Meat + Poultry - August 2007 - 118

THE INSIDER
Flavor fave
Curry was identified as an emerging flavor trend by researchers from Mintel International, Chicago, during the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting
and Food Expo, held during late July. According to Lynn Dornblaser, director of
Mintel's Chicago office, curry's multi-ethnic flavor profile, which includes both
Asian and Indian influences, give it a platform for worldwide growth.
Product introductions involving curry made up 2.2 percent of all U.S. food
product introductions from 2001-2007, according to Mintel. Sauces and seasonings accounted for 43 percent of the curry launches. Meats and meal centers accounted for another 30 percent of U.S. product launches involving curry.
In the United Kingdom, product launches involving curry accounted for 7.5
percent of all new product rollouts from 2001-2007. Meats and meal centers made
up 53 percent of the U.K. curry launches.
U.S. food manufacturers should check European markets for curry flavor
ideas, says Dornblaser. U.S. manufacturers also may find out what niche players
in the United States are doing with curry. The niche players potentially could be
acquisition targets.

Trend-stopper
The movement toward incorporating functional ingredients for the development
of food products targeting the health and wellness market was on display on the
show floor at last month's Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and
Food Expo. And while yogurt, bread and beverage manufacturers have begun to
focus on the market, the meat and poultry industry has been somewhat quiet.
Part of the problem may be regulatory. While food processors regulated by
the Food and Drug Administration who want to add omega-3 fatty acids to their
products may incorporate a label claim stating "Supportive but not conclusive
research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease," it is unclear if the USDA would allow
such a claim.
The disparity should be a concern for meat and poultry processors, because
the health and wellness category is proving to be a lucrative market for the rest
of the food industry.

PRIME RIBBING

126

MEAT&POULTRY

August 2007

Brought to you by MEAT&POULTRY Magazine
Cartoon by Bob Bliss

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

OVER HERD
"Something like
85 percent of
selective shoppers
don't even know
what they're
having for dinner
an hour before
they have dinner...
We have a lot
of people in our
stores at that time,
so we need to be
able to present
meal solutions."
- John E. Fleming, executive vice
president and chief merchandising
officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in an
interview with The McKinsey Quarterly

Out of the spotlight
The emergence of fresh produce as a
source of foodborne illness may not
be new to the regulatory or academic
communities, but it is to the mainstream
media. As more attention is focused on
produce, less is paid to meat and poultry. Based on comments made during
the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo, that may
not change any time soon.
"Produce is where much of the action has occurred," says Michael Doyle,
food safety expert with the IFT and director of the Center for Food Safety at
the Univ. of Georgia.
In the 25 years preceding 1997, there
were 190 outbreaks of foodborne illness
associated with fresh produce. In the
five years that followed, that number
jumped to 249.
Doyle predicts produce and other
foods from plants will be the dominant vehicles for foodborne illnesses,
accounting for more than 50 percent of
all illnesses currently estimated at more
than 70 million cases a year.

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Meat + Poultry - August 2007

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