This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Provisioner logo Created with Sketch.
Provisioner logo Slice 2 Created with Sketch.
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Provisioner logo Created with Sketch.
Provisioner logo Slice 2 Created with Sketch.
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Supplier News
    • New Consumer Products
  • Profiles
    • Processor Profiles
    • Processor of the Year
    • Plant of the Year
  • Processing
  • Food Safety
  • R&D
    • Ingredients
    • Formulation
  • Sustainability
  • Packaging
  • Regulations
  • More
    • Top 100 Processors
    • Videos
    • Special Reports
    • Commentary
    • Events
    • Webinars
    • Classifieds
    • White Papers
    • Provisioner Store
    • Market Research
  • Magazine
    • The National Provisioner
    • Independent Processor
    • Digital Editions
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Connect
    • eNewsletters
    • Source Book
  • MIHOF
Home » Bring On The Steak!

Bring On The Steak!

March 1, 2007
Reprints
No Comments

Bring On The Steak!

By Sam Gazdziak, Senior Editor

Steak consumers are hungry for what the country’s meat processors have to offer.

Filet or Flat Iron, with or without antibiotics, seasoned or unseasoned, steaks are still high on the list of Americans’ favorite foods. It’s no wonder, either. Steak is such a versatile meat, and continued work of associations and processors to promote and add value to steaks only broadens that versatility.
Steak goes far beyond the traditional cuts of ribeyes, strips, T-bones and filets. Furthermore, it’s far more than just a dinner entrée. Steve Giroux, vice president of field sales and marketing, Brands Division, for American Foods Group of Omaha, Neb., notes the different cuts being offered on restaurant menus.
“[We have seen] the addition of prime rib sandwiches as the quick-service restaurant, along with several other ‘steak’ type offerings not only for lunch and dinner, but breakfast sandwiches as well,” he points out. “Consumers are always looking for something new to try.”
Processors have also had to deal with changes in the steak sector as the cost of middle meats, where the traditional cuts are found.
“Those have pushed both independent and national chains into looking at some more value-oriented items,” says Pater Bozzo, vice president of Chicago Meat Authority, which almost exclusively caters to the foodservice industry.
Bozzo says that the company does not cut many of the traditional steaks, and it has been successful at offering value cuts. “Customers who maybe had been offering something very traditional on their menu, like a ribeye steak, are now looking at how they can do something with a skirt steak, which is a generally undervalued cut of beef,” he says. Cuts from the sirloin and shoulder clod are also gaining interest.
Retailers are seeing some of those same trends, notes Al Kober, retail director for Certified Angus Beef, of Wooster, Ohio. “Certain muscles from the round and chuck, such as teres major, Flat Iron and Kansas City steaks, are becoming standard steaks in the retail case. Their success is leading the way to new efforts in muscle profiling from high-quality chucks. These cuts will continue to revolutionize how beef is merchandised and how we can best satisfy consumers’ needs for convenience.”
Kent Harrison, premium group brand manager for Sterling Silver® Premium Meats and AngusPride® Premium Beef for Cargill Meat Solutions, of Wichita, Kan., says that consumers are looking for a great eating experience every time they order a steak, which means a tender, consistently sized and great tasting product.
“Cargill recognizes that insight, and as a result, we implemented yield grade requirements for our premium brands and the use of technology to help predict the tenderness of a steak for more consistent programs,” he says.
Natural news
Natural and organic beef continue their upward growth patterns. While their overall sales are relatively small when compared to overall beef sales, natural and organic cuts of meat are moving from a niche in health food grocery stores to a staple of mainstream grocery stores and restaurants alike.
Laura’s Lean Beef may be a natural brand, but it is still mainstream enough to be sold in most of the large chains nationwide. “I have always been interested in providing a healthier beef to all shoppers, not just the customers of the health-food stores,” says Laura Freeman, founder and president of the Lexington, Kent.-based company.
Freeman says that her company’s visibly lean beef helps to attract customers, as does the packaging itself. “The thing that probably stands out most about the look of the product in the meat case is that I’m on the label,” she explains. “There aren’t many other women in this industry, and having my face, for better or worse, on the label really connects with the core grocery shoppers — women.”
Maverick Ranch’s Charlie Moore notes that the popularity of natural and organic meats is carrying over to other sectors. “Since many consumers make a conscious choice to buy natural and organic in grocery stores, they are now requesting it at their favorite restaurants.”
Maverick Ranch, located in Denver, supplies its Maverick Ranch Natural Choice Beef, NaturaLite Beef and Organic Beef to customers ranging from white-tablecloth restaurants to traditional and natural grocers. While the natural and organic segments are still relatively small, their rapid growth has definitely attracted the attention of the largest players.
“As this trend continues to grow in the future, Cargill will collaborate with its customers to create a product that will meet the current needs of its customers,” reports Kent Harrison, premium group brand manager for Sterling Silver® Premium Meats and AngusPride® Premium Beef for Cargill Meat Solutions. “We will continue to watch the natural and organic segments.”

Subscribe to The National Provisioner

Related Articles

Want some veggies with your steak? Omaha Steaks can help

Cheney Brothers serves up triple play steak partnership with Bo Jackson 34 Beef and Grand Western Steaks

New Jack Link’s Beef Steak Strips ‘Raise the Steaks’ for the snack bar category

Lorissa’s Kitchen announces launch of original steak strips

Related Directories

QMS International Inc.

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Connect with The National Provisioner

More Videos

Popular Stories

newsbriefs

Two million pounds of chicken recalled

newsbriefs

JBS USA intends to purchase Pipestone Facility from J&B Group

Collette Kaster, CEO, American Meat Science Association

Q&A with Collette Kaster, CEO, American Meat Science Association

Andy Hanacek Pointing to Fake Meat Tabloid

From the Editor's Desk: 'OK to eat meat' not a new message!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Fact or fiction: Turkey makes you sleepy

The National Provisioner 2019 State of the Industry Report
 
The National Provisioner 2019 Top 100 Meat and Poultry Processors

Events

January 27, 2020

Meat Industry Hall of Fame

Meat Industry Hall of FameThe Meat Industry Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony will recognize the prestigious Class of 2019, on the evening of Jan. 27, 2020, in Atlanta, GA. This Elite Networking Event is co-located with the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).
January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Advances in Meat Processing Technology

Advances in Meat Processing Technology

See More Products

The National Provisioner

The National Provisioner November 2019 Cover

November 2019

Check out the November 2019 issue of The National Provisioner, featuring our cover story on FoodMaven's mission to minimize food waste in the supply chain, the 2020 Consumer Trends Report, and much more.

View More Create Account

Independent Processor

Independent Processor October 2019 Cover

October 2019

Check out the October 2019 issue of Independent Processor, featuring our cover story on Patak Meat Products, the continuing growth of the meat snacks market, and much more.

View More Create Account
  • Proteins
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Chicken
    • Turkey
    • Burgers
    • Sausage
    • Bacon
    • Deli
    • Seafood
    • Lamb / Veal
  • More
    • Want More
    • Partners
    • Food & Beverage Brands
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • List Rental
    • Survey And Sample
    • Privacy Policy
  • Expert Commentary
    • Editors Viewpoint
    • Fight for Food Safety
    • Legislative
  • Advertise With Us
    • The National Provisioner
    • Independent Processor
  • Subscribe

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing