And 20%...?
Not sure what to add to that but when you drive down the freeway and see “100% Beef” on a billboard as a proud marketing differentiator, it makes you want to swerve into a guardrail.
Cheaper is enticing, and we naturally look for what we want to see. And marketers know that. I have a friend who used to run a very large processing facility in Texas. He is extremely passionate about processing and producing good food. He now runs a large construction crew but has a meat processing set up in his garage that would make most small town butchers jealous. Kyle is German to the core and loves processing but couldn’t stomach the immorality any longer. The USDA allows up to 20% soy protein to be added. The processor was cutting corners and adding more than the allowed amount to stretch margins. This 80% meat “Badge of Honor” actually carries some significance in the food production world. To be “100% Beef” is overachieving. Congratulations McDonald’s.
The consumer/producer disconnect is so vast in this modern age it is absolutely tragic.
The takeaway for me is to find someone you trust and support them. But also keep them honest by asking good questions. An old leadership adage says, “Trust, yet verify.” So true.
Live well this week,
Sean and the Northstar Tribe
