A new podcast series is vowing to shine a light on the Australian meat industry.
Called Chiller room secrets: The stories behind the Australian meat industry’s quest for perfection, the series isn’t true crime, investigative or a reveal-all.
Instead, it’s an attempt by the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association to talk up their trade — meat grading and judging.
The first episode, titled Jason Strong, was released on Spotify on January 19 and features Meat & Livestock Australia managing director Jason Strong.
ICMJ president Peter McGilchrist said Mr Strong’s story was the perfect starting point for the series.
“We wanted to kick off the podcast series with a bang and Jason’s personal story really tracks alongside the story of the development of the broader meat grading and judgment movement,” Dr McGilchrist said.
“He went on a tour of the US as a young man and decided he wanted to be a meat grader, but when he came back to Australia he found the system didn’t exist yet.”
Mr Strong said he was happy to be the first cab off the podcast rank.
“My professional life has been committed to the red meat and livestock industry and the ICMJ really helped set the foundation for my career,” he said.
Upcoming episodes will include MLA corporate chef Sam Burke, meat scientist David Pethick, Australian Country Choice’s Paul Gibson and American meat scientist Tom Carr.