Supermarket Perimeter - May 2020 - 37

Charcuterie is
a perfect match
for consumers who
want to know what's
in their food, where it
comes from and the
story behind it.

Why charcuterie draws consumer attention
For those unfamiliar with the term, charcuterie is a technique of
preparing, preserving and showcasing meat products, especially
cured meats.
This is now done most commonly through pairings with such items
as cheese, bread or toasts, fruits and sauces, particularly the growing
category of mostardas and other vinegar-based condiments. The items
are then appropriately placed on a board, which then becomes a focal
point of the "entertaining" component that the individual is sharing
with others.
Charcuterie encompasses a wide spectrum of meat types, including,
but not limited to:
*	 Whole muscle dry (e.g., prosciutto di Parma, jamon serrano, bresaloa)
*	 Whole muscle dried or smoked (e.g., speck, Virginia ham)
*	 Whole muscle cooked - unsmoked (e.g., prosciutto cotto, roast beef,
capicola)
*	 Whole muscle cooked - smoked (e.g., pastrami)
*	 Ground fermented - unsmoked (e.g., hard salami, soppressata, nduja)
*	 Ground fermented - smoked (e.g., pepperoni)
*	 Ground cooked - unsmoked (e.g., salami cotto, bologna, mortadella)
*	 Ground cooked - smoked (e.g., wurst, andouille)
Most varieties of charcuterie fall within the specialty deli meats category,
which has seen significant growth. Nielsen Perishables Group reported
that the deli meat segment accounted for $200 million of the total meat
department and deli counter sales. Overall dollar sales grew 3%.
The wide variety of meat types, flavors and textures suits most
palates, as well as creates seemingly endless opportunities for pairings,
as well as increased rings and strategic upsell opportunities. In some
instances, consumers may be drawn to a certain variety based on
its name and texture, as they're familiar with similar meats that share
similar characteristics.

While flavor and texture has-and always will be-the number-one
driver of sales and consumption, other product characteristics and
traits are also important considerations for today's consumers, who are
increasingly attentive to ingredients, the manner in which the food was
produced, and the story behind it.
Here are some of the traits that draw consumers to the concept of
charcuterie:
One is the "storytelling" component. As reported by the International
Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) for the past few years in its
resource publication, What's in Store, the story behind the food has
become an important selling point. Consumers want to know how
the food they're enjoying was made. Charcuterie is as near a perfect
example as one can find.

Demand for pre-sliced spikes
by Andy Nelson

Over the past few weeks, deli charcuterie specialist Veroni, whose US offices are headquartered in Logan, NJ, has seen a big
increase in demand for pre-sliced product.
"Due to the pandemic, which is forcing consumers to prepare their meals at home and keeping restaurants closed, retail sales are
up overall," said Emanuela Bigi, Veroni's marketing manager. "In many supermarkets, cured cuts are available only in pre-sliced
packages, which have a longer shelf-life, yet the same quality and taste of the sliced fresh salumi-with our wide range of products,
from ham to mortadella to pancetta allows consumers to have a lot of creativity with their at-home meals."
In all of its facilities, Veroni is strictly following special COVID-19 measures to ensure the highest safety for employees, who are
working around the clock to help meet the increased demand - including investment in advanced technologies that has allowed
employees to keep social distance over the past few years.

VERONI, IDDBA

"This includes checking employees' temperature twice a day, plants and offices being sanitized periodically, our back-office team
working from their homes, and our commercial team having a mandatory travel and meeting ban," Bigi said. "It wasn't difficult to
implement these measures, as we already have a strict safety plan in place and always work in compliance with international safety
and quality standards."

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