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New innovations in how we sell beef
In today’s highly competitive protein marketplace, it is critical for the beef industry to improve product performance over time and to offer innovative, relevant products to consumers. Through a series of related checkoff-funded programs set in motion in the late 1990’s, the industry responded to depressed prices for the beef chuck and round by developing innovative, value-added cuts that meet consumer needs in retail and foodservice. A research study called muscle profiling evaluated individual muscles in the chuck and round to identify those with marketable value beyond their traditional uses. The results of this study have made it possible for the industry to capture higher values for beef carcasses. New knowledge of individual muscle performance has prompted technical exploration to find optimal uses for muscles in the ends of the carcass, ultimately increasing demand for underutilized cuts and decreasing price pressures on middle meats. For example, the volume of the Flat Iron Steak has grown significantly since its widespread introduction in 2002, and now more than 70 million lbs are sold annually making it the 6th most popular cut on restaurant menus where it outpaces more traditional cuts like the T-Bone and Porterhouse. This session will highlight these and other checkoff-funded innovative fabrication methods and state-of-the-art education tools intended to create positive eating experiences for consumers and spur value creation for the beef carcass. Moreover, the session will cover recent checkoff research related to improving the consistency of beef’s eating experience by targeting beef’s palatability drivers: tenderness, flavor and juiciness.
Keywords: innovative cuts, chuck, palatability