Meat you can’t beat!

The IFA wants to secure a 50c increase on a kilo of pork, which it says would add a few cents per pack of ham to the retail price

Nutritious and delicious, offering maximum convenience and speed, every store should offer a strong selection of cooked meats, not just for their traditional prominence within kids’ lunchboxes, but a whole host of tasty recipes, writes Gillian Hamill

Brand Central

20 January 2022

Share this post:

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns saw a huge boost to at-home meal occasions, with increased cooking from home benefitting the cooked meats sector, market analyst Mintel reports. The long-term increase in working from home will continue to lend support for the packaged meat industry going forward. This certainly makes sense, considering that cooked meats make it easy for consumers to rustle up a tasty sandwich, salad or even a quick and tasty pasta dish or stir-fry for their lunch or dinner while working from home.

Another important trend within this sector is the emphasis consumers place on knowing the origin of meat products. Subsequently, the products that will perform best are those that can demonstrate they are natural with no artificial nasties, with full traceability from animals that are well cared for, where sustainability measures are in place. According to Mintel data from the UK, 46% and 40% of red meat and poultry eaters respectfully trust products that advertise about how they are made and who made them more than products that don’t.

Mintel also reports that the impact of meat production on the environment and the increased consumer focus on health is going to fuel interest in sustainability credentials of brands.

These findings chime with a recent 2020 Euromonitor Ireland report on the sector, which reported that shelf-stable meat and seafood benefits from stockpiling, as consumers stocked up on cupboard fare in case of a decline in the availability of fresh meat and seafood.

Pinnacle of success

Carroll’s Signature Roasts range provides the perfect balance of convenience and flavour for those looking for high quality cooked poultry

Carroll’s of Tullamore has been riding the wave of success within the cooked meats category for the last number of years, seeing year-on-year growth across a wide range of products. Carroll’s celebrated the pinnacle of success in 2021 reaching the coveted number one brand position in the pre-pack sliced cooked meats category*. During 2021, the brand jumped a further three places in the rankings to number 26 in the ShelfLife 100 Master Brands at Home, as measured by Kantar.

Carroll’s innovative grab-and-go Delicatessen range offers premium quality deli meats sliced and prepacked for convenience

The Carroll’s of Tullamore brand enjoyed an exciting year of targeted consumer campaigns and invested heavily in innovative new product launches. 2021 also marked the 30^th anniversary of Carroll’s sponsorship of Offaly GAA, 1991-2021, well known as one of the longest standing county sponsorships within the GAA. Offaly GAA celebrated victory in 2021 following Offaly’s All-Ireland U20 final, bringing a big lift to the county and a sign of good things to come.

2022 is already looking set to be an exciting year for the Carroll’s of Tullamore brand, with investment in consumer communications to further elevate the brand growth.

Carroll’s continues to enjoy unprecedented success across many of its ranges, including its unique New York Deli shaved range and innovative grab-and-go Delicatessen range; premium quality deli meats sliced and prepacked for convenience. Carroll’s of Tullamore is a cooked meats brand that offers both quality and choice for consumers.

Whatever your customers’ appetite, Carroll’s has what they are looking for. A trusted Irish brand which is a must stock in your cooked meats range in 2022.

*(Source: Kantar ROI 52 weeks Value to 28 November 2021)

100% natural

Green Farm is a tasty, cooked meat choice that is 100% natural and packed with protein. As the range of chicken and turkey products are naturally high in protein, they provide a nourishing addition to any sandwich, salad, stir fry or snack.

Green Farm has a rich heritage of keeping the health and wellbeing of the consumer as a key focus.

A marked milestone on this journey was the removal of artificial flavours and preservatives from all Green Farm products in 2011. Since then, the brand has consistently delivered product innovation, supported by recipe inspiration, to make eating well easy for the consumer.

The latest development on the Green Farm brand is the recent launch of the award-winning cooked chicken fillet range, bringing healthy convenience to dinnertime. This range of 100% natural, protein powered chicken fillets help consumers eat healthily without the hassle of scratch cooking. Whether your customers are tossing them in a pasta, curry, stir-fry or salad the Green Farm cooked chicken fillet range is ideal to have in their fridge for those busy days. The range is currently stocked in selected Tesco, SuperValu, Dunnes and convenience stores nationwide.

Staple of fridges across Ireland

Since 1820, Denny has been a staple of fridges all over Ireland and the team take great pride in helping ensure lunchboxes are filled with its slow cooked Irish carved ham. 2022 will see some exciting developments across the Denny sliced cooked meats range; watch this space.

Bord Bia to spearhead €13.4 million EU campaigns across Asia, Europe and US

Bord Bia plans to widen the recognition of Ireland as a secure supplier of safe and sustainably produced beef, lamb and dairy

Bord Bia has won the contract to promote EU beef, lamb, dairy and horticulture across Asia, Europe and the US in three campaigns valued at €13.4 million* for the next three years. This comprises €9.7 million in EU funding and €3.7 million from Bord Bia and industry funding.

The second campaign, ‘Working with Nature – European Beef and Lamb’ will be targeting trade buyers in China, Japan, South Korea and the US.

Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia chief executive, welcomed the funding and said that Bord Bia`s imprint on the campaign will widen the recognition of Ireland as a secure supplier of safe and sustainably produced beef, lamb and dairy at a time when market diversification in response to the joint impact of Brexit and Covid-19 is strategically important.

“This is the biggest sustained investment we’ve made in dairy, and meat across species in third country markets, and it’s the first EU funding of its kind for the dairy sector,” she said. “A key element in securing this funding is how Bord Bia’s new three-year strategy aligns so closely with the EU’s farm to fork strategy, in that it allows us to focus on linking sustainable production with sustainable nutrition and consumption. This campaign affords us the opportunity to deploy each of these to the benefit of Irish and EU producers.”

Starting in 2022, the three EU campaigns will be rolled out across a total of nine market territories between Asia, Europe and the US, each of which will have a specific target audience, product focus and tailored promotional activities. Targeting importers, retailers, foodservice providers, chefs and media outlets, the campaigns will concentrate on digital media, PR, trade fairs, seminars and inward visits to Ireland.

*(This figure represents the gross campaign spend, which includes VAT).

Share this post: