Chapter 7

• What changes did IBP introduce to the meatpacking industry?

IBP opened a large plant in Dakota City, Nebraska. This plant not only slaughtered the cattle, but came up with a process of "fabricating" them into smaller cuts of meat. Instead of shipping whole sides of meat like The Jungle, IBP shipped the smaller cuts in vacuum-sealed and plastic wrapped boxes. This new way of marketing beef enabled supermarkets to fire most of their skilled, unionized butchers. IBP was then left with a ton of leftover bones, blood, and scrps of meat that were then used for things such as dog food. This whole new process of marketing kept the company making tons of money, because of handing out low wages, and firing a lot of workers.

• Why were newer meat packing plants located in rural areas rather than in cities?

IBP was among the first companies to notice that immigrants were willing to work for lower pay than American citizens would. Companies then started moving their plants into more rural areas because there were more immigrants living there than in cities. More immigrants started coming down to work for these companies, and the more money the companies would make.