MARKET
NEWS
February 8, 2017
CHEESE
TRENDS
Chapel Hill Creamery
Returns!
SPECIALTY
REPORT
Getting Serious about
Spanish Ham
FROM OUR
CUT SHOPS
Beef Market Update
Steady trends for now
Beef Grades
How the USDA grades,
and common grade levels
Fish Market Update
Moratorium on Gulf grouper
Regional Spotlight
Maryland Wild Striped
Bass
BEEF
MARKET
NEWS
2.8.17
Greensboro, NC | 336.545.3800 | www.southernfoods.com
Beef Market News
MARKET UPDATE
The market is pretty steady right now. Last week we saw little to no movement on pricing.
Cattle on feed did not increase, and future placement might be trending that way. So supply might get tight if demand picks up. We will have to wait and see how this plays out.
HIGHLIGHT: BEEF GRADES
HOW THE USDA GRADES
For beef, a grader looks at a carcass between the 12th and 13th rib to estimate age and
marbling. Younger cattle are favored for tenderness, and are usually between one and
three years old at time of slaughter. The more “marbling” (the thin white streaks of fat
found between the muscles), the better the grade. Up until about 30 years ago, grades
were primarily determined by the individual. Today, Video Imaging Analysis (VIA) is used
in most facilities to help with objectivity.
COMMON GRADE LEVELS
USDA PRIME
Beef graded Prime has an “abundant marbling” rating. It will have a large amount of fine, white flecks
of intra-muscular fat. Prime beef represents about
2% of the total graded market.
CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF® PRIME
This grade meets the same Prime standard “abundant marbling” score. In addition to the marbling
score, it must also hit 8 scientific standards needed to meet the Certified Angus Beef® Brand Prime grade.
USDA CHOICE
USDA Choice beef can be divided into three marbling scores: Small (40% of all graded
beef), Modest (18% of all graded beef), and Moderate marbling (5% of all graded beef).
CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF®
Certified Angus Beef® is graded in the upper 2/3 of USDA Choice with Modest or Moderate Marbling Scores, and achieves 8 additional scientific standards.
USDA SELECT
All USDA Select beef falls into the Slight Marbling score. There will be little to no intra-muscular fat.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
NEW FROM THE
CUT SHOP
The HUSKY Burger
A towering, 1-inch thick Certified Angus Beef® patty is the
newest item from the Custom Grind Shop at Southern Foods.
Beef market news provided by:
Chris Casey
Protein/CAB® Specialist
[email protected]
SEAFOOD
MARKET
NEWS
2.8.17
Greensboro, NC | 336.545.3800 | www.southernfoods.com
Seafood Market News
SWORDFISH
TUNA
Swordfish landings are limited this
week. We have a few local fish that
just came in and more to supplement from Ecuador. Look to Mako
shark as a similar eating species with
a more economical cost. #4138
Yellowfin – Supply is abundant and
pricing is steady. I do expect pricing
to go up in anticipation for Valentine’s Day. We have 2+ and 2G available, with brand new fish in today
and more due in later this week.
GROUPER (Mexican)
SALMON
Supply is good on Gulf-caught fish
for this week. However, pricing will
go up and supply will be limited for
the remainder of February through
March while the fishery in the Gulf of
Mexico is closed. A moratorium has
been placed on the fishery to protect it during their spawning period.
We will source Florida and Pacific
Grouper in the meantime.
Canadian - The Canadian Salmon
market is finally showing signs of relief. There is plenty of fish in house
this week. Pricing is down $.25lb.
SNAPPER (Mexican)
Snapper supply has finally taken a
turn for the better, and is in full production. Pricing is down and quality
is excellent. Whole fish range 6-10lbs.
and fillets are 1-2lbs.
OYSTERS
Watch the story behind NC’s finest
oyster from Jarrett Bay Oyster Co.
NC CATCH
We’re seeing a mix of Black Sea
Bass, Wild Striped Bass, Flounder,
Skate and Cobia.
Regional Spotlight:
Maryland Wild Striped Bass
Catches of striped bass
are projected to be excellent for the next few
weeks. The weather is
nice, fish are being caught
quick and in abundance.
All make an excellent item
to promote while supply
is up and pricing is down.
Seafood market news provided by:
Dave Forcinito
Fishmonger
[email protected]
ARTISANAL
CHEESE
TRENDS
2.8.17
Greensboro, NC | 336.545.3800 | www.southernfoods.com
Artisanal Cheese Trends
Chapel Hill Creamery Cheeses Will Return!
Chapel Hill Creamery voluntary recalled all of their products last year after discovering a
potential link to a foodborne illness outbreak.
The potential link was discovered during a routine testing of their milk, and there were reports from those who had the illness as having consumed Chapel Hill Creamery cheeses,
though no definitive evidence was found as to the source of the outbreak or it coming from
Chapel Hill Creamery. However, the owners valuing customer
safety first, removed all products immediately from the market.
