scholarly journals Win–win strategies for high beef quality, consumer satisfaction, and farm efficiency, low environmental impacts and improved animal welfare

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 1537 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Hocquette ◽  
R. Botreau ◽  
I. Legrand ◽  
R. Polkinghorne ◽  
D. W. Pethick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Global Evaluation ◽  
Beef Quality ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression ◽  
Consumer Dissatisfaction

Meat quality includes intrinsic qualities (the characteristics of the product itself) and extrinsic qualities (e.g. animal health and welfare, environmental impacts, price). There is still a high level of variability in beef palatability, which induces consumer dissatisfaction. We also observe a general trend towards an increasing importance of healthiness and safety (intrinsic) and environmental issues and animal welfare (extrinsic). Most grading systems describe carcasses using only animal traits (e.g. weight, conformation, fatness, animal age and sex). In North American and Asian countries, emphasis has been put on maturity and marbling. The European system is mainly based on yield estimation. The Meat Standards Australia grading scheme, which predicts beef palatability for each cut, proved to be effective in predicting beef palatability in many other countries. Some genetic markers are available to improve beef quality. In addition, gene and protein expression profiling of the bovine muscle revealed that the expression level of many genes and the abundance of many proteins may be potential indicators of muscle mass, tenderness, flavour or marbling of meat. The integration of all these parameters is likely to predict better beef palatability. The integration of extrinsic qualities in the prediction model increases the difficulty of achieving a global evaluation of overall meat quality. For instance, with respect to environmental issues, each feeding system has its own advantages and disadvantages. Despite this, win–win strategies have been identified. For example, animals that were less stressed at slaughter also produced more tender meat, and in some studies the most economically efficient farms had the lowest environmental impact. In other cases, there are trade-offs among and between intrinsic and extrinsic qualities. In any case, the combination of the different integrative approaches appears promising to improve the prediction of overall beef quality. A relevant combination of indicators related to sensory and nutritional quality, social and environmental considerations (such as e.g. carbon footprint, animal welfare, grassland biodiversity, rural development) and economic efficiency (income of farmers and of other stakeholders of the supply chain, etc.) will allow the prediction of the overall quality of beef mainly for consumers but also for any stakeholder in the supply chain.

Can the monitoring of animal welfare parameters predict pork meat quality variation through the supply chain (from farm to slaughter)?1

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 359-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Rocha ◽  
A. Velarde ◽  
A. Dalmau ◽  
L. Saucier ◽  
L. Faucitano
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Pork Meat ◽  
Quality Variation

scholarly journals Smart Beef-Quality Tracking In Malaysia Using Blockchain Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aisha Junejo ◽  
◽  
Aina Hamidi ◽  
Mehak Memon ◽  
Manzoor Hashmani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Foodborne Illnesses ◽  
Beef Quality ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Beef Supply Chain

Concerns and awareness on beef quality and safety are increasing among the consumers. Beef that is being served to the customers has to be of good quality and safe to eat, as well as to prevent foodborne illnesses. Hence, it is important to ensure good meat quality during the process of beef production. The existing beef supply chain systems lack transparency, as a result, a hike in food frauds has been witnessed in Malaysia. Consequently, it is hard to infer if the beef reaching the consumers is safe and wholesome. Besides that, the existing supply chains have a time-consuming and tiring procedure of product tracking, which is not desirable for consumers and other various stakeholders involved. To mitigate this issue, in this paper, we propose the use of blockchain technology for beef supply chain to maintain the transparency of ingredients and processes used in beef production. This will strengthen the trust of consumer in the company and ensure that the produced beef is contamination free and healthy. The study comprehensively highlights the feasibility blockchain technology to be implemented in the beef supply chain to make it transparent, secure and easily trackable.

On visions and promises — ethical aspects of in vitro meat

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 753-758
Author(s):  
Silvia Woll
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
In Vitro Meat ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Production Conditions

Innovators of in vitro meat (IVM) are convinced that this approach is the solution for problems related to current meat production and consumption, especially regarding animal welfare and environmental issues. However, the production conditions have yet to be fully clarified and there is still a lack of ethical discourses and critical debates on IVM. In consequence, discussion about the ethical justifiability and desirability of IVM remains hypothetical and we have to question those promises. This paper addresses the complex ethical aspects associated with IVM and the questions of whether, and under what conditions, the production of IVM represents an ethically justifiable solution for existing problems, especially in view of animal welfare, the environment, and society. There are particular hopes regarding the benefits that IVM could bring to animal welfare and the environment, but there are also strong doubts about their ethical benefits.

