Scott EilertScott Eilert receives 2018 Signal Service Award and named AMSA Fellow

American Meat Science Association announces that Dr. Scott Eilert has been named an AMSA Fellow and is a recipient of the 2018 AMSA Signal Service Award. The AMSA Signal Service Award was established in 1956 and is given to members in recognition of devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry and to the association. The Signal Service Award is sponsored by Cargill, Elanco Animal Health, and Johnsonville, LLC. Dr. Eilert will be honored at a special awards banquet at the AMSA 71st Reciprocal Meat Conference on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dr. Eilert, was raised on a grain and cow/calf farm near Beloit, Kansas. He was one of eleven children and has been involved with agriculture from a very young age. Dr. Eilert earned his B.S. degree at Kansas State University and participated on the 1988 Meat Judging Team. He then obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Meat Science from University of Nebraska – Lincoln. During his time in Nebraska, Dr. Eilert focused on the functional usage of collagen in meat products and the improvement of protein functionality by use of high ionic strength preblends.

Dr. Eilert began his career at Cargill in 1995 as the Pork Research Manager and shortly after became the Director of Pork and Case Ready Research and Development. In 2003, he was named Vice President of Cargill Meat Technology Development and oversaw research and development activities for Cargill’s North American Animal Protein businesses. In this role, he was part of a team that oversaw the design, building and implementation of Cargill’s Innovation Center in Wichita, Kansas. Shortly after he moved into a food safety leadership role to oversee food safety, quality, and regulatory management of the Cargill Turkey and Cooked Meat business. He has recently accepted a new role as Quality Leader for Cargill’s Protein Group.

During his career, Dr. Eilert has been part of several teams that have achieved significant technical contributions to the meat and poultry industries. He was part of a multi-company effort to gain the regulatory approval for the use of carbon monoxide in case ready packaging. He was also part of teams that dramatically improved the quality of fresh and enhanced pork. More recently, he has been a part of a team that helped shift how the poultry industry and regulatory groups protect public health.

Dr. Eilert joined AMSA in 1989, since then he has served on the Board of Directors and as President in 2013. Currently, he is a member of the AMSA Foundation Board of Trustees. Dr. Eilert’s belief is that one of the primary purposes of AMSA is to develop the skills and talents of our future industry, academic, and regulatory leaders. He has also served other industry organizations as the Chair of the Technical and Regulatory Committee for the National Turkey Federation and the Chair of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) Scientific Affairs Committee.

Article and photo courtesy of AMSA.
Source: https://go.unl.edu/52or