1. Natural meat – Consumer skepticism fueled by the staggering increase in recalls will drive more of them to ‘all natural’ meats – no additives, no artificial ingredients, sustainably produced, grass-fed, raised next door by a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sunday - you get the idea.Make it real, make it transparent and, whatever you do, don’t reduce it to just another marketing slogan.By the way, exactly what is ‘unnatural’ meat?
2. Health specific – Specialized nutrition goes main stream as an aging population finds itself actually requiring it.Bottled water got injected with caffeine and vitamins.Yogurt was inoculated with ‘good’ bacteria to promote better colonic health.Meat, especially what we currently call ‘processed’ meat, will go down that same rapidly expanding nutritional highway.Bologna with calcium added for little old ladies worried about bone density?Hey, it worked for the Florida orange juice crowd!
3. Greener Than Thou – Major food and beverage manufacturers are jockeying for marketing positions that will give consumers the impression that their businesses are carbon-conscious, whatever that means. Build a story about how your chicken and cattle are low impact campers or your packaging is environmentally sensitive and you’ll have to call in rent-a-cops to manage crowd control in front of your products in the meat case.
4. Functional Foods – New technologies make it possible to make healthier products in new categories. Consumers shudder at the thought of taking too many pills but they’ll line up to eat foods that promise the same pharmaceutical advantage.Probiotics in yogurt and anti-oxidants in cranberry sauce are two examples.Why take an iron pill for your anemia problem when you can get the same health advantage from 6 ounces of red meat?It’s time to redefine terms here:‘health specific’ adds something to the product; functional foods promotes the benefits already in the product.
5. Nostalgia–on-a-plate – Aging consumers are longing to return to times when things were simpler and they still had a full head of hair.It’s a “Back to the Future” thing for aging hippies.Give them what they loved in the Fifties and Sixties – the meatloaf and pot roast Momma used to make - and they’ll thank you with their wallets.Think of it as blue hairs in search of blue plate specials.
6. Lifestyle products – Brands positioned as part of a way of life will grab a bigger share of market.Want a piece of the back-to-nature crowd?Give them a meat product in a package they can toss in their backpacks and take into the woods.Try to think several steps beyond beef jerky, though.Aiming at the self-important, on-the-go crowd that doesn’t have the time to do even the simplest meal prep?How about an individually wrapped hot dog in a bun, ready to pop into the microwave?It was a surprise marketing hit this past summer.Maybe put it in a self-heating package next?
7. Brand partnering – Look across the aisle in the supermarket for your next business partner.Jamba Juice did it when they entered into a licensing agreement with Nestlé and Kraft did it when they peered down the corporate hallway and created Lunchables a decade ago – Oscar Mayer teamed with Ritz, Butterfingers and Capri Sun to create a mutually beneficial sales bonanza.Can a niche producer of prepared meats team up with a small produce company and a pasta company to put a triple-branded meal in the meat case or next to the frozen pizzas?It’s the way people actually buy dinner components today but maybe note the way they’ll do it next year, especially if you can give them convenience AND quality.It’s a very warm idea that should get hotter.
8. Locavorism – Thanks to Al Gore, environmental sensitivity will explode and it feeds right into the eating locally movement.Getting fresh berries in January from Chile does seem like a waste of precious fuel, just like lamb from New Zealand, ground beef made with trim shipped in from Australia and Prosciutto from Italy.Maybe those protectionists at R-CALF have a point, after all.They’re just not playing the right tune.Here in Kansas City, we’ve got access to excellent ‘locally grown’ beef just an hour down the highway, lamb from Denver, and Burgers' Ozark Country Cured Hams is just east of here.
9. Heat-and-eat is the new ‘scratch’ cooking – For Sunday dinner, grandma grabbed the first rooster that ran by her outstretched hand. A little ax and knife work, some feather plucking and a few hours in a wood-fired stove put a meal on the table.Mom went down to the corner butcher and picked up a New York dressed hen.My wife picks up boneless chicken breasts.My daughter grabs something at Boston Market.Can you see the direction we’re heading in basic food prep?If you’re in the meat business and aren’t planning to do almost all the cooking for the next generation, plan on being out of business.
10. Full fat feeding – My friend Gary Malenke is in the pork business which meant dealing with Yorkshires, Hampshires, and Durocs.A few years ago, he noticed the trend toward healthier, low-fat pork had produced a dry and almost taste-free ‘all white meat.’Today, Mr. Malenke has a nice business selling pork from Berkshires, full fat hogs like my grandma used to raise (see point 9).The Boston Globe called these little piggies “. . . a heritage breed, the livestock equivalent of heirloom tomatoes.” Foodies, more concerned about taste than health, are driving this counter-trend.