Meat&Poultry -- April 2014 - 36

Eldon roth

BPI alleges that ABC and others have launched a con-

Roth just didn't jump into the meat-processing busi-

certed disinformation campaign against the companies,

ness. His father also had a processed cream business in the

which had a significant adverse effect on BPI's reputation,

early 1960s in California that processed milk into Grade

as well as a significant negative financial impact on the

A or Grade B product, depending on whether the even-

companies. The case has turned into one of the biggest

tual product was butter, cheese or milk. Roth did that for

defamation lawsuits in American history. In fact, it's the

a while, too, including operating his own ice-cream plant

latest battle between American agriculture and the increas-

in the Bay Area. He then started his own machinery com-

ing number of critics of how farming, meat processing and

pany and refrigeration businesses.

other agribusiness is carried out in this country. After the

"That's how I got into the meat business. I worked for

case is finally settled, the mainstream media's coverage of

meat companies by setting up refrigeration operations for

LFTB will be scrutinized and debated for years to come

them, mostly around San Francisco. I set up freezing ma-

and will likely not be the last case of its kind.

chinery - freezing machines," he says.
But the big breakthrough for Roth came when he fig-

'Help yourself'

ured out how to take raw beef materials that were full of

And while the lawsuit is an important issue to the com-

fat, and de-fat it into lean ground beef. In essence, he's

pany, Roth has other important issues on his mind - like

spent the last 30 years reinventing the way lean ground

getting BPI beyond where it was financially two years ago.

meat is separated from fatty beef and pork trimmings. And

"We think we will re-open these three other facilities,"

while some people say Roth has a genius for invention, the

Roth says. "We belong to industry trade associations, and

man himself is much more modest. "I'm not an inventor,"

they've been very helpful to us. But I'm a very strong be-

he says flatly. "I have no education, I didn't go to college.

liever that when you own and run a company, when you're

I'm not an engineer by any means. I am able to innovate

in business, you have to help yourself."

things - take something that's already been invented, and

One way Roth believes that can be done is to be as

maybe improve on it, make it better."

honest with people as he can, even people who don't have

He was able to create a business adding lean meat that

your best interests at heart. "We've had a very open door

had been defatted from beef and trimmings to ground

ever since I started BPI, and that's not changing now," he

beef, especially for fast-food restaurants and QSRs. Roth

says. "We've been very open and honest with consumer

and BPI also created a grinding system that stabilizes the

advocacy groups, for example. We've brought them into

knife pressure for meat processing. By using a minimum

the plant to see what we do - also we've brought academ-

knife pressure on the meat, the system

ics in, meat scientists and microbiologists."

produces the same meat results all

Roth and his wife began Beef Products Inc. 34 years
ago in the San Francisco Bay Area. But Roth had grown
up on a farm near Dimick, SD.

Eldon Roth and Beef Products
Inc. have received a number
of accolades over the years
including the Beef Industry
Vision Award, Food Quality
Award, Black Pearl Award and
NMA's E. Floyd Forbes Award.

36

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