Meat+Poultry - April 2022 - 8

COMMENTARY
For the love of meat
Many of us were disappointed when
the Annual Meat Conference was
canceled this past February. It seemed
as if the conference was going to be
able to occur, after a virtual version in
2021, and regular attendees like myself
were anxious to meet up in person to
learn about the retail meat landscape
from the great lineup of speakers,
taste some great new products at the
popular Tasting Reception and most
of all, to hear Anne-Marie Roerink,
president of San Antonio, Texas-based
210 Analytics, give her annual Power of
Meat presentation.
Unfortunately, the conference was
canceled for another year. Even though
health and safety precautions were in
place, conference organizers decided
to cancel the event after a large number
of the retailer attendees canceled
their plans to attend because of the
ongoing supply chain and distribution
challenges they were facing. Thankfully,
even though we all missed out on the
in-person interaction and camaraderie
we get from the Annual Meat
Conference, we didn't have to miss out
on finding out about the latest findings
from the Power of Meat report.
One of the most powerful findings
reported in this year's virtual report
was that 98.5% of American households
said that they purchase meat - and
74% of Americans describe themselves
as meat eaters. At a time when there
is so much publicity about alternative
proteins on the market, it often seems
as if Americans are boycotting meat.
But the Power of Meat study confirmed
that isn't the case.
The study asked participants which
best describes the way they eat:
* Meat eater - meat or poultry is
consumed most days of the week;
* Flexitarian - follows a plant-foward
diet, but meat and poultry are
consumed three or four days a week;
* Other - vegetarian, pescatarian
or vegan.
The share of consumers that
consider themselves meat eaters was
74% in the 2022 study (71% in 2021).
Fewer people described their diet as
flexitarian, while the share of vegans/
vegetarians was only 6%.
" Those who have some questions
regarding the consumption of meat and
poultry wonder if they can do better
relative to meat and health, the planet,
animal welfare or social responsibility, "
Roerink said. " Yet, cultured meat is
not the answer with 71% not willing
to try it or neutral. Plant-based meat
alternatives are not the answer with
household penetration of 11% and sales
of less than half a billion in refrigerated
plant-based meat alternatives. "
Roerink concluded that the best
strategy for the meat industry to use
to keep consumers eating meat is to
maintain positive messaging.
" The best answer remains
transparency: learning about the who,
what, where and how of the meat
and poultry they buy. This is a big
opportunity for meat to showcase
all the progress made in the areas
of planet, animal welfare, social
responsibility and all the good nutrients
that meat and poultry deliver, " she said.
This echoes the mission of the new
Protein PACT for the People, Animals
and Climate of Tomorrow initiative.
The meat industry needs to tell its story
so consumers can feel good about
continuing to eat meat.
" The Power of Meat shows
Americans continue to count on
meat's taste, quality, convenience and
value throughout another unusual
and challenging year, " said Julie Anna
Potts, president and chief executive
officer of the North American Meat
Institute (NAMI). " The Meat Institute
and partners in the Protein PACT for
the People, Animals and Climate of
Tomorrow will continue to deliver
information and innovation for the
98.5% of American households that
purchase meat, continuously working
to support healthy families, healthy
communities, healthy animals, and a
healthy planet. "
KIMBERLIE CLYMA | kclyma@sosland.com
Read about the Power of Meat study
(see " Price pressure " ) on Page 66.
" Those who have some questions regarding
the consumption of meat and poultry
wonder if they can do better relative
to meat and health, the planet, animal
welfare or social responsibility. "
- ANNE-MARIE ROERINK
8 MEAT+POULTRY | 04.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - April 2022

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