Meat + Poultry - October 2004 - 10

Food trends - Fact vs. fiction
Don't mistake Americans' willingness to try something new for a
trend, because Americans are slow to make lasting change, according to Harry Balzer, vice president of NPD Group, who keynoted
the American Meat Institute's 2004 Annual Convention & Innovation
Showcase, held this past month in Nashville.
Balzer cautioned convention attendees not to base their notions
about consumer consumption on news reports or opinion data because they often are quite different from actual behavior. The NPD
Group, Port Washington, N.Y., tracks actual consumption using a
panel of 5