Meaty considerations!

Quick, flavoursome and nutritious, Ireland’s leading packaged meats brands have certainly not rested on their laurels. Instead they have continued to innovate to ensure they are meeting consumers’ every occasion need throughout the day

Brand Central

22 January 2024

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Despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, shoppers are displaying more stabilised patterns, with a notable uptick in beef consideration, particularly in key markets. Recent research from Bord Bia’s Europe Meat Shopper Insight report notes a subtle decrease in dining out, accompanied by a growing preference for budget-friendly meat cuts.

What we are seeing across the board in Ireland’s stores is that time-pressed families want options that are quick and convenient but also nutritious and tasty. The leading brands have capitalised on this with a variety of time-saving formats that will be ideal not just in the classic lunchbox sambo, but also stir-fries, salads and a plethora of healthy snacks. Meats marinated in delicious flavours to suit a range of ethnic cuisines have also grown in popularity. The high-protein factor has likewise found favour with health-conscious consumers who a seeking an excellent source of protein for continuous energy.

Research conducted by Shopper Intelligence for ShelfLife this month (shown overleaf) underscores a number of important attributes of the cooked meats category. Firstly, the research showed cooked meats is a main reason to shop and a category shoppers don’t want to run out of, as well as a potential loyalty driver. In fact, out of 153 in-store categories, cooked meats was ranked in 27th position for consumers describing it as a “main reason I go shopping”.

The category also boasts strong spend driving potential. According to Shopper Intelligence’s research, cooked meats shoppers are open to trading up to premium and are willing to spend a bit more to try “new and different” products, i.e., innovation. 58% said they “don’t mind paying more” (ranked 22^nd out of 153 in-store categories), while 56% said they would “pay more to try new and different” (ranked 69^thout of 153 in-store categories). In terms of its Category Role Matrix, Shopper Intelligence found cooked meats sits just between the ‘hero’ and ‘trip driver’ roles; it is more intentional and pre-planned versus other categories, with average engagement levels. Consumers’ pre-planned intentionality surrounding cooked meats purchases, shows it is important not to disappoint those who are coming into a store specifically to buy packaged meats, by failing to stock their preferred brands and formats.

A family favourite!

Now that families are back into the full swing of the school-run following the holidays, it’s a busy time. Brady Family offers an assortment of proteins and formats to keep meals interesting, while making the hustle and bustle of everyday life a little bit easier.

The Brady Family At the Delicatessen range offers delicatessen-quality ham, chicken and turkey ready-carved to simply grab-and-go

Brady Family Hand Crumbed Real Irish Ham offers a superb quality ham

Keep it traditional with succulent slices of Brady Family Carvery Ham. The Carvery range is made from the finest Bord Bia approved pork topside. The brand’s Just Add range is the perfect dinner time ingredient; this shredded ham is an excellent accompaniment for your customers’ favourite pasta, pizza, or salad dishes. Meanwhile, the Brady Family At the Delicatessen range offers delicatessen-quality ham, chicken and turkey readily carved for customers to simply grab-and-go. The Master Butcher Edition is a unique collection of dry aged hams, ideal to add to a charcuterie board when hosting or winding down in the evening.

New to the Brady Family brand is the Ultimate Slice range and the At the Delicatessen Roast Chicken and Turkey. The Ultimate Slice offers a larger faced slice of ham, perfectly sized for a sandwich. With seven slices per pack, there’s one for every day of the week. Previously under the Homebird brand, the company is delighted to introduce Irish raised Chicken and Turkey to the Brady Family brand, produced to the same multi award-winning recipe as Homebird.

Vitamin-enriched innovation

All products within the Green Fram Added Benefits range are enriched with B vitamins which have a multitude of health benefits

Green Farm is a tasty, cooked meat choice that is protein powered. 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. The Green Farm range comes in a variety of convenient formats. From slices and pieces to cooked fillets, there is a product to suit everyone’s lunchtime meal.

The latest development in the Green Farm brand is the recent launch of the award-winning Added Benefits range, providing consumers with a delicious high protein and vitamin enriched range of cooked chicken and turkey products, and with six in 10 people seeking out functional food to support their health and wellbeing, this launch couldn’t have come at a better time.

All products within the Added Benefits range are enriched with B vitamins which have a multitude of health benefits for the human body and mind.

Whether your customers are looking to support their heart, build up immunity or fight fatigue, the Added Benefits range has everyone covered. Green Farm is the first in the cooked meat category to bring vitamin enriched foods to the shelves of Ireland, helping to make eating well easy for everyone.

Fit and fabulous!

With eight tasty time-saving products, the goal of the Fit Foods range is to make healthy eating effortless

Fit Foods, Ireland’s number one branded ready meal* company, is relaunching its High Protein Meat Range in partnership with Kepak.

Continuing its commitment to providing healthy swops for every meal occasion, Fit Foods Meat range provides all of the elements associated with the Fit Foods brand for those that are in the mood for cooking.

High in protein and using the best of Irish beef and chicken, the range compromises of eight products that make healthy eating effortless.

High in protein, the Fit Foods range uses the best of Irish beef and chicken

From High Protein Beef Burgers, to Mexican Style Beef Stir Fry and Piri Piri Chicken to Italian Style meatballs the range is sure to satisfy even the pickiest eater. Almost all products are air fryer friendly saving precious time in the kitchen. Tasty marinades and stir fry mixes add to the time-saving benefits.

The full range includes BBQ Chicken Fillets, High Protein Beef Burgers, Cajun Turkey Steaks, Italian Style Meatballs, Mexican Style Beef Stir Fry, Piri Piri Chicken fillets, Piri Piri Chicken Stir Fry, and Plain Chicken Fillets.

Currently stocked at Tesco Ireland.

*(Source: Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 14 May 2023)

‘Only Denny will do’

Denny has been at the heart of Irish family homes for over 200 years, and bought by two-thirds of Irish households (Source: Kantar 05.23).

The Denny Deli Style Ham range is perfect for all lunch time occasions; from school sandwiches to those work from home lunches. The brand takes great pride in helping ensure those lunchboxes are filled, and arrive home empty! The Denny Deli Style Ham range is made from Irish Bord Bia approved meat, and includes a variety of formats and flavours such as carved, hand crumbed, honey roasted, oak smoked and wafer thin. When it comes to choosing sliced cooked meats this back to school season, the brand’s message is clear: ‘Only Denny Will Do’.

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