Colony Foods Newsletter
January 2025
Latest from our Partners
BELLISSIMO PREMIUM POULTRY
VANTAGGIO D'ORO
The Gold Standard in Premium Italian-Style Mozzarella Cheese
Vantaggio D'Oro is a premium Mozzarella Cheese specifically crafted for the specialty Italian Pizzaiolo using time honored cheese making techniques and the freshest ingredients.
KRAFT HEINZ DELUXE MAYO PROMO
Colony Foods Team Spotlight
Happy New Year to you all! Our lovely team got together to celebrate the Holiday season and had a blast!
Here we have Colony's owner and the rest of the Barbagallo family:
The Barbagallo's from left to right: Derek & Michele, Stacey & Paul, Joey & NicoleNews You May Have Missed
Latest updates on Dockworker's Union Strike
See the latest news on the strike and where our industry stands with it all. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/dockworkers-union-suspends-strike-until-jan-15-to-allow-time-for-new-contract-negotiations
What happened to all the pork in Massachusettes?
On May 29 the MA Department of Agricultural Resources issued a new FAQ on 330 CMR 35.00, the regulation implementing farm animal housing standards for pigs, calves and hens that produce pork, veal and egg products for sale in MA, and the process by which farms, processors, distributors, retail outlets, and restaurants can be compliant with these standards.
Under the question posed, "What products are considered whole pork meat, the new FAQ states that, "Whole pork meat does not include ground or comminuted pork, even if no additional ingredients are added." It also changes the reason sausage is exempt from whole pork meat products stating it is because it is a ground product as opposed to being a processed or prepared food product like a hot dog. Another question asks if comminuted pork is considered whole pork meat, whereas the answer has been changed to "No." It also asks the following new question: My company takes possession of non-compliant whole pork meat in another state, it is brought to my business in Massachusetts where it is ground and turned into ground pork, sausage, and other processed products to be sold in Massachusetts.
Is this a violation of 330 CMR 35.00? No, if your company takes possession of non-compliant product outside of Massachusetts and then processes it into items that are no longer covered by the regulations, like ground pork, sausage, and other processed products, they can be sold in Massachusetts and there would be no violation of the regulation.