The Case for Case-Ready Red Meat

The perimeter of every retail grocery in the United States is chilly: the refrigerated foods department generates the highest margins and growth rates among all foods gracing retail food establishments. Chilled foods—ranging from fresh ingredients such as backroom-cut red meat through minimally processed and packaged entrees and side dishes, produce, cheese, and cured meats—have surged into the leadership position among foods.

As unequivocally asserted in my April 2002 Packaging section, reduced …