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Illinois Meat Processor Keeps Shelves Stocked
Turasky Meats normally serves Illinois in many ways, they operate a retail store, distribute to grocery stores and co-pack products for other food brands that sell ecommerce and grocery stores. Once the COVID-19 outbreak hit, Turasky Meats knew they had to take action and shift their business model. “We noticed in our own store the demand was overwhelming. So much so that the supply for raw meat was depleted. Many bigger stores could not keep up with demand, mostly due to their large warehouses that feed hundreds of stores. We are different since we are independent and can buy raw material from many suppliers,” said Brad Turasky owner of Turasky Meats. To fill demand, they shifted their operation to keep meat stocked in Illinois grocery stores.
Turasky’s crew of thirty employees have been stocking grocery shelves with local products throughout Illinois. Many of their products are old family recipes. You’ll find their Italian beef, Pork BBQ, snack sticks, jerky, summer sausage and more at your local grocer.
Turasky stated food safety is of the utmost importance for their operation. “Since we are under USDA federal meat inspection, we are under strict guidelines with food safety and product safety in mind. We spend over a hundred hours a week washing, foaming, and sanitizing our facility. We clean every room on a daily basis. We also have air filtration system throughout the plant to combat air born particles. This ensures our employees’ health and product integrity,” said Turasky. In addition to the normal regulations, Turasky explained they are taking precautions to consider COVID-19, “With the COVID-19 provisions in place for employee safety, we have put programs in place to help keep our work force healthy. It has been a struggle maintain raw material over the past few weeks but we are moving forward.”
We are grateful for Illinois companies like Turasky Meats who keep food stocked when we need it most. Illinois agriculture is pivotal to the health of our communities, especially during times like these.
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Heard of an Illinois agriculture organization going above and beyond to support the community during the COVID-19 outbreak? Send their story to agr.pio@illinois.gov.
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Read more stories about how Illinois agriculture organizations are meeting needs during the COVID-19 outbreak at: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Consumers/Education/Pages/Lift-Up-Illinois-Products.aspx
