WE’RE living and working in interesting times – doom and gloom exists in many industries but in the beef and lamb domestic industry I can safely report times aren’t so bad. Sales remain strong at a retail level in spite of what we know about firming farm gate prices – particularly for lamb. Good news all round.
One thing is clear – a lot of energy and commitment to our product and our brand is required – now more than ever.
One of the ways we have responded to the challenging climate is by recognising consumer demand for ‘value’. To that end, we have produced a brochure, ‘Simple tips to make your meat go further’, with endorsement from celebrity cook Allyson Gofton. It provides tips on how to shop cost-effectively and select cooking methods to get the most out of meat. We highlight cuts offering the best value for money, such as mince, schnitzel, chops, chuck, topside steaks and casserole meat. As well as providing recipe ideas, we encourage consumers to talk to their butcher for advice on which cut best suits their family meal.
We expect slow cookers (crock pots) to be popular this year. Cheaper cuts, particularly larger ones such as a bolar roast or silverside, often take longer to cook. ‘Simple tips to make your meat go further’ features a pot roast recipe and details ‘moist heat’ cooking methods, ideal for cheap family meals. We also encourage consumers to make the most of leftovers, giving ideas for how they can make quick, easy meals.
Consumers are also reminded using meat economically offers ‘a lot for a little’. A family of four will obtain 3mg of iron for under $1.50 each from a 500g pack of lean beef mince. This is a quarter of the daily iron needed by growing teenage boys and a fifth for teenage girls. Even the protein in a sirloin steak costs the same as the protein in a can of tuna, gram for gram. It doesn’t hurt to remind the weight-conscious that protein helps us feel full for longer, which is great news for weight control.
With these valuable tips and value-added messages, there is no reason why our consumers cannot continue to enjoy lean beef and lamb three to four times a week as part of a balanced diet. For your own free copy of ‘Simple tips to make your meat go further’, call us on 0800 733 466.
By now, you will hopefully have spotted our new television commercial, which went to air nationwide at the end of April. The feedback to date has been fantastic with people particularly liking the inclusion of new Iron Maiden, BMXer Sarah Walker. Sarah is currently competing in Europe and emails us weekly with her updates – this is a girl set to succeed, that’s for sure.
This is a ‘feel good’ ad in the truest sense and we hope it will touch Kiwi hearts as well as remind consumers what beef and lamb can do. If you’d like a “You’ll get there eating beef and lamb” bumper sticker, please call 0800 733 466.
The Meat & Wool New Zealand 2009 Steak of Origin Final was another great event for our industry and, after being tasted by an All Black legend, a Minister of Parliament and a renowned chef, the country’s best steak was found.
Catherine Withers from Rotorua was Grand Champion with her Piedmontese/Friesian Cross sirloin steak processed at AgResearch Ruakura in Hamilton.
The Supreme Brand Award went to Lake Farm Beef in Cambridge with a Piedmontese Cross from the farm of Don Buchanan in Taumarunui. Congratulations to Neat Meat in Auckland with their AngusPure who won the inaugural Best of Brand Award for Wholesale and Foodservice.
This was the seventh Steak of Origin challenge of its kind, sponsored by PGG Wrightson and Pfizer Animal Genetics.
You may have seen evidence in supermarkets of a mince promotion we recently supported. It was called ‘Mex ‘n’ Match’ and promoted beef and lamb mince alongside Old El Paso Tortillas or Tacos – shoppers needed to buy both together to be in to win a Kia car or a $200 Siesta Spa voucher. It was all about promoting convenience and meal ideas and has been a proven success in the past, lifting mince sales by up to 20 per cent in some cases.
These kinds of joint promotions are both economical and effective for us as a generic company and, with this in mind, we will be launching another major initiative in conjunction with Heinz Wattie’s Ltd later this year.
I want to conclude by paying tribute to an industry icon, Geof Christie, who died last month after a stoic battle with cancer. Geof headed the Meat School at Christchurch Polytechnic for many years and played a significant role in the training of a good number of today’s successful butchers. Over 500 people attended his funeral including the ‘who’s who’ of our wholesale and retail industry – there to recognise a great butcher, chef and person. We’ll miss you, Geof.
* Rod Slater is chief executive of Beef and Lamb New Zealand
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