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How to Get A Bigger Share of Meat Sales Growth
March 9, 2022
2 Min Read
Photograph courtesy of Meat and Livestock of Australia
Sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia
Amid all-time highs in meat sales—with retail meat department increasing dollar sales by 22% and volume sales by 3.0% over the past 5 years[1]—some sections of the meat case are leading the growth. In particular, meats with sustainable, healthy and natural appeal are selling more.
Grassfed beef is a perfect meat case study, as it brings those benefits to the table that appeal to high-value, big-basket shoppers with upside potential. Attributes such as no antibiotics, no added hormones and humanely raised have broad appeal and move the needle even more for these shoppers. What’s more, these same attributes are equated with sustainability in the minds of the shopper. So, whether the driver for a shopper is health, animal welfare or the environment, retailers can draw them in with grassfed beef’s natural appeal.
What “sustainable meat” means to shoppers[2]:
About half of meat shoppers equate sustainability with how animals are raised and treated.
The top two choices when evaluating sustainability claims are “animals raised without antibiotics/added hormones” and “animal welfare.”
Most importantly, grassfed beef shoppers are putting their money behind these choices:
80% of grassfed beef shoppers have no set budget or are willing to make an exception to try something new.
61% of meat buyers are willing to pay for better quality meat.
It’s important to remind shoppers that sustainable meats, such as grassfed beef from Australia, have built in advantages. Here are three easy steps to capitalize on the surging appeal of grassfed beef:
Make meat prominent. Many meat sections have yet to catch up to consumer demand for higher quality, sustainable offerings like grassfed beef. First and foremost, add assortment and make it easy to find.
Lean into the attributes that matter most. Emphasize the free-form antibiotics and added hormones claims, and make the "grassfed" call-out clear.
Emphasize the fundamentals. Leverage the built-in drivers for meat sales by focusing emphasis on taste, variety and healthfulness.
For help sourcing or marketing grassfed beef from Australia, drop a line to [email protected] or visit https://retail.trueaussiebeefandlamb.com/
[1] 2022 IRI Fresh Market Advantage
[2] Midan Meat Eater Sustainability Study, 2021
