Meat+Poultry - December 2022 - 8

COMMENTARY
Two options
Don't come at me, but sometimes the
needs of many in the hands of a few
worries me.
In February, I adopted a cat; I blame
only myself. His name is Mr. Boo. He
looks like a humble gray tabby, but he
thinks he's the Lion King. He enjoys his
food and the occasional snack (he's
12 lbs).
Not too long ago, Mr. Boo had his
first medical emergency. On a weekday
evening, he was howling in pain and
having trouble using his litterbox.
He clearly was miserable, and after a
quick Google search I found a local
emergency vet.
It turns out that Mr. Boo, like many
male cats, has a feline lower urinary
tract disease called cystitis. It occurs
when stones or crystals form in a cat's
bladder. Mr. Boo likely had a partial
obstruction. The vet un-blocked him
and sent us home with antibiotics,
pain meds and several cans of food
specially formulated to inhibit those
nasty crystals from forming in his
bladder. Within a few days, Boo was
back to normal - scratching himself,
the furniture and me.
A follow-up visit with his regular
vet revealed that he would need the
specially formulated food for the rest
of his life - whether it be long or short
- and I would need a prescription to
get it for him. This is when I discovered
that only two companies make the food
that he must eat for the rest of his life.
I was greeted with a message banner
at the top of one company's website
that says: " As a result of increased
demand, you may experience difficulty
purchasing certain products in the
coming months. "
So far, I've not had any problems
finding Boo's food. But I admit feeling
a knot in my stomach when I first
saw that message. Boo will eat most
anything; but he shouldn't if I want him
to stay healthy and pain free.
As someone who spends a lot of
time researching and writing about
the business of meat and poultry
processing, I understand the benefits of
industry consolidation. As a consumer,
I'm also aware that a little competition
can go a long way toward making the
procurement of goods and services
easier, more affordable and more
enjoyable. Remember when Google
Fiber was a thing? My apartment
building was wired for both cable and
Google Fiber. Once, when I moved
to a new apartment, I had a " cable
concierge " who gently guided me
through the process of re-establishing
service at my new place - and she was
the only person I dealt with during
that time. Before Google Fiber when
I needed to re-establish cable service,
I arranged to meet the technician
between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5
p.m. via a customer service rep who
was very nice and probably living
abroad - and that was after I'd broken
through the automated operator/
gatekeeper. If the technician failed to
arrive during the allotted time, I'd have
to call the cable company again, speak
to a different customer service rep and
re-start the whole frustrating process.
Consolidation within industries
has its benefits and drawbacks. For
meat and poultry processors, issues
challenging the industry before the
global pandemic were exacerbated
when COVID-19 hit home. The
drawbacks to having a few companies
providing food products to millions
of people across the country became
clear, although the industry rallied and
rose to the occasion.
The US Department of Agriculture
is investing heavily in local food
processing systems to avoid a repeat
of the disruptions that occurred in the
early days of the pandemic. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke with
reporters about the government's
plan to provide more options for
meat processing and how program
requirements address concerns
about the environment, business
consolidation and labor.
No word yet on any benefits to pet
food manufacturers. I'm stocking up
on Mr. Boo's food and optimistic that
those two companies will keep doing
what they do. The health and welfare
of so many fur babies depend on them.
ERICA SHAFFER, MANAGING EDITOR
eshaffer@sosland.com
Boo will eat most
anything; but he shouldn't
if I want him to stay
healthy and pain free.
8 MEAT+POULTRY | 12.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - December 2022

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