Ingredient Focus: Meat & Poultry

News

Canada Beef launches e-learning platform

Canada Beef has announced the launch of Canada Beef E-Learn, an electronic learning platform designed to train food service professionals on its brand. The programme, developed by the technical team at the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence in Calgary, equips people with knowledge of the different cuts of the carcass. Robert Serapiglia, Canada Beef’s director of business innovation, says it would give learners the “confidence required to sell within the highest premium protein category”. Visit www.canadabeef.ca/canada-beef-centre-of-excellence/ to find out more.

MLA responds to growing demand for convenience foods

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is responding to the growing trend for ‘on-the-go’ foods by launching ready-to-eat meal producing vending machines across Australia. The machines, which are being trialled at railway stations and universities across Australia and some locations in Europe, can heat single-serve meals such as lamb meatballs in massaman curry in two minutes. “The vending machines...value-add secondary cuts and provide convenient meals to time-poor consumers,” comments MLA’s Dr David Beatty, international business manager for the MENA region.

BRF founds halal-focused Dubai subsidiary

Brazilian meat and poultry giant BRF has launched a subsidiary dedicated to the halal market. OneFoods — previously called Sadia Halal — is headquartered in Dubai. Patrick Rohner, who is currently BRF general manager in MENA, will lead it. It has operations in more than 40 countries across MENA, Europe and Asia. Speaking about the new company, Pedro Faria, BRF’s global CEO, says: “By creating a local company to consolidate our operations in Islamic markets, we moved further up the production chain to get closer to our consumers, which should support the accelerated growth of OneFoods. The subsidiary’s operations are fully integrated, which gives OneFoods a unique position in terms of production costs compared to its competitors.”

Products

Food Source unveils Mulwarra grain-fed black Angus beef

A new meat range from Food Source is produced from “carefully selected, prime quality” black Angus cattle sourced from the east coast of Australia and grain fed for 120 days on selected rations, to produce a slightly marbled and tender meat. The 100% black Angus cattle is chemical, antibiotic and HGP-free, raised under stress-free conditions to ensure optimum shelf life and meat quality.

Tegel Chicken launches new rashers

Tegel Chicken has introduced a chicken rasher product, which it says is the answer to chefs looking to get the “crisp in their bacon”. “We’ve got chefs using this in everything from a five-star breakfast buffet to gourmet burgers and salads. For the health junkies out there, it is also a much healthier alternative to beef and veal bacon,” reports Katie King, Tegel Chicken’s regional manager for the Middle East.

New halal beef Jerky from Midamar

Midamar is responding to the demand among consumers for protein-based snacks with the launch of a halal beef jerky. The firm said the gluten-free and carb-free snacks “keep people fuller for longer”. The jerky contains no MSG, no organ meat, and no fillers. “Individual packets make Midamar Halal Beef Jerky a convenient snack for packed lunches, travelling, or anytime consumers want a savoury treat,” comments Sara Sayed, director of marketing and communication, Midamar.

Operations

Quality is key

Today’s consumers are savvier than ever, knowing exactly what they want from their food. In short, they know quality when they see it.

Greater knowledge of meat cuts and types means the demand placed upon suppliers is evolving. And with the millennial consumer putting pressure on breeders for more natural and organic offerings, it means cheap, mass-produced, low-quality poultry and meat is quickly going out of fashion.

“They [consumers] look for fresh products, free from hormones and artificial treatments to tenderise the meat. Simply cooked good food still is in high demand. What you cook should be understood by the guests,” asserts Mohammad Iqbal, JW’s Steakhouse’s chef de cuisine.

Dr David Beatty Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA)’s international business manager for the Middle East and North Africa region, agrees that high-quality meat is “so important in today’s world as consumers demand consistency in their eating experience”.

He says the quality in Australian meat comes from the way it is raised.

“Australian cattle, sheep and goats are predominantly grass-fed, which produces low marbling and a valuable source of omega-3, after fish. However, our industry also has the ability to produce a wide range of products thanks to our varying seasonal conditions in northern and southern Australia — from grass-fed to Wagyu, organic and free-range beef and lamb. Our meat is certainly a product of its environment.”

But as well as country of origin, what the animal is fed and the environment in which it is raised “translates directly into the quality of the food which is served on the customer’s plate,” argues Armel van Erck, Aramtec’s head of foodservice division, and Manoj Madhavan, Aramtec’s meat and poultry category manager.

Turkish restaurant Günaydın, which recently opened in Dubai, is one outlet that has gone as far as procuring its meat from its own farm in the Balikesir-Gonen region of Turkey in order to maintain consistency of quality. A spokesman said: “We protect this farm from diseases by not accepting animals from other farms. In order to offer high quality and delicious meat, we make sure that the cattle carefully raised on our own farm are cut, aged, cooked and presented in the right manner.”

Shortages and pricing issues

Of course, quality comes at a price. According to an August 2016 report from Merricks Capital, Australian cattle prices reached an all-time record high, namely due to tighter cattle availability. Aramtec says Australian mutton is likely to be challenging in terms of availability through to the end of August, and if any is available, it will be at a premium. And while Canadian beef prices are falling after reaching a 30% record high, the fall is gradual. Statistics Canada reports the average retail price for one kilogram of round steak was C$19.09 (US$14.51) in June 2015 and fell to C$18.31 ($13.92) in June 2016.

