ALBERTSON'S CONSOLIDATES MEAT-CASE IMAGE

ROSEANNE HARPER

BOISE, Idaho -- Albertson's has rolled out a re-set of its meat cases, complete with its own in-house, designed signs and labels, to help customers decide what cuts to buy and how to cook them.

Using the "Beef Made Easy" guidelines developed by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the giant chain with stores in 38 states has customized its own labels, rail strips and case signs with its brand and colors, and has extended the effort to include veal and lamb as well as beef. Notably, the program includes on-pack cooking instructions for every cut of beef, veal and lamb in the self-service case.

The chain had already separated cuts of meat in the case by cooking method, using their own system that's similar to NCBA's. The cuts are color-coded to indicate the general cooking method -- one color for meats to be roasted, another for those that are good bets for the grill. But the newly conceived program, while retaining the color-code system, takes the idea up a notch with Albertson's blue, peel-back labels on every package that give specific cooking instructions.

"They're the first chain that's looking not just at beef but at the whole meat case, veal and lamb as well as beef, and including cooking instructions for all of them. They're working with manufacturers on pork right now. It's a little more complicated because so much of it is branded," said Maureen Riley, retail manager at Centennial, Colo.-based NCBA.

Launch manuals and kits, complete with photographs of how the meat case should look, and what to do with the labels, have been distributed to 1,711 stores operating under the Albertson's banner.

"The manuals were sent out to all the stores, not just the division managers, and they've designed their own signs and had them printed. It's a huge monetary investment for them. They decided this was going to be a priority for them. They want customers to be able to decide quickly what they want to buy when they're standing in front of the meat case; once they get the meat home, they want them to be able to prepare it correctly," Riley said.

Albertson's had done this to some extent, beginning about two years ago, when they began to color-code and add cooking instructions on cuts of beef and pork that they put on special. Building on that, they've extended the idea to every cut of meat in the self-service case. What's more, sources close to the chain told SN that the meat managers are so pleased with the results of the program that was launched earlier this year that they would like to extend it to the service meat case.

"They put a lot of thought into this program. They wanted to design their own labels. Notice that theirs is not a photograph on the label. Some stores had done that, but Albertson's said, 'Let's hit the customer over the head with this and put 'Cooking Instructions Inside' in big letters instead of a photograph. The customer can't miss it. It was a conscious effort on Albertson's part to make the print large. It's a peel-off label on the corner of the package, and it's triangular so it's obvious it goes in the corner. They also designed a sign that's in the meat case that shows a photograph of a hand peeling the label back on a package to reveal the cooking instructions," Riley said.

They covered all bases to try to get a uniform-looking meat case that truly educates customers about the different cuts of meat and how they are best used. All the meat is packed at store level.

"They've also done a good job of putting it in their ads. And the stores look great. We've done some audits around the country, and we've seen good things and heard consumers saying good things about it."

The earlier program just didn't have the presence and the support this program has, so the customer didn't necessarily know what it meant. Therefore, Albertson's realized it was important to make things clear to the customer. And they're supporting the idea in their ad circulars.

"They're showing a picture of the label in the ad, with a hand peeling back the label, in the meat department's ad. You can tell, too, that they're taking the time to regionalize this program. Some cuts are more popular in different regions of the country. And this isn't so much regional, but a clarification: Albertson's sells a lot of London broil, and they have their label for London broil say 'top round' with London broil in parentheses, just in case the customer doesn't know they're the same thing. I think that shows their commitment to the program."

Jewel and Acme, also owned by Albertson's, are now looking to launch a program based on the one Albertson's is rolling out, Riley said.