Meat + Poultry - September 2006 - 5

Gold Kist introduces
antibiotic-free chicken
ATLANTA - Gold Kist, Inc. has
developed a new line of antibiotic
free, air-chilled chicken products
called Nature Select. The new product was created in response to the
rapid growth of natural food sales
in retail supermarkets.
The chickens produced for the
Nature Select line are antibiotic free
and are raised
on a vegetarian
diet. In addition,
the chickens for
the new line are
processed using state-of-theart air chilling
technology that
cools the chickens using fresh, filtered cold air rather than by water
immersion.
According to the company, air
chilling reduces the water absorption that occurs during the traditional water cooling process, while
retaining the natural flavor, texture
and tenderness of the chicken.
Gold Kist has selected a group of
experienced local Gold Kist farmers, who receive special training
and follow specific protocols to
raise the Nature Select chickens.
The Gold Kist feed mill that serves
these farmers has been expanded
to handle the special ingredients
for the all-vegetable diet, which
includes a blend of corn, bran and
soybean meal with the proper mix
of vitamins and minerals for healthy
growth.
"Gold Kist is proud to be the
first major chicken processor in the
United States to offer this antibiotic free, air-chilled product to the
health-conscious consumer market
segment, which has been growing
at about 20 percent a year," said
John Bekkers, president and C.E.O.
of Gold Kist. "We have made a $70
million investment in our Live Oak,
Fla., facility to double our capacity
to produce value-added products for
retail supermarkets, including the
Nature Select product line.

Tyson cuts 90 jobs, plans to sell shuttered facilities
SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Officials with Tyson Foods, Inc. have announced plans to
eliminate 90 hourly jobs at its processing facility in Hope, Ark. The job cuts are
being made as part of a corporate mandate announced earlier this year by Richard
Bond, C.E.O., to eliminate $200 million in costs. The move
will reportedly reduce employment at the Hope plant to 850
and as many as 40 of the workers will be reassigned to other
positions at the facility.
In other news, the company also recently announced it
would sell two of its shuttered facilities. In an Associated Press report, a company
spokesman confi rmed the company is putting its Norfolk, Neb., beef processing
plant and its West Point, Neb., slaughtering plant on the market. He said the company had been in contact with potential buyers, which were closed this past February, eliminating more than 1,600 jobs.

Pilgrim's Pride targets childhood obesity
PITTSBURG, Texas - In an effort to
address childhood obesity, Pilgrim's
Pride Corp. is planning to roll out a line
of poultry products targeting kids.
The EatWellStayHealthy Kids brand
will include Breaded Chicken Breast
Nuggets and Breaded Popcorn Chicken and will be labeled as "healthy"
and American Heart Association
certified.
The new products are made from
chicken breast meat and according to
the company, each four-piece serv-

ing contains 120 calories, 2 grams
of fat and no saturated fat, making
them considerably healthier than their
competitors.
"Our Company has always been
interested in promoting healthy lifestyles and diet, and we're excited to offer healthy new choices for families,"
said Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, chairman of
Pilgrim's Pride.
The chicken breast nuggets and
popcorn chicken will be available in
stores this fall.

Kraft Foods names new executive team
NORTHFIELD, Ill. - Earlier this month, Kraft Foods, Inc. announced the appointment of a new executive team whose mission is to sharpen the company's focus on
innovation, marketing and growth. The members of the new team will report to Irene
Rosenfeld, who was named C.E.O. this past June.
Executives taking on new responsibilities with the company include Jeri Finard,
who has been named executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Her job
will be to lead the company's new Consumer Innovation & Marketing Services department, which merges Kraft's Global Category Development and Global
Marketing Resources & Initiatives groups.
Rick Searer has been promoted to executive vice
president and president of Kraft North America Commercial. The company presidents
who lead Kraft's five North American business sectors and the company's North
America Foodservice business will report to him. Searer most recently was group
vice president and president of Kraft's North America Convenient Meals Sector.
David Brearton has been named executive vice president of global business services strategy, which includes responsibility for areas such as information systems,
business process improvement and mergers and acquisitions.
Marc Firestone will manage the newly created position of executive vice-president of
corporate and legal affairs and general counsel. He will lead Kraft's communications,
government affairs, community involvement, and law and compliance activities.
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September 2006

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Meat + Poultry - September 2006

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