We know that the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 impacted the US production and marketing of meat products. With the mandatory closing of schools and non-essential businesses, including dine-in food facilities, many people and families started consuming all three meals at home instead of at work, at school, or eating out. This required meat processing facilities to drastically reduce or stop production of some foodservice products and transition to or increase the production of products being sold in grocery stores. Along with all these changes, meatpacking and processing establishments were facing temporary closures due to employee illnesses, which created backlogs of livestock and resulted in meat supply chain issues that continued for some time. To address supply chain issues, some establishments had to adjust their purchasing specifications and shift to products that had not previously been used, including the use of frozen products. This made the industry start questioning some of the long-standing purchasing practices. For example, the US beef industry has historically purchased and marketed primarily fresh (non-frozen) products, especially retail and foodservice products, but the uncertainty of supply during the pandemic made people question the role of freezing meat.
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