CRC 'Regional Combinations' project — effects of genetics and growth paths on beef production and meat quality: experimental design, methods and measurements.

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 959 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. McKiernan ◽  
J. F. Wilkins ◽  
S. A. Barwick ◽  
G. D. Tudor ◽  
B. L. McIntyre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meat Quality ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Experimental Designs ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Eating Quality ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Beef Quality ◽  
Genetic Potential ◽  
And Storage

As a component of the second term of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Cattle and Beef Quality, a project to further test and validate the effects of varying nutritional growth paths pre-finishing and slaughter on cattle of varying genetic potential for meat yield and eating quality was designed and implemented. This project, ‘Regional Combinations’, was a multi-site experiment, using Bos taurus cattle generated at 4 locations across southern Australia. The design of imposing different growth paths between weaning and finishing on cattle with specific genetic potential is common across sites. Treatment and interaction effects on beef production and meat quality were examined within and across sites. This paper describes the experimental designs, generation of experimental cattle at the various sites and the measurements, collection and storage of the data for multi-site analyses.

scholarly journals Simulation-Based Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Sustainable Supply Chains—Re-Design in an Approach to Supply Chain Strategy

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3504
Author(s):  
Blanka Tundys ◽  
Tomasz Wiśniewski
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Literature Analysis ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Environmental Aspect ◽  
Supply Chain Strategy ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Negative Environmental Impact

The aim of the study was to analyze emissions in the supply chain and to identify, based on a literature analysis, which supply chain strategies could contribute to reducing these emissions. A broad spectrum of new supply chain strategy solutions was identified and, based on simulations of selected products, conclusions were drawn and the advantages and disadvantages of theoretical solutions were presented for individual cases. A critical analysis of the literature and simulation methods were used to illustrate the problem presented in this paper, to identify the factors causing greenhouse gas emissions and to draw conclusions in the form of proposals to redesign existing strategies, considering the factors determining the increase in pollution caused by the performed logistics processes. The results of the simulations and the literature analysis indicate that solutions related to the redesign of strategies must consider the specificity of the product and the nature of the chain. Not all proposed strategies are applicable to all chains, and each new strategy must be carefully considered and consider many factors. An important element to reduce the negative environmental impact of chains is a well-thought-out relationship with suppliers, a well-chosen and adapted logistics infrastructure, including means of transport. The presented solutions clearly indicate that the environmental aspect plays an increasingly important role in chain management and influences the applied chain strategies. However, reducing the environmental impact of a chain is not a revolutionary approach and an easy-to-implement strategy change, but a well-thought-out, long-term process that considers the specifics of the products, the possibilities of alternative sourcing and distribution modes, and the need to invest in logistics infrastructure to make it as environmentally neutral as possible.

scholarly journals Environmental potential of carbon dioxide utilization in the polyurethane supply chain

2015 ◽  
Vol 183 ◽  
pp. 291-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas von der Assen ◽  
André Sternberg ◽  
Arne Kätelhön ◽  
André Bardow
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Supply Chain Optimization ◽  
Environmental Evaluation ◽  
Impact Reduction ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Utilization ◽  
Systematic Exploration ◽  
The Impact

Potential environmental benefits have been identified for the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock for polyurethanes (PUR). CO2 can be utilized in the PUR supply chain in a wide variety of ways ranging from direct CO2 utilization for polyols as a PUR precursor, to indirect CO2 utilization for basic chemicals in the PUR supply chain. In this paper, we present a systematic exploration and environmental evaluation of all direct and indirect CO2 utilization options for flexible and rigid PUR foams. The analysis is based on an LCA-based PUR supply chain optimization model using linear programming to identify PUR production with minimal environmental impacts. The direct utilization of CO2 for polyols allows for large specific impact reductions of up to 4 kg CO2-eq. and 2 kg oil-eq. per kg CO2 utilized, but the amounts of CO2 that can be utilized are limited to 0.30 kg CO2 per kg PUR. The amount of CO2 utilized can be increased to up to 1.7 kg CO2 per kg PUR by indirect CO2 utilization in the PUR supply chain. Indirect CO2 utilization requires hydrogen (H2). The environmental impacts of H2 production strongly affect the impact of indirect CO2 utilization in PUR. To achieve optimal environmental performance under the current fossil-based H2 generation, PUR production can only utilize much less CO2 than theoretically possible. Thus, utilizing as much CO2 in the PUR supply chain as possible is not always environmentally optimal. Clean H2 production is required to exploit the full CO2 utilization potential for environmental impact reduction in PUR production.

