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.”
