parties, or in grab-and-go packages for individual meals. And Charcuterie Artisans’ brands should not get the dreaded “UPF” tag, Tripician contends, because of the centuries-old recipes and techniques used to make them and their lack of industrial additives.

Tripician joined MeatingPod to discuss the twists and turns of his career, the state of salumi, charcuterie and cured meats now, and how he expects the sector to develop in the years ahead.

Note: In the discussion, Tripician refers to the Dukcevich family, which oversaw the U.S. part of the Daniele brand from 1976 to 2019, and Cristiano Creminelli, who founded his eponymous company in 2006.

Sustainability in the meat supply chain is everybody’s business, and everybody needs to do their part to move the industry forward in this regard. Coordinating the efforts of every link in the domestic poultry chain, from feed to final sale, is the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs. This group organizes the discussions — and ultimately the agreements — among more than 100 members, ranging from the Environmental Defense Fund to Cargill to Jollibee.

Executive director Ryan Bennett joined MeatingPod to update us on what’s been accomplished — and what’s next.