Air chilling predicted to increase in US processing by 2035

While the U.S. poultry processing sector continues to be focused on improving its efficiency and quality of its products, water consumption has also become a priority due to its direct impact on sustainability. Additionally, immersion chilling is one of the highest areas of water consumption in the processing sector and is the predominant chilling method used in the U.S. In a discussion comparing air and immersion chilling, BAADER Poultry USA CEO Oliver Hahn, Marel Inc. regional sales director Jay Russel and SEE North America executive director of bags and case-ready product marketing Shawn Harris gave perspective on where the U.S. processing sector is headed at the 2024 Chicken Marketing Summit..Even though air chilling typically requires a larger investment for the producer and more square footage in the processing plant, it offers a significant savings on water and energy usage. According to Hahn, air chilling will improve the U.S. processing sector’s water consumption and the industry will most likely move to air chilling as a whole in the next 10 years. “The technology is there and has been for a long time,” he said. Read more