Since COVID-19 spread across the United States, meatpacking plants have become frequent hot spots of the virus. In mid-June, Forbes reported that according to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, over 25,000 processing plant employees from 238 plants in 33 states had been infected with close to 100 deaths. In response to the outbreaks, numerous plants shut down and beef, poultry, and pork production has reduced considerably.
In light of these revelations, it’s caused some to not only reevaluate how they source their meat but also consider their relationship with meat altogether.
Join a panel of experts including journalist Alicia Kennedy, Chris Kim (Monk’s Meats), Kimberly Ratcliffe (Caney Creek Ranch), Heather Marold Thomason (Primal Supply Meats), and R. Dennis Olsen (United Food & Commercial Workers International Union) for an online panel discussion about the ways in which COVID-19 had impacted the meat industry — both at the industrial and small-scale production level — and how these effects may or may not change the way Americans engage with meat going forward.
ALICIA KENNEDY
Alicia Kennedy is a San Juan-based writer. She has a weekly newsletter on food media and culture, and is writing a book on veganism and capitalism for Beacon Press.
CHRIS KIM
Chris Kim is the owner and executive chef of Monks Vegan Smokehouse. Chris and his partner Rebecca Lopez-Howes started making and selling Monks Meats to provide high-quality plant-based alternatives to animal-based meat. Chris lives in Brooklyn and loves riding bicycles, drinking craft beer, and being a “hipster in his sleep” (according to his teenage daughter).
R. DENNIS OLSEN
R. Dennis Olsen works for the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, advising the director of the meatpacking division on food, agriculture and trade policies, and on the UFCW’s Cannabis Workers Rising Campaign.
He represents UFCW on the National Campaign Committee for the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and supports local coalitions working to implement GFPP. He represented International Food Workers Union (IUF) through the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) of the United Nation’s Committee for Food Security (CFS). He advocated for measures to protect the human rights of migrant workers; address threats posed to food workers by antibiotic-resistant bacteria; curtail buyer power abuse in global food supply chains; and reduce agricultural commodity price volatility.
KIMBERLY RATCLIFF
Kimberly Ratcliff is the manager of Caney Creek Ranch, a diversified ranching operation located in East Central Texas, started by her parents Wesley and Marie Ratcliff. Kimberly joined the ranch in 2007 after leaving her job with Bloomberg a New York City financial firm where she was a Branding Specialist.
In 2016, Kimberly Ratcliff launched Farm to Freezer Meat Company LLC which purchases finished cattle from Caney Creek Ranch’s with the mission to provide the highest quality ranch-direct beef possible, in a simple, convenient, and responsible manner.
Kimberly is the founder and President of the 100 Ranchers Inc., a Community-Based Organization (CBO) founded in 2008 with the goal of serving agricultural producers who are dedicated to work together to increase their bottom line and improve their livelihood by producing safe, clean, efficient , and marketable products.
HEATHER MAROLD THOMASON
Heather Marold Thomason is the founder of Primal Supply Meats, a modern butchery and grocery in Philadelphia.
Heather initially built Primal Supply on a robust wholesale program partnering with notable Philly chefs. Primal has now grown to support more than a dozen regional farmers and a family-owned slaughterhouse.
Primal’s brick-and-mortar location in South Philadelphia provides a neighborhood butcher shop experience, while their Butchery and Market in the Brewerytown neighborhood serves as the company’s headquarters for operations, events, and pop-ups. Primal Supply’s online services include a web store as well as Butcher’s Club, a popular subscription meat program for Philadelphia residents. In addition to pasture-raised meat, Primal Supply offers sustainable seafood, prepared foods from their commercial kitchen, and local produce, cheese, dairy, bread, and pantry staples sourced from their network of partner farmers, food producers, and purveyors.
With an ongoing mission to support the regional food economy and nurture the local food community, Heather continues to uncover new approaches to sourcing and supply chain innovation.