Meat + Poultry - May 2007 - 27

DELI REPORT

been drawn in the sand," she explains.
"When restaurants started getting complaints from customers that it wasn't
easy to stop in for take-out, the restaurants converted several parking spaces
near the door just for take-out customers. That made it easy for pick-up but,
more than that, it sent a message to all
of their customers including the dinein customers. It said that they understood their needs, that take-out was
an important part of their business
and they could satisfy the consumer's
need for speed."
Restaurants and supermarkets are
vying for that same diner or share of
the food dollar. The shopper has to decide if they want to eat in a restaurant
or stop at a supermarket. "For the consumer to make that time commitment,
the store has to have a great reputation for delivering quality foods," says
Christison. "That's what makes the hassle worth it."
One of the biggest issues facing the
meat, and other perishable food industries, is the need for a single, integrated
solution to adopting standardized codes
for fresh foods.
"The packaged goods side of the
industry is able to track product much
more efficiently and accurately than the
perishable categories," responds Christison. "Those standards are not widely used by random weight or variable
measure items. Certainly not at the level
that would allow the industry to quickly
and efficiently track or recall items from
the source to the consumer."
There are many groups working on
a way to identify products, not just in
North America but all over the world. "A
standard identification system will improve data synchronization, take costs
out of the supply chain, and will touch
growers, processors, foodservice, retail
and the consumer," she says.
The key to an international identifying system is the adoption of Global Trade Item Numbers. "The process
starts with educating all of the players
and identifying the challenges that are
in the current system and possible solutions for adopting a universal number30

MEAT&POULTRY

May 2007

"Consumers see paying a little extra for organic or
natural products as a way of showing how much
they care about their family and what they eat."
ing system," she continues. For example,
you could talk to five different retailers
and each could have their own unique
numbering system for random weight
or variable measure products. Currently,
there are industry guidelines and recommendations but there's no one governing body or mandatory system. For
such a system to be adopted, pilot studies need to be done to show how it will
improve product delivery and make a
business case for adoption.

Looking ahead
In the next five years, Christison predicts
that consumers will see a lot more extremes - from flavor to sizes to marketing to convenience. Flavors and ingredients will be bolder with ethnic blends
and cross-cultural combinations. At the
same time, comfort foods - extreme or
otherwise - will continue to fill an important niche but look for bolder flavors
there, too. The health and wellness category will blossom into other catego-

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ries as consumers seek new foods to
satisfy their mental as well as physical
hunger. Natural and organic categories
will gain ground as consumers seek to
protect themselves and their families by
buying foods that meet their perception of fresh, wholesome and clean. She
contends that clean will be common as
people look for clean products, clean
labels, etc. Green is the color of the decade because companies not only need
to save money but they want to protect
future generations by being good conservators of natural resources.
Lately, environmental issues have taken center stage and sounded a wake-up
call for corporations and consumers to
take action. "Consumers are watching
what corporations are doing and that
sense of social responsibility will play
a major role in their future shopping
decisions," she says.
We would like to hear from you - to comment on
this story or to request reprints, contact us by
e-mail at: meatpoultry@sosland.com.

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Meat + Poultry - May 2007

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