Supermarket Perimeter - February 2020 - 43

IN A 2020 WORLD, consumers are continuing to lean into all-natural
and sustainably raised meats and making buying decisions based upon
their personal perceptions of both what is good for their health, but also
kind to the earth.
Lori Dunn, vice president of business development for Franklin,
Wisconsin-based Strauss Brands, which pasture raises beef, veal and
lamb, notes consumers' understanding of sustainability related to meat
is evolving.
"We see increased demand for information related to production
practices such as pasture-raising, regenerative grazing, water conservation, and support of American family farmers," she says. "The footprint
is deﬁnitely top of mind for our consumers and that is why our grassfed program has experienced strong growth since inception."
Dana Ehrlich, CEO of Woburn, Massachusetts-based Verde Farms,

ZHENGZAISHANCHU - STOCK.ADOBE.COM, VERDE FARMS, ORGANIC PRAIRIE

says the state of grass-fed is enormously positive and the category continues to grow strongly year over year and the company believes that it
will continue to grow because it is still relatively under-penetrated from
a retailer perspective.
"We also believe that new product innovation will create even more
growth opportunity and shelf space for grass-fed beef," he says.
According to an IRI report released in November, there has been
16.1% growth in annual dollar sales of organic grass-fed beef. The main
takeaway here is that grass-fed beef has shown consistently strong
growth each year, with more room to grow.
"Meat makes up the largest dollar spend in consumers' baskets
instore, and many consumers choose their grocery store based on its
meat department," Ehrlich says. "We also know that the modern consumer is looking for better for you, better for the animal, and better for
the planet products and are willing to pay a premium for them. Retailers
have a big opportunity now to feature their grass-fed programs to win
new customers and generate incremental sales."
Catherine Golding, business development manager for Meat &
Livestock Australia/True Aussie Beef and Lamb, notes the popularity of
grass-fed beef and lamb continues to grow throughout America and the
industry is evolving rapidly as more producers enter the market following consumer demand for healthier, more transparent offerings.
"The overall market should climb to over $500 million annually in
supermarket sales based on industry numbers we saw from Nielsen last
year," she says. "This means the growth of grass-fed beef in supermarkets will be about ﬁve times greater than the rest of the meat market,
making it one of the most exciting trends seen in the supermarket
perimeter."
Still, much of this growth has come despite limited attention in
supermarkets.
"As consumers seek to eat healthier and more sustainably, grocery stores can become increasingly important allies," Golding says.
"Grass-fed beef and lamb from Australia helps retailers keep interest and
excitement in the meat aisle by offering products that resonate with
consumers on qualities like humanely-raised, antibiotic-free, grass-fed,
and organic."
Michael Murdy, a food scientist currently enrolled in the UC Davis
Food Science program, believes the "grass-fed" stamp has become the
new "gluten-free" label for carnivores.
"While the vegetarian/vegan movement has not lost its footing, the

health beneﬁts of keto/paleo/carnivore diets have brought with it an
inﬂux of consumers looking for high-quality meats," he says. "Grocery
stores invest in what the consumers want, and there is no debate here,
grass-fed is a healthier alternative to grain-fed meat."
Where grass-fed meat was a luxury only high-grade grocery outlets
supplied, you can now ﬁnd grass-fed meat in just about every grocery
chain out there.
"While all grocery stores differ, beef is still the prevailing winner in
grass-fed varieties," Murdy says. "Chicken and lamb come in second,
and pork in third. But with a growing number of concerned meat-eaters, it's just a matter of time before places like Raley's, Whole Foods and
Sprouts offer grass-fed pork."
Pete Bassett, vice president of sales for La Farge, Wisconsin-based
Organic Valley, notes the grass-fed beef and pasture raised beef industry continues to enjoy double-digit growth, with product coming from
U.S., Australia and Uruguay, and the company has seen a higher interest
in the market for U.S. grass-fed beef.
"We don't expect that
trend to change anytime
soon because consumers
are increasingly becoming more educated on
the nutritional beneﬁts
of grass-fed products in
terms of higher Omega 3
and CLA levels," he says.
"We continue to build our
lineup of grass-fed offerings
in all categories under the
Organic Valley, Organic
Prairie, and Mighty brands."

www.supermarketperimeter.com

FEBRUARY 2020 - 43
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - February 2020

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