With much of the region’s meat being imported, it means food outlets are faced with additional costs on top of already high prices.

“This is a challenge for a lot of chefs in the emirate to create value for money,” says Clive Pereira, head chef at Dubai steakhouse West 14th.

“Good quality products with a good price is every chef’s dream, as a lot of joy to the customer comes through value for money pricing.”

Heavy reliance on imports also means chefs can struggle to get exactly what they want when they need it.

Brian Voelzing, The Hide’s head chef, says chefs are at the mercy of suppliers who themselves are at the mercy of logistics procedures in order to get what they want on time.

“Sometimes an item will sell all night and you run out knowing you won’t receive another delivery for three days. The opposite can happen when you order more stock thinking you’re going to sell and you don’t,” he shares.

It is not all gloom and doom, however. Such price pressures and supply shortages have forced chefs to think creatively, as MLA’s Beatty explains.

“With rising prices for red meat being experienced globally, there’s no doubt foodservice and retail trends have to adapt — exploring the versatility of alternate cuts over the traditional premium-priced ‘steaking’ cuts,” he reports.

At JW’s Steakhouse, this has resulted in the promotion of lesser known — or popular — cuts, Iqbal reveals: “Due to heavy usage of the primary cuts of beef — tenderloin, striploin and ribeye — we have experienced a shortage of supplies of these in the market in the past.

“For the JW’s Steakhouse, we had some initial challenges in getting the same brand of the full-blooded Japanese premium Wagyu beef. As the suppliers keep changing the brands, we had some issues with our offerings. We got around this by creating a menu section called the ‘steak of the month’, where we feature the best available cuts within the price range irrespective of any particular brand or origin.”

Competition is rife

Chefs having to think creatively has opened up menus far beyond what guests could have imagined. But while there is now lots on offer — not only in terms of different meats and poultry and the way they are cooked, but also the variety of cuts — individual restaurants have had to up their game to be able to stand out among competitors.

Inevitably, food outlets are putting pressure on their suppliers to offer them the best of the best.

Iqbal says the “success story” behind the entry of Australian beef into the UAE has prompted companies from neighbouring New Zealand to grow their market presence with a meat range of “equally good quality”. He tells Caterer that “this will increase competition but definitely allow more choice”.

Sara Sayed, Midamar’s director of marketing and communication, says consumers, particularly millennials, are willing to experiment, which creates a huge opportunity for poultry suppliers to introduce new items, such as bison and duck.

Competition is not necessarily negative as it promotes the education of the industry. The more restaurants that begin to educate customers on secondary cuts, for example, means less of the carcass is wasted and as a result costs to the industry are lowered.

Top trends

Clued-up consumers

The internet has brought with it a new challenge for restaurateurs and food manufacturers. Consumers have access to information about the food they consume at the tap of a button. Food outlets are increasingly scrutinised on social media and manufacturers quizzed on an open forum about what goes into their products and how ingredients are sourced.

“There are several buzzwords at the moment associated with meat which include ‘sustainability’ and ‘traceability’, particularly in more affluent markets where people are becoming more concerned and interested in where their food comes from,” explains Angus Winterflood, general manager, Food Source International.

“As suppliers, we need to adapt and provide products sourced responsibly and with a degree of traceability to our customer base,” he adds.

Today’s consumer is keen to know the animals are raised in a humane way and are free from chemicals and antibiotics. “Unfortunately many cattle and poultry farms around the world are not humanely raised and it has definitely made an impact on the way restaurants and consumers buy their products,” explains The Hide’s Voelzing. “Most restaurants and the general public are becoming very environmentally aware and look for natural and sustainable products.”

Healthy is happy

Consumers today are also increasingly health conscious. Natural and organic products are growing in demand, as is the call for less processed or ‘clean’ foods.

Pereira from Dubai’s West 14th reveals that the outlet’s customers want to know dishes contain ingredients sourced reliably, grown under healthy, supplement-free conditions.

“We have noticed a huge drop in demand for processed foods in the market,” he reports.

The move toward ‘better-for-you’ products has prompted a rise in poultry product sales according to JW’s Steakhouse’s Iqbal.

“Poultry is the protein for the health-conscious customers. We see that corn-fed, free-range/cage-free and organic chicken meat is gaining popularity as customers want to know where the meat is coming from. Spring chicken and chicken meat from local poultry farms are also in demand,” he reveals.

Rise of the underdog

From tenderloin to fillet and rib-eye, every cut has its day. Now it is the turn of the lesser-known cuts. “Lots of secondary cuts are now being used and many chefs are creating more dishes using nose to tail cooking,” says Voelzing.

“I think consumers have become much more open to the idea of eating offal and not-so-popular cuts because it means the whole animal has gone to good use,” the chef reasons.

Cuts including brisket, flank, rump and shoulder blade are enjoying the limelight thanks to this new push. “If the manufacturers are able to sell these ‘not-so-popular’ cuts as much as they sell the popular cuts, then the price of beef would come down comparatively,” remarks Iqbal.

In poultry too, chefs are eager to promote the lesser known — or consumed — birds. “Game birds are not very well received in the Middle East due to strong flavour profiles,” asserts Pereira.

He continues: “Arranging for products that are not widely used in the market can only be done if your supplier believes that it can be sold. With that in mind, I think some offal will become popular in 2017.”