Meat innovation captures imagination at Anuga
Overall 61 products and concepts were chosen from the 7,000 exhibitors from 108 countries at this year’s show. All of the products have been launched in the last year.
The meat products showcased included Kerry Food’s Fire & Smoke premium cooked hams, Green Isle Bakehouse pulled pork pies and Chicken Gelati Estragon – a chicken-flavoured ice cream from Switzerland.
According to the Anuga Taste 15 jury, providing convenience for consumers was an important trend in product innovation this year while ‘free from’ products also featured heavily in 2015 NPD.
Referencing some of the more unique flavour combinations, such as the chicken ice cream, the jury said: “The consumer is curious about everything new. Everything is possible as long as it tastes nice”.
Outside of the Anuga Taste 15, processors debuted NPD for the sector.
ABP Food Group unveiled its new Tipperary dry-aged beef in Cologne.
Billed as a premium product, the beef comes from cattle that grazed at 53° North, which is described as the world’s optimum latitude for grass production.
The product has also been dry-aged which the company says gives it an advantage as the industry moves towards wet ageing in the bag. Irish Atlantic sea salt is also used in the process, which ABP said purifies the air while it is dry-ageing.
Meanwhile Vion Food focused on tradition as it highlighted regional beef, a pulled pork product and a premium burger initiative at Anuga.
The company unveiled cuts from regions of Germany that are synonymous with beef for its new Hofgold and Aus Liebe zu Bayern retail brands.
Bernd Stange, chief operating officer, said: “We are rediscovering tradition. Simmental cattle in south Germany and Holstein Friesians in the north are at the heart of our regional produce.
“Vion is supplying high-quality local produce to an increasing number of retailers, for example, within the scope of the Regionalfenster initiative, in particular for Lower Saxony.
“Our surveys have indicated that both retailers and consumers want locally produced meat of the highest quality. And we can deliver just that.”
The company also unveiled new products at Anuga that centred around current popular eating trends from the US.
It debuted a pulled pork product and the Homestyle Angus to capitalise on the pulled and premium trends that are coming to Europe from the US.
