Supermarket Perimeter - January 2020 - 37

shoppers," Coleman says. "He soon learned that label claims, like natural, needed to go through the USDA's arduous label process."
Months later, after numerous meetings in Washington D.C., the USDA
deﬁned "Natural" speciﬁcally relating to how livestock were raised-
without the use of antibiotics or added growth hormones. Within a
year, the deﬁnition was changed to include meats that are minimally
processed and contain no artiﬁcial ingredients.
In the '90s, consumer demand for meats from livestock raised without the use of growth hormones and antibiotics became an increasingly hot topic and many major companies eyed the opportunity and
began to adapt.
Although the original USDA deﬁnition for natural has been changed
to focus more on how meat items are processed, the demand for naturally-raised meats has evolved past what was once called a trend to a
growing segment in most retailers' meat cases.
"Consumers today are looking more at the way the animal was raised
as an important factor in choosing their meat purchases and eating
habits," Coleman says.
Bob Schultz, brand ambassador for Brawley, California-based Brandt
Beef, distributed by One World Beef, says the company has experienced
consumers demanding a "true natural" beef-something with attributes
that extend beyond the basic "all natural" that the USDA has marketed
for the last 30-plus years.
"Additionally, organic has become a popular term. Altogether, more
and more consumers want to know what their protein are fed, where
they are raised, and the conditions in which they were raised," he says.
"We put huge focus on telling our story. We utilize mason jars with our
cattle feed to demonstrate the quality of our feed for people to see and
touch. We provide customers with photos and print collateral that show
our process. Our goal is to be transparent. Consumers want to be educated on what they are eating."
Lisa Scebbi, marketing director, regional beef, for JBS USA, based
in Greeley, Colorado, says during the last few years, consumers have
extended beyond the natural processing deﬁnition and are now looking
deeper into the raising practices that deﬁne natural.
"We see growth across the natural raising practices such as USDA
Certiﬁed Organic, 100% Grass Fed Beef and no antibiotics ever/no added
hormones categories. As such, we are experiencing overall expansion
of the 'natural' shelf space at retail," she says. "Beef is currently leading
the charge across all the categories within the 'natural' section at retail."
Christie Zimmerman, product standards manager for Lakewood,
Colorado-based Natural Grocers, says regenerative farming is a major
topic in today's natural/organic meat space.
"It's the major conversation for suppliers because it combats the
notion that all meat is bad or all meat is destroying the environment,"
she says.
She explains regenerative farming and speciﬁcally, cattle raised
regeneratively do the opposite, they help re-build the soil, help the
land's ability to retain water and vital nutrients and restores a natural
balance to the ecosystem.
"True regenerative practices help combat climate change rather than
contribute to it. Within the greater conventional beef industry, they will
continue to be viliﬁed by the public because they refuse to evolve and
continue to ﬁght nature rather than work to save it and work within it

Sales of Albertsons'
private-label organic
brand O Organics have
topped $1 billion.

holistically," she says. "It supports the consumer trend of wanting to support companies who are doing good while also producing a product."

Increasing Rapidly
Charlie Bell, manager of meat and seafood sales at ACME Markets, based
in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has noticed a big uptick in sales for both natural and organic meats over the past year or two.
"Right now, we are carrying beef, chicken, pork, turkey and lamb, all
aimed at a more educated consumer who reads the information out
there and is looking to obtain more natural foods," he says. "The millennials are into the healthier and better-for-the planet options out there,
and that's given rise to the category in a big way."
Last fall, Coleman Natural Foods became the ﬁrst national pork
producer to introduce third-party certiﬁed 100% crate-free production
standards for both gestation and farrowing, furthering its commitment
to give consumers what they want.
"More and more people-especially younger generations-are going
the natural meat route, and we will continue to be at the forefront of
change to keep up with the demand we see and provide what they are
asking for," according to Coleman.
Ozlem Worpel, senior brand manager for Tyson Fresh Meats, based in
Springdale, Arkansas, says the company offers its own Trusted Path program, which traces individual cuts and grinds back to the place of
origin through a rigorous process, including the use of DNA TraceBack
technology.
"In addition to wanting meat labeled natural, consumers are seeking
out meats that are 'Never Ever,' meaning they have never been given
antibiotics or added hormones and are fed a 100% vegetarian diet," she
says. "These consumers also want to know where their food comes
from and want to be assured the animals were responsibly raised."
Scebbi notes the natural meat category continues to grow because of
social and environmental reasons, which is why JBS offers multiple programs across beef, pork and chicken to help retailers grow the category.
"Consumers are removed from food and agricultural production, and
they continue to seek information to understand how food is grown
and raised," she says. "The increased conversation around antibiotic
resistance, popular diets, nutritionist and dietitian recommendations,
sustainability and animal welfare have created a focused energy to this
section of the meat case, thus creating more demand for natural meats."

www.supermarketperimeter.com

JANUARY 2020 - 37

http://www.supermarketperimeter.com

Supermarket Perimeter - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - January 2020