| The meat value chain is a complex organization with multiple participants performing numerous value added functions. Perhaps the most complex and least well understood segment is that downstream from the packer, e.g., the processor, wholesaler, exporter, retailer and food service (or restaurant) operator. One portion of the Livestock and Meat Marketing Study provided an overview of marketing and pricing methods used in this sector and, in particular, the results of analyses of the relationship between use of alternative marketing arrangements (AMAs) and the distribution and sales of meat products downstream from the packer. The analyses include both beef and pork products, are descriptive and focus on the relationships among industry articipants beyond... |
