To stay competitive, the meat and protein processing industry must adopt more efficient practices. Automation and technologies like AI and robotics can improve productivity, reduce operating costs, and help address labor shortages.
The meat and protein processing industry faces significant challenges, including price pressures, a diverse range of products, and a shortage of skilled labor. To stay competitive, the industry must adopt more efficient practices. Automation and technologies like AI and robotics can improve productivity, reduce operating costs, and help address labor shortages.
The meat and protein processing industry is facing major challenges, pressure on prices, a wide range of products, and the ongoing shortage of skilled labour call for efficient working practices if the industry is to remain competitive globally. Increasing automation and innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics represent potential solutions: they can boost productivity and cut operating costs.
Under the motto ‘Maximum Performance’, at the IFFA trade fair, innovations in automation for meat and protein processing will be showcased, with a focus on maximizing performance. Automation benefits various stages of production, from raw material preparation to packaging, ensuring better quality control, traceability, and compliance with legal standards. However, many production lines are not integrated, limiting data exchange. Web-based systems like MES and ERP can link these stages, creating a connected, smart factory and enhancing overall efficiency, even in existing systems. Thus, the advantages of a fully networked smart factory are not just the preservation of new production facilities.
The foundation of many automatic processes is real-time data collection and analysis. Modern sensors supply precise information regarding temperature, humidity, weight, and pressure. For example, temperature and humidity sensors in cold stores are used to prevent the temperature rising and thus avoid the risk of contamination. Weight sensors check the weight of each meat product and ensure that the packaging is in line with specifications. It not only reduces the amount of material used but also minimises waste and the return rate. Another example is sensors for monitoring the gas composition in packaging, which ensures the desired conditions, are maintained at all times.
AI speeds up and improves meat and protein processing
In common with many other industries, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) is also transforming the meat and protein industry and taking it to a new level by enabling machines not only to collect data from the various stages of production but also to analyse and deduce potential improvements from it. In the event of disruptions in the production process, AI can identify cause-and-effect relationships and thus rectify problems without stopping the production process or preventing them from occurring in the future. This not only boosts efficiency but also means higher levels of certainty for both consumers and companies.
Industrial image recognition and processing is also based on AI models that have been trained for the application in question. For example, it is used to sort meat products in accordance with specific criteria, such as size, shape, and structure. This reduces the employee’s workload at the same time as increasing precision. If used to identify quality criteria, such as grain or fat content, it can significantly increase the selling price of individual items. AI-aided image processing systems are also employed in quality assurance. Using historical image data, they are trained to inspect the entire production process in real-time and detect any irregularities such as colour anomalies, foreign objects, or defective packaging.
Predictive maintenance is another area of application. AI-aided systems monitor machine status and predict downtimes so that maintenance work is only carried out when required. According to a McKinsey study, predictive maintenance in the food industry can reduce maintenance costs by as much as 30 percent and increase plant utilisation by 20 percent.

Machine learning lifts robotics to a new level of development
Today, industrial robots are an established feature in the food industry, especially in larger companies. Operating around the clock, they can bring about considerable gains in efficiency and productivity. However, the dividing line between conventional machines and those with integrated robot technology is not clear cut. It can be said, however, that industrial robots are mainly used to perform repetitive tasks, such as those typically found in the meat processing industry, for example cutting, portioning, packing, wrapping, sorting, picking and placing.
AI is also taking robotics to a new level of development. Generative AI can use machine learning to adapt independently to new circumstances and situations, thus enabling industrial robots to act more autonomously and agilely. A good example of this is autonomous mobile robots (AMR). Equipped with cameras and sensors, they can independently assess and analyse their surroundings. For instance, they look for new paths when obstacles block the planned route and act independently in abnormal situations. Accordingly, they are perfect helpers in unstructured production settings, as well as in warehouses or logistics centres where packaging and palletising are involved.
Despite the multitude of items in such distribution centres, AI-aided industrial robots can select and retrieve the right articles, reject faulty or deformed ones and also detect packaging formats and weights. Such robots achieve pick rates of 750 to 1,400 items per hour and can, for example, pack up to 200 meat products per minute – a significant increase in productivity compared to manual processes. Robots are also superior to their human colleagues in terms of precision, e.g., they can cut meat faster and more precisely at a very specific cutting angle, as well as portion by weight and ideal shape, which not only speeds up the production rate but also minimises raw-material waste.
Multifunctional robotic work cells hold out the promise of an enormous increase in flexibility and are set to replace traditional line production in the meat industry, too. For example, using AI, the robotic work cell can independently process pork sides in a series of operations, which are carried out all at once instead of a series of small operations. Thus, different products can be processed in parallel, enabling an optimum product mix without the restrictions of line production. At the same time, the robotic work cells form autonomous networks with the AMRs, which react independently when faced with changing requirements.
AI, robotics and sensor technology boost performance and accelerate the pace of change
The meat and protein processing industry is on the cusp of radical change, driven by the use of new technologies such as AI, robotics and sensor technology. These technologies are not only an opportunity to automate processes and increase efficiency but also to enhance product quality and sustainability. Companies that integrate these technologies at an early stage are well prepared to ensure their competitiveness in the global market and meet the increasing challenges of tomorrow’s world.
IFFA – Technology for Meat and Alternative Proteins – presents the latest technological developments in Frankfurt am Main from 3 to 8 May 2025. Further information at: www.iffa.com
With four trade fairs on three continents, Messe Frankfurt is flanking the process of dynamic growth in the food industry, which meets at the company’s events in Argentina, Thailand, the USA and Germany. Further information at: www.food-technologies.messefrankfurt.com.
‘Processed Food Industry’: The Voice of Food Processing Industry
Processed Food Industry (PFI) is a premier English-language monthly B2B publication (ISSN 09721649) headquartered in New Delhi, catering to the vibrant and ever-evolving food processing industry. While we don’t claim to be the largest or most widely read, our proud legacy of over 27 years—publishing continuously since 1997—has earned us the trust of industry professionals as a reliable source of insights and information.
If your goal is to tap into the booming Indian and South Asian markets to promote your equipment, technology, software, or consumables, PFI is your strategic partner. With our hybrid approach across print, web, and social media, we help you establish strong brand recognition rooted in market relevance. Backed by a team of top-tier technical writers, we’re ready to work closely with you and your customers to craft compelling content that drives results.
India and South Asia’s food industry is expanding rapidly, driven by efficiency and cutting-edge innovations. Don’t miss the opportunity to elevate your brand and engage with this dynamic market. Get our 2025 media kit to fine-tune your marketing strategy, increase your visibility, and convert potential customers into valuable conversations. Additionally, ask for a sample copy of our monthly magazine and experience the quality and relevance we deliver.
Let us help you define your role in the future of the food processing industry.

Have a news or topic to share with industry? Write to us editorial@pfionline.com