Marinades add life, and challenges, to meat and poultry merchandising
More processors are injecting marinades into meat and poultry to create higher-margin items with added flavor, but operators must adhere to strict guidelines if they are to sustain quality and shopper interest.
The injection of marinades into proteins is adding spice to the often-dry meat and poultry merchandising sector. Many time-starved shoppers and consumers seeking convenient and exciting meals are willing to pay extra for the value-added selections that result in more tasty, juicy, and tender products, analysts note. More retailers, meanwhile, are using marinated meat and poultry as attractive differentiators that generate greater revenues and trigger larger basket sizes.
The share of consumers purchasing valued-added selections, which includes marinated proteins and prepared options like pre-seasoned and pre-cooked meats, rose from 37% in 2016 to 68% in 2021, states the Power of Meat 2021 report. The Power of Meat is published by the Arlington, Va.-based Food Marketing Institute and the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Meat & Poultry Research & Education, and prepared by 210 Analytics LLC, a San Antonio-based market research and marketing strategies firm.