Meat+Poultry - January 2019 - 82

INGREDIENT ISSUES

82

MEAT+ POULTRY | 01.19 | www.meatpoultry.com

"Retailers and brands should keep in
mind that a majority of consumers are
looking for quick-and-easy options, while
continuing to search for products that
provide variety and health benefits to their
households," Stewart says. This includes
managing sodium intake.

SOURCES OF SODIUM
Most further-processed meat and poultry -
those quick-and-easy options today's shoppers
seek out - contain some added sodium. This
includes everything from ready-for-cooking
seasoned pork loin to deli-style luncheon
meats to the fully cooked ground beef used
in frozen burrito bowls. To keep sodium
content down, it is paramount that processors
evaluate all the sources of sodium along with
their functions, as many sodium-containing
ingredients are necessary for the manufacture
of delicious, visually appealing, safe and
affordable products.
The primary source of sodium is salt
chloride, or simply salt, which is used in
brines, marinades and seasonings. Salt is
included directly in batters and breadings,
with the latter often based on chemically
leavened bread crumbs, where the chemical
leavening agent may be a source of sodium,
e.g., sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
Curing agents, namely sodium nitrite,
contribute to total sodium content, as do cure
accelerators such as sodium ascorbate and
sodium erythorbate. Common food safety
ingredients based on acetates and lactates
typically come as a sodium salt. Water-binding
ingredients, specifically phosphates, can be
significant sources of sodium, too. Other
water binders and extenders, such as proteins
and fibers, inherently contain some sodium
and should also be considered in any sodiumreduction effort.
Cost is always a factor when attempting
to reduce sodium content. Many sodiumcontaining ingredients tend to be mainstream,
commodity-priced ingredients, while
their replacements are often value-added
ingredients that come with a higher price
tag. In some instances, multiple ingredients
may be necessary to replace the sodium that's
found in a meat or poultry product. This
may not only increase cost, it adds another
variable into manufacturing procedures and

Armour-Eckrich; John Morrell Food Group

use sub-zero temperatures for
preservation. These products are
increasingly being formulated to
contain lower amounts of sodium,
often times flagging the sodium
per serving on fronts of package.
Meat and poultry suppliers to these
frozen meal manufacturers offer
lower-sodium products to assist in
the label claims.
Convenience is a key driver
for purchases of frozen foods and
provides an ideal vehicle to keep
meat and poultry center of plate.
Twenty-six percent of total US
grocery shoppers are shopping in
the frozen foods department more
frequently than last year. This is
being led by millennials and
households with children,
according to research
from Acosta, Jacksonville,
Florida.
Another reason they are
shopping the category is
for less waste. Thirty-two
percent of shoppers expect
to purchase more in the
frozen food aisle because
they don't spoil as quickly
as fresh foods.
"Frozen food is certainly
its own umbrella category,
but its versatility allows it
to span multiple mealtime
occasions, which is why
there has been a lot of room
for growth and innovation
across items and brands," says
Colin Stewart, senior vice president
at Acosta. "Competition in the
category is heating up as fast-paced
millennials, who often take greater
interest in the health benefits of
food than older generations, look
to frozen as a way to eat well in a
convenient and hassle-free manner."
For millennials, frozen foods are
valuable as quick dinner solutions
(89 percent); convenient lunches (72
percent); convenient breakfasts for
kids (81 percent) and as side dishes
(78 percent).
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Meat+Poultry - January 2019

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