Fighting the Last War: Why Fresh Meat Leaders Must Rethink What’s ‘Proven’
Hey Reader,
After nearly three decades walking production floors, working with teams, and trying to solve the same problems from every angle, I’ve come to a realization that’s stuck with me:
We’re still running many of our operations with the same assumptions and tools that were in place when I started in this industry.
That’s not entirely a bad thing. Consistency and process discipline are the backbone of fresh meat operations. But in today’s environment, operational habits can easily harden into blind spots, especially when the market around us is shifting fast.
In my last issue, I wrote about evolving your business as you grow - knowing what values and processes to protect, and where to scale or adapt. But what I’m seeing now goes beyond growth strategy. It’s about how well we respond when the game itself is changing.
Disruption Is Here and It’s Not Subtle
Right now, our industry is being challenged from multiple angles:
- Record-low cattle supply is inflating costs and forcing tough decisions on sourcing, yield, and throughput.
- Sustainable Beef and Walmart are building a dedicated beef supply chain, including a massive retailer-operated case-ready facility. That’s a seismic shift in the balance of influence between packers, processors, and retail.
- Amazon recently announced same-day fresh and frozen grocery delivery to 1,000 cities, aiming for 2,300 by the end of 2025.
These aren’t tweaks around the edges. These are structural disruptions.
If you’re a retailer, how will you match Amazon’s speed and logistics without killing your margins?
If you’re a supplier, how do you build the assortment depth and sourcing flexibility to fit into their model or compete with it?
Are You Fighting the Last War?
Military historians often talk about the danger of "fighting the last war", using strategies and tactics that worked in the past but are no longer suited to today’s battlefield.
I see this mindset creeping into many operations. When faced with disruption, some leaders double down on the familiar. They stick with old forecasting models. They ignore mounting logistics complexity. They continue to build for a market that no longer exists.
And here’s the thing: your numbers might still look okay - until they don’t. That lag creates a false sense of security.
Disruption rarely announces itself with flashing lights. It builds quietly in customer expectations, margin erosion, and lost flexibility. By the time the numbers show it, it’s often too late to catch up.
Where to Go From Here
This isn’t a doomsday warning. But it is a reflection worth acting on.
Here are three questions I’d encourage every corporate and ops leader to ask themselves this week:
- What assumptions are we making that were true five years ago but might not be today?
- Are we reacting to current changes, or pretending they’ll go away?
- What are we doing to actively explore what’s next, rather than defend what worked?
Want a Head Start on What’s Coming?
This year’s IFFA show in Frankfurt was packed with future-shaping insights from automation designed to address labor gaps to packaging trends that haven’t even reached the U.S. market yet.
I put together a focused recap specifically for protein producers and retailers. It’s designed to help you anticipate what’s coming and begin realigning your strategy now, before the next wave hits.
Three ways to access it:
- Single Chapter – $245
- Full Report – $995
- Full Report + Consultation – $1,495
Learn more and purchase here: https://buildingblock.solutions/iffa-recap-report
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Unless you are using these tips to make yourself look better, in which case, I understand but would still share it with at least one person.
—
Judson Armentrout
FreshOps | Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations
buildingblock.solutions
P.S. Want to know 5 Cost Saving Upgrades from IFFA?
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