Exploring categorywatching - Meat & Poultry

Following the launch of our latest service on the trendshub, categorywatching, where we take a look at what's happening from a different perspective to within foodwatching, drinkswatching and healthwatching, the latest report is out - covering Meat & Poultry. As well as the 15 mega trends, opportunity areas and hundreds of trend manifestations, we're sharing a couple of interesting take outs with you:

A New Frontier

The rise of flexitarianism combined with forecasted world protein shortages by 2050, means that a future where meat and meat-free coexist is envisioned. It's not just retailers merchandising vegan products alongside meat, one of the largest US meat companies (Tyson) has invested in lab-grown meat, while butcher restaurants are even holding meat free days.

Despite health concerns around red & processed meat being linked to cancer there is also, at the other end of the spectrum, unapologetic celebration of meat in its rawest form. Eating 'On the Bone' feels somehow less manufactured and takes us back to simpler times, taking us one step closer to the farm or the wild! From tomahawk steaks to dry aged rib roasts, along with transparency as to where meat has come from eating meat on the bone is being celebrated.

e.g. Smoked Whole Plate Short Ribs, carved tableside – Majordomo, LA

Offal On

Thanks to a heightened awareness of, and move away from, food waste nose to tail eating is firmly on the agenda. Two hangar steaks weigh approximately two pound each but come from an animal weighing approximately two hundred and thirty pounds! The focus is now on ethical consumption, whereby nothing is wasted. However, although offal is often the tastiest of cuts it is also the least attractive sounding. We are therefore likely to see more creativity with offal, blending it with mainstream formats (such as burgers or pate) to make it more palatable for some consumers.

e.g. The Best Burger: Marrow blended with steak – Marks & Spencer, UK

Premium Convenience

Arriving home at 8.00pm doesn't always bode well for a meal cooked from scratch. Busy lives mean that consumers don't always have time to cook, however, often don't want to compromise on authentic ingredients or lose out on the cooking experience completely. From ready-to-cook deboned duck, to thinner cuts of steak – the quicker to cook and easier to replicate the experience of eating out the better. As accompaniments become hero there is an opportunity to combine new sauce offerings with ready to cook meat. Sauces such as banana ketchups and fresh chimichurri enhance flavour and introduce international tastes. The wilder and more natural the ingredients the better as fresh ingredients within rubs and sauces help to add to the backstory behind the meat.

e.g. Yakitori Quarter Chooks, Cannings Butcher, Melbourne, Australia

Find out more about categorywatching as a whole service, and the Bakery report over on the tfptrendhub. If you're not yet subscribed, get in touch to find out about joining and all the benefits to you.