Meat + Poultry - May 2005 - 67

ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS

FSI INSIGHTS

By Suzanne B. Bopp
Food Systems Insider

TOP ENTRÉES
UNCHANGED
■ The top 10 lunch and
dinner entrées consumed
by Americans have
remained relatively unchanged during the past
several decades, says the
American Meat Institute,
reporting on findings by
market research firm The
NPD Group. The top
entrée item is a sandwich,
followed by chicken, beef,
Italian food, homemade
variety dish, pork/ham,
pizza, frozen dinners,
seafood and soup.
FAVORITE FOODS
■ About 30 percent of
women declare fruits,
vegetables and salads as
their favorite foods, and
25 percent of men identify red meat as their top
choice, according to a
Grocery Manufacturers
of America consumer
survey.
EATING RESPONSIBLY
■ MediaPost
reports that
83 percent of
American consumers believe
that eating
responsibly and
controlling
obesity is the
responsibility
of individuals.

Functional foods
present possibilities
■ A University of Kentucky study found
that consumers say they will spend more
money for dairy products with higher
levels of
conjugated
linoleic acid,
which has
cancer-fighting properties.
Study participants, who
also participated in a taste
test, indicated
that they
would pay, on average, 41 cents per gallon more for high-CLA milk, 38 cents per
pound more for high-CLA butter and 15
cents per 8-ounce cup more for high-CLA
yogurt. The results are part of a larger
study that examined value-added opportunities for dairy producers in the region.
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

FSI TRENDS

APPLE YARD FARMS

KARL SCHATZ/Yearofthegoat.net

are appearing on former Kentucky
tobacco farms and on dairy farms that
have gone under. The more profitable
goat has even edged out cattle on some
Texas ranches. "It's probably one of the
few growth industries in agriculture,"
Bloomer says.
Some ranchers have success running
both goats and cattle. "In the pasture,
there's an advantage to mixing, if you
can rotate them," Schatz says. "Goats eat
weeds first. Cows eat grass first."
Goats can also make use of a small
acreage, or
one not
designed
for heavy
cultivation.
They require less
capital
investment
and equipment than
other livestock; they
are easy
to handle. For all of these reasons, they
offer, in some cases, an easier way to get
into agriculture. "There are lots of women in the goat world," Schatz says. "The
beginning of the artisanal-goat-cheese
movement was all women."
Bloomer prefers goats for other reasons. "They have more personality, they
are more individual compared to the
flock mentality of sheep," she says. Goats
are also more flexible as far as breeding,
and the turnover is faster, so "there are
many more marketing options," she says.
And they seem to be finally getting
their day in this country. "Ten years ago,
we'd do a demonstration of a new product in a store and people would be backing away when they heard the word
goat," Bice recalls. "Now they're lined up
to try it. To see that change in my lifetime
is wonderful."

Another white meat
■ Rabbit meat, widely accepted as food
in Europe, is increasing in popularity at
upscale U.S. restaurants. Sales for one
Michigan supplier have grown from 20
to 30 rabbits per month five years ago to
100 to 200 per month today, reports the
Detroit Free Press. "American food is going through this great growth period,"
said chef Brian Polcyn in the article. "As
young culinarians develop skills, they are
looking for new ingredients, so everything old is new again."

Meat + Poultry - May 2005

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