Portia McKnight, co-owner of Chapel Hill Creamery said in a
press release, “Customers are our top priority. If there is any
potential of risk, we take that very seriously and are committed
to addressing it fully.” Address it fully, they did.
In working with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture,
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and
Orange County Health Department, it was concluded that everything was done according to regulations. and
So what now? A lot of people have been asking if they will
be making cheese again. Flo Hawley, co-owner of Chapel Hill
Creamery, has announced they will in fact return to cheesemaking. As Flo explained, they
were already planning to reorganize the layout of the equipment in the dairy, add on to it,
and make improvements to reduce energy consumption and increase efficiencies. After
having emptied the dairy of cheese, they took this as an opportunity to move ahead with
those plans.
The first cheese to return to market will be their fresh Dairyland Farmer’s Cheese. Hopefully,
it will be in time for spring! They will also soon begin production and aging of Calavander,
their wonderful, firm flagship cheese. We hope to see aged Calavander in time for fall, if not
sooner.
Please stay tuned for more information on availability of
Chapel Hill Creamery cheeses. As they come available,
please join us in welcoming them back to the marketplace!
We can now say for certain these wonderful cheeses will be
back, and soon.
Artisanal cheese trends provided by:
Sasha Shreders, ACS CCP®
Cheesemonger
Calvander
[email protected]
LOCAL &
SPECIALTY
INSIGHTS
2.8.17
Greensboro, NC | 336.545.3800 | www.southernfoods.com
Local & Specialty Update
Getting Serious about Spanish Ham
Spanish dry cured hams are a very serious subject.
As with Prosciutto from Italy, Country Ham in the U.S. and Jambon from France, Spanish
Jamon producers and aficionados have absolutely zero tolerance for short cuts or imposters.
The types and specific qualities of Spanish hams are determined by several factors including
the breed of the pig, how and where it was raised, and how it was processed. This may seem
really simple; after all there are really only three ingredients: pork, salt, and air, right? It is
the unseen ingredients that make all the difference in the world - Precision and Discipline.
The Pig
The Cerdo Ibérico has a lineage which reaches back to the
time of the cavemen of the Iberian Peninsula. Ibérico pigs
are divided into black, red, spotted, and light-skinned Ibérico pigs, although these light-skinned Ibérico pigs are nearly extinct. Since pre-history, the Cerdo Ibérico has lived in
free-range conditions, mainly in the mountains of western
Spain along the Portuguese border, but also in parts of Andalucía. The Ibérico pig has dark skin with a sparse coat, a
pointed snout and long, slender legs. In their infancy, Iberico pigs are raised on a diet that includes cereal grains and
mother’s milk. As they grow, specific diets are managed to
obtain the desired outcome. These diets are one the factors evaluated in determining Ibérico ham grades.
Iberico grades
Bellota grade Ibérico ham (Jamón Ibérico de Bellota)
From Ibérico de Bellota pigs, which have spent the last three to four months of their lives
feasting on rich, sweet acorns that have dropped to the ground from holm and cork trees
in the meadows of a region called the Dehesa. This period of grazing on the open range is
called the Montanera, and the pigs add about half their weight during this period.
Recebo grade Ibérico ham
These pigs have enjoyed a shorter free-range acorn grazing period, or added less than 50%
to their weight during the Montanera, and are subsequently fattened and brought to market
weight with cereal feed.
Cebo grade Ibérico ham
Cebo grade pigs are raised on a diet of cereal feeds, though 100% Iberico breed.
Ibérico ham
These are hams from Ibérico pigs, usually cross-bred with white pigs raised on farms and fed
cereal feeds, without a period of free-range grazing.
Serrano Hams
Teruel ham, Trevélez ham, Gran Serrano ham
These hams are from white or Duroc pigs, who were raised on farms and fed cereal feed,
and then cured for more than one year at high altitudes in dry climates such as Teruel and
Sierra Nevada.
Oro (gold) Serrano ham, Plata (silver) Serrano ham
Hams from white pigs, who were raised on farms and fed cereal feed, then cured for over 12
months anywhere in Spain.
Serrano
Iberico De Bellota
Jamón Cuts
Hams from Spain are commonly offered in the following cuts, whether made from Ibérico
pigs or others:
•
•
•
•
Bone-in and Boneless Whole Hams (back legs)
Bone-in and Boneless Paletas (shoulders)
Lomos (cured pork loins)
Chorizos and Salchichónes (sausages)
So... are Spanish Hams the best?
Starting an argument pertaining to the best ham on the planet is comparable to talking politics at the local dive bar. Somebody is going to get mad. It is not my place, nor anyone’s in
my opinion to rank hams from varying breeds, varying climates and varying artisans. Instead
I celebrate the craft that each style of Ham showcases. My preference will always be to look
past the title whether it’s prosciutto, Jambon, Jamon, Serrano or Country Ham and enjoy it
for what it is.
Local & specialty updates provided by:
Bobby Zimmerman
Southern Foods Brand Manager
[email protected]