Meat+Poultry - March 2017 - 62

PA C K A G I N G S O L U T I O N S

"We shop and
purchase
just the right
cuts of beef,
chicken, pork
and turkey -
we bring in
exactly what
we want to go
into each can."
- PETE DORLEY

meat. The base has the consistency of a paste,
and it is sold in 8-oz. jars.
Dorley notes that when it comes to cans,
size matters. "We look to put what the retailers
value on their shelves, and what they value is
what the consumers vote for with their dollars."
Keystone's top-selling products are
the 28-oz. canned beef and chicken. "The
interesting thing is the retailers really
view these items as innovation in a really
low-innovation category." The products also
bring incremental growth to the canned meat
category because consumers aren't trading
"'Brand A' for 'Brand B,'" Dorley adds.
Keystone has worked with a number of can
suppliers over 50-plus years in business. "The
ones that seem to be the best fit for us, first off,
offer us the technical and testing capabilities
that we want to make sure that the shelf life is
where we want it to be and the can is reliable,"
Dorley explains. "Second, is the technical inhouse expertise that they can bring to us and to
help us maximize the efficiency of our process.

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So, a good can company in our mind is one that
brings some added value to our plant to help us
make our process run better."
Dorley says Keystone's production process
is what makes the company's products unique,
but like many other food companies, Keystone
currently is in the process of transitioning to
cans that are free from Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA
is a chemical used to make hard clear plastic
used in many consumer products. It also is used
as an ingredient in epoxy resins which provide
a protective lining on the inside of metal-based
food and beverage cans.
The US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) expressed concern that BPA posed a
health risk to consumers.
"I think the industry as a whole is moving
that way, and we are aggressively pursuing that
right now," Dorley says. "I would expect that by
the end of this year they will be," free of BPA.

SAFETY CENTERED
Cuts of beef, pork, chicken and turkey are
hand-selected for canning by
Dorley and other family who
are owners of the business.
He describes the selection
process as one of the critical
parts of Keystone's process and
a characteristic that makes it
special. "We shop and purchase
just the right cuts of beef, chicken,
pork and turkey - we bring in
exactly what we want to go into
each can."
But an equally critical part
of Keystone's process is food
safety. Keystones runs a US
Dept. of Agriculture-inspected
plant and has a USDA office on
the premises. Additionally, the
company rewards employees who
embrace the food safety culture of
Keystone and those workers are
supported with in-house training
in order to achieve the ultimate
goal of producing wholesome and
safe food for consumers.
"The company has very low
turnover, and currently employs 30
to 35 workers," Dorley says. "We're
a family all with the same goal,
from the bottom to the top."

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Meat+Poultry - March 2017

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