Meat+Poultry - February 2019 - 58

PA C K A G I N G S O L U T I O N S

of PRE Brands LLC, a Chicago-based producer
of case-ready grass-fed beef, including steaks,
patties and ground beef.

RESEARCH MATTERS

PRE Brands responded
to consumer demands
by making changes to
its packaging to include
a bigger window to see
the product inside.

MEAT+ POULTRY | 02.19 | www.meatpoultry.com

COOKING LESSONS
In addition to teaching consumers about meat
appearance in modified atmosphere and other
types of case-ready packaging, those who
produce case-ready meats are providing more
information on packages to meet consumers'
demand to know more about how to prepare
and cook products. "The issue now, especially
with younger consumers, is a thirst for
information and that has to do with knowing
the different types of meat, the ways to cook
those types of meat and doing it in an easy
fashion. You're starting to see innovations
in that area, in the way that companies do
case-ready meats," Stein reports.
PRE Brands strives to make preparation
quick and easy for its customers, with a
consistent weight and price of the product
and on-package information. "We're always
going to refine from our learning, and we did
make changes in our packaging style based on
feedback from consumers. For example, we've
changed some of the preparation instructions,"
Lebovich says. Consumers also wanted a bigger
window to see the meat, he says, and like the
fact that the product is propped up in the meat
case, so they can better find it when shopping.
Labels on case-ready products also
increasingly share the "story" of the product,
especially in the organic and natural segments.
"Consumers are thirsty for transparency and
the origins of where food comes from, asking
things like, 'Was the animal treated well?' or
'Does this align with my social and cultural
beliefs?'" Stein says.
There are several examples of case-ready
meats that have shared such stories on their
packages. Laura's Lean Beef, for instance, has
long made a name for itself with its on-package
transparency. Around the holidays, Cargill and
its Honeysuckle White brand used blockchain
technology to allow consumers to access

PRE Brands LLC

58

Although consumer acceptance was once seen
as a barrier to the success of certain caseready packages even a few years ago, people
are becoming more familiar with products
that are not sold in the traditional tray and
overwrap style.
According to the Power of Meat 2018 study
published by FMI, prepared by 210 Analytics
LLC, and supported by Sealed Air's Food Care
Division, the number of consumers who believe
case ready is better than meat cut or packaged
in store grew from 9 percent in 2008 to 25
percent in 2018. Familiarity breeds acceptance:
the report shows that the higher the share
bought from the meat case, the higher the
perception of quality.
Other research supports case-ready trends.
A recent report from Toronto-based Technavio
projects that the market for fresh meat
packaging will have a compound annual growth
rate of more than 3 percent through 2022,
noting that case-ready fresh meat has continued
to grow around the world since 2010.
Stein agrees that acceptance is increasing
for case-ready products like vacuum-packaged
beef. "When consumers first saw case-ready
meat, they resisted it because it didn't look
'right' to them. But when retailers opened the
package and within seconds it oxidized and

had the normal color, their opinion changed.
There was an education of consumers, who are
moving into a trust of case-ready," he observes.
Those who produce case-ready beef agree
that education - along with demonstrations
and sampling - have moved the needle in
acceptance. "We invest in relationships at
the store level with meat managers and
merchandisers, and do everything we can to
educate people," Lebovich says.
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