From Philly Steak to Gyros: One Platform for Multiple Shaved Meat Applications

Shaved meat products have become a staple across foodservice and retail markets. From Philly steak and gyros to shawarma and Italian beef, consumer demand continues to drive growth across a wide range of applications.

For processors, meeting that demand requires balancing production speed, product consistency, labor utilization, and accurate portion control.

Although the finished products differ in flavor profiles, seasonings, and regional traditions, the production challenges behind them are remarkably similar. Processors must deliver consistent slice quality, maximize throughput, reduce labor dependency, and maintain portion accuracy to meet customer expectations and remain profitable.

Because global meat data is typically reported by protein rather than product format, shaved meat is difficult to measure as a standalone category. Broader trends nevertheless point to a large, evolving market. The OECD-FAO projects global meat consumption to reach approximately 412 million metric tons by 2035, up 12 percent from its base period, although growth is expected to slow compared with the previous decade. Beef consumption is projected to rise 8 percent and sheep meat 20 percent, with demand increasingly shaped by regional preferences, pricing, and changing consumer habits.

One Platform for Multiple Shaved Meat Applications

As consumer preferences evolve and product portfolios expand, processors are increasingly challenged to support multiple shaved meat products within the same facility. A line producing Philly steak today may need to produce gyro meat or Italian beef tomorrow.

Originally developed for Philly steak production, the platform has since proven itself across a broad range of shaved meat applications. Today, the ProSpeed™ Philly Steak & Shaved Meats System supports a wide variety of thin-sliced products beyond its Philly steak origins, from shawarma and kebab to bulgogi and other regional specialties.

Investing in flexible processing equipment allows processors to adapt to changing customer demands without adding unnecessary complexity to the production floor.

Rather than implementing separate solutions for each product, a single platform can support multiple shaved meat applications while maintaining consistency, efficiency, and product quality.

By combining slicing, interleaving, stacking, and automation enhancements into a single integrated platform, the ProSpeed Philly Steak & Shaved Meats System helps processors streamline production while giving them room to adapt as product portfolios and customer requirements change.

Consistency Through Precision Slicing and Portion Control

Product consistency is one of the most important factors in shaved meat production. Variations in slice thickness can affect portion weights, product appearance, cooking performance, and overall customer satisfaction.

As production volumes increase, even small inconsistencies can compound over the course of a production run, affecting yield and profitability. Achieving repeatable results requires both precise control throughout the slicing process and equipment capable of delivering consistent performance shift after shift.

Automated slicing systems help processors reduce variability while improving repeatability from batch to batch.

While precision slicing establishes the foundation for product consistency, maintaining accurate portion weights is equally important throughout the production process.

Even small variations in portion weights can result in product giveaway over time.

Integrated quality control solutions, such as inline checkweighing, verify portion weights and identify off-spec portions before they reach packaging, improving yield and enabling processors to meet customer specifications more consistently.

Addressing Labor and Throughput Challenges

Labor availability continues to be a challenge across the food processing industry, but the conversation is no longer just about headcount.

Processors are equally focused on improving worker safety, reducing physically demanding tasks, and making better use of the workforce they already have.

In shaved meat production, manually loading frozen product logs into a slicer is a repetitive and strenuous task. As production volumes increase, the physical demands placed on operators can impact efficiency, ergonomics, and overall workflow.

To help address these challenges, the AutoLoader for the ProSpeed Philly Steak & Shaved Meats System automates product loading, reducing manual handling of frozen product logs and allowing operators to focus on higher-value responsibilities throughout the operation.

By maintaining a continuous supply of product to the slicer, the AutoLoader helps reduce interruptions and maintain consistent throughput.

The result is a safer, more efficient production environment with fewer interruptions and a steadier flow of product to the slicer.

Building for Future Growth

The ProSpeed Philly Steak & Shaved Meats System provides a single platform capable of processing multiple shaved meat applications, giving processors the flexibility to respond to changing customer demands and pursue new opportunities without sacrificing efficiency or product quality.

As processors look for ways to improve throughput, reduce labor dependency, and maintain product consistency, automation continues to play an increasingly important role.

From Shaved Meat Processing to a Total Line Solution

Pacproinc is part of Midera, formerly Middleby Food Processing – a global food processing platform that brings together more than 30 leading brands and specialized expertise across protein, bakery, and snack production.

For shaved meat processors, Midera’s capabilities can extend beyond slicing and portioning to support preparation, thermal processing, chilling and freezing, conveying, automated loading, washing and sanitation, and retail or foodservice packaging.

Looking at these processes as one connected line can help processors identify opportunities to improve throughput, yield, labor utilization, sanitation, and overall equipment effectiveness rather than optimizing each machine in isolation.

To learn more about the ProSpeed™ Philly Steak & Shaved Meats System, contact the Pacproinc team. To explore Midera’s Total Line Solutions, from raw material preparation through final packaging and facility automation, visit Midera.com.