(NewsDakota.com/NorthDakotaAgConnection.com) – North American Bison, LLC, with headquarters in Fargo and a processing plant in New Rockford, was one of the North Dakota companies recently granted an Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) award.

The company was awarded $250,000 to implement X-ray technology at their plant to align with the requirements of large retailers in the U.S. and abroad.

“The marketplace is in higher demand, making sure consumers are safe and the product quality is maintained. The funding was for a quality and safety piece of equipment that was required of large retailers,” said Jim Wells, president and CEO of North American Bison.

Wells explained as the meat is processed, it is run through the X-ray technology machine to make sure there is no foreign material in it.

“It’s just an added safety requirement. Typical processing equipment companies and manufacturers use metal detectors and some visual-type preventative measures,” Wells said. “X-ray technology is the next step, and in essence, it looks at every single piece that’s being handled and processed to make sure there’s no foreign material in it.”

Most people don’t realize the increasing cost of keeping the food supply safe for consumers, Wells explained. North American Bison has stayed on top of acquiring and using the best technology for its consumers to ensure the product is safe for them.

“As a leader in the bison processing industry, we try to make sure we stay on top of the highest standards for quality and safety, and this is just a part of it,” he said.

Since 1993, North American Bison has partnered with independent family ranchers to supply bison for its label, TenderBison. The company is the second-largest supplier of bison in the world, and the product is sold in restaurants and grocery stores worldwide.

“We are owned by family ranchers, so we partner with our independent ranchers for our meat source,” Wells said. “Many of our ranchers are in North Dakota and others are spread throughout the Midwest and Canada. Most of them are primarily bison ranchers that also grow feed or other crops, but some raise both beef cattle and bison.”

Bison is a lower fat and higher protein meat, with zinc and iron. Demand is improving for the meat, he added.