scholarly journals Subnational mobility and consumption-based environmental accounting of US corn in animal protein and ethanol supply chains

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (38) ◽  
pp. E7891-E7899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy M. Smith ◽  
Andrew L. Goodkind ◽  
Taegon Kim ◽  
Rylie E. O. Pelton ◽  
Kyo Suh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Accounting ◽  
Animal Protein ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Supply Networks

Corn production, and its associated inputs, is a relatively large source of greenhouse gas emissions and uses significant amounts of water and land, thus contributing to climate change, fossil fuel depletion, local air pollutants, and local water scarcity. As large consumers of this corn, corporations in the ethanol and animal protein industries are increasingly assessing and reporting sustainability impacts across their supply chains to identify, prioritize, and communicate sustainability risks and opportunities material to their operations. In doing so, many have discovered that the direct impacts of their owned operations are dwarfed by those upstream in the supply chain, requiring transparency and knowledge about environmental impacts along the supply chains. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been used to identify hotspots of environmental impacts at national levels, yet these provide little subnational information necessary for guiding firms’ specific supply networks. In this paper, our Food System Supply-Chain Sustainability (FoodS3) model connects spatial, firm-specific demand of corn purchasers with upstream corn production in the United States through a cost minimization transport model. This provides a means to link county-level corn production in the United States to firm-specific demand locations associated with downstream processing facilities. Our model substantially improves current LCA assessment efforts that are confined to broad national or state level impacts. In drilling down to subnational levels of environmental impacts that occur over heterogeneous areas and aggregating these landscape impacts by specific supply networks, targeted opportunities for improvements to the sustainability performance of supply chains are identified.

The Drivers, Practices and Outcomes of Green Supply Chain Management

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.S. Savita ◽  
P.D.D. Dominic ◽  
T. Ramayah
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Green Supply Chain Management ◽  
Green Supply Chain ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Chain Management

The global shift in ecological movement has significant impacts on business operation of manufacturing firms that are located in developing countries. The intense pressure of being environmentally sustainable has caused Green Supply Chain Management (Green SCM) concept to emerge as an important corporate environmental strategy for manufacturing companies. Information technologies and systems have permeated in most business activities, in which, they extend important opportunities to resolve environmental issues. However, many researchers, including manufacturers and government bodies often disregard the green concept of information technologies and systems in minimizing environmental issues. A comprehensive review on Green SCM, Green IT and Green IS for sustainable environmental performance in manufacturing companies is presented using Input-Process-Output (IPO) Theory and Technological-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) theory. In bridging the research gap, a model is constructed to link the aforementioned constructs. Next, the paper reports on the development of survey questionnaire using cognitive interviewing strategies, followed up with semi-structured interview to investigate and obtain preliminary findings on the influential factors, green activities and performance outcomes from implementing Green SCM. Lastly, the finalized survey questionnaire was distributed to 60 ISO14001 certified manufacturing companies located in the region of Perak and Kulim. Out of 60 manufacturing companies, only 32 responses received as the dataset in analyzing for improvements in reliability, measurement error, and validity of measured items. The findings from this pilot study explain that internal and external factors have stronger influence over the implementation of green initiatives in supply chain with substantial outcome on environmental performance. The information technologies and systems being the physical resource, capability and backbone to run a business seamlessly are significantly recognized. But, the green component of IT and IS were poorly attended and disregarded to an extent in the process of greening the processes, operations or entire business. Therefore, further investigations are required in the main study to validate the findings obtained here and other possible association between the factors, practices and outcomes in realizing ecological improvements in the supply chain and firm itself.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document