The 2015 Chicken Media Summit, sponsored by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, was held this week on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The summit brought together about 30 members from national and local media, bloggers and dieticians, including reporters and editors from:
Jerry Lane greets the media on behalf of NCC and USPOULTRY
The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Nation’s Restaurant News, WMDT-TV (ABC), Agri-Pulse, Family Circle, Delmarva Farmer, MEAT+POULTRY Magazine, Chicago Parent Magazine, WATT Global Media, National Provisioner, Easton (Md.) Star Democrat, Environmental Energy Publishing and Atlanta Journal Constitution; dieticians from the Maryland Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Wegman’s and Delhaize; and bloggers from Delaware Girl Eats, Nutrition GoGo, Dirt & Noise, Family Foodie, A Daily Pinch, Magnolia Days, Stirlist, Plain Chicken and Best Food Facts.
The attendees saw firsthand the entire process, from egg to fork, about how chickens are hatched, raised, and processed for food. The group toured a Perdue Farms hatchery, a family farm that raises chickens for Mountaire, an Amick Farms processing plant and the Perdue Innovation Center.
To view pictures of the event, please click here and here.
The industry was represented by NCC, USPOULTRY, Cobb-Vantress, Perdue, Tyson Foods, Amick Farms, Mountaire, Claxton Poultry, GNP Company, Sanderson Farms, Simmons Foods, O.K. Foods, Foster Farms, Wayne Farms and Keystone Foods.
Media at the event took advantage of social media to share thoughts and pictures as they went on the tours and participated in the summit. A Storify summary of the social media chatter can be found here.
Attendees tour first processing at Amick Farms
Two informative panel discussions, led by industry experts, were also held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge. A panel discussion on “Chicken Myths and Facts” addressed issues related to bird size, antibiotics, hormones, litter and general industry issues. The panel included Dr. John Glisson, vice president of research programs, USPOULTRY; Dr. Kate Barger, director of world animal welfare, Cobb-Vantress; Dr. Christine Daugherty, vice president of animal well-being programs & technology, Tyson Foods; and Jenny Rhodes, extension educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Quest Anne’s County.
Myths and Facts Panel
A second panel discussion on “Food Safety: Focus on Salmonella” included Ira Brill, director of communications/marketing services, Foster Farms; Elizabeth Krushinskie, director of quality assurance & food safety, Mountaire Farms, Inc.; and Jill Stuber, quality manager, GNP Company. Stuber provided an overview of food safety practices at GNP Company, and Krushinskie provided an overview on inspection history and information on the new FSIS Poultry Inspection System. Brill discussed Foster Farms’ efforts to reduce Salmonella prevalence on chicken parts.
Summit participants were also treated to a number of social functions, including a chicken picnic lunch on Monday at Wright’s Market in Mardela Springs, Md. Charles and Michelle Wright, who also raise chickens for Perdue, hosted the lunch and mingled with the media.
Charles Wright addresses the media inside of his family’s Farmer’s Market
Chicken farmers Terri Wolf-King & Jeff King answer questions on their farm in Hurlock, MD. They raise chickens for Mountaire.
“For me, storytelling has always come with great responsibility,” posted blogger Lisa Frame of a Daily Pinch on her Facebook page. “Not just to tell the story honestly and with empathy, but also to make sure the right people hear it. When you share the story of people who are vested in feeding the world, they trust you to make sure the image and words you create will act as their advocate. By opening their doors, they have created a bond of trust. One I hope to honor, always.”
The Official Registered Dietician Group Photo
“An equally important part of this summit was being able to interact with the other invited guests,” wrote Kimberlie Clyma, managing editor of MEAT+POULTRY, in a blog post. “A private tour would have given me the same access, but not the interaction, which was priceless. Listening to everyone’s questions, watching the reactions, being a part of the ongoing discussions, this is what is often lacking from our industry-segregated events. Inviting people from outside the traditional meat and poultry industry is an invaluable way to get the word out beyond the walls of our industry.”
Perdue Hatchery Manager Maria Clements demonstrates candling to the group
Ilina Ewin, a blogger with Dirt and Noise in Raleigh, summed up the event on Twitter, “Sign of a great event is that I still look forward to chicken for dinner! #chickensummit.”
