According to the recent National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) “2010 National Meat Case Study,” whole-muscle beef products are holding their own in the meat case, representing 40 percent of packages at supermarkets and club stores. Whole-muscle products today generally encompass ready-to-eat products, such as cured hams and turkey breasts, which physically take up 37 percent of the case, an increase of 3 percent from 2007.
What’s inside the package has changed tremendously, however, in the past couple years (or will change soon), as consumers demand less sodium, more natural ingredients and marinated enhancements. How are processors handling the delicate balance between consumer requests and marketplace reality?