How Lower Foods Exercises High Food Safety Standards

LowerFoods_FT — Lower Foods responds to emerging trends with Certified Angus Beef brand value-added meats, hardwood smoking and clean-labeled products.

LowerFoods_sl2 — Lower Foods maintains strict segregation between the raw and cooked areas of its Richmond, Utah, headquarters and production facility. Its slicing lines are in separate rooms, equipped with positive pressure air flow to ensure food safety.

When it comes to food safety, Lower Foods continuously works to maintain the highest in food safety standards. For example, it maintains strict segregation between the raw and cooked areas of its Richmond, Utah, headquarters and production facility. And, its slicing lines are in separate rooms, equipped with positive pressure air flow to ensure food safety.

Its these and other reasons as to why the producer of whole and sliced deli meats for foodservice and retail, whole and sliced all-natural, hormone-free/antibiotic-free deli meats, Hispanic items, naturally smoked meats, shredded and diced items and heat-and-serve products is a processor to watch.

Lower Foods began in the 1920s as a custom-cut and sausage facility. Today, the frozen meat processor responds to emerging trends with Certified Angus Beefbrand value-added meats, hardwood smoking and clean-labeled products.

“We have always naturally hardwood smoked our meats such as hams, BBQ meats and pastrami,” says Vicki Boilesen, vice president of sales and marketing. “We don’t use any liquid smoke on our products. Smoked meats are enjoying high consumer demand in both retail and foodservice.”

Due to growing consumer demand for healthier products, Lower Foods’ entire facility only produces allergen-, gluten- and MSG-free products.

“We removed the binders from our beef and ham items, and use only modified food starch in our turkey breasts removing the carrageenan,” adds Boilesen.

Lower Foods also increased its Hispanic meats offerings, designed to be used across multi-cultural recipes.

Green is the only way to go

For Lower Foods, “being green” is the only way to go. For example, the Richmond facility treats 100% of its processing water in its own water treatment plant, according to Boilesen. The water is then used to irrigate landscaping and nearby crops.

Lower Foods also recycles all of its wood pallets, cardboard and paper, and even the fats cooked off meats are used in biodiesel.

The Richmond plant moved to more energy efficient lighting systems and energy management computer systems to reduce and manage energy needs and carbon footprint.

In response to customer and consumer demands, Lower Foods employs easy-peel sliced packages for foodservice, resealable retail sliced meats packaging, grip-and-tear packaging for whole retail deli meats and boil-in-bag packaging for heat-and-serve items such as shredded meats, taco meat, BBQ, prime rib, etc.

“Having grown our facility significantly during the past 18 months, particularly our sliced production, we remain focused on expanding still more areas of our plant to improve flow and meet our growing needs,” says Boilesen. “We have made many product and packaging innovations in the past year, and look forward to continuing to meet all our customers’ branded and private label needs with quality innovative products that are on trend for market demands.”

At a Glance

Company Name:Lower Foods

HQs: Richmond, Utah

Est.:1920s

No. of Employees: 125

Distribution:National

Products: Sliced, whole, shredded and diced beef, pork and poultry deli meats and smoked BBQ.

Brands: Certified Angus Beef

Marina Mayer was formerly Editor-in-Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods. Previously, she spent four years as managing editor and executive editor of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery and Dairy Foods, both sister publications. In this role, Mayer was responsible for reporting on market trends, ingredient R&D, production technology and new products within the dairy, snack food and wholesale bakery markets. Prior to joining BNP Media, she served a five-year tenure as editor of quality control for Manufacturers' News, Inc., where she was named “Manager of the Year” in 2006. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for Insider Magazine and worked as a contributing features writer for her college newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. Mayer was a recipient of a Young Leader Scholar award, presented from American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), which is given annually to only five U.S. journalists, 30 years of age and under. She is a graduate of Indiana University with a bachelor’s in journalism.

The NFRA Convention offers the opportunity to meet with the entire industry in one place. Product showcasing and sponsorship opportunities put your brand or new product front and center.

Come to experience innovative solutions in action, explore educational sessions, problem-solve in real time and enjoy networking and idea-sharing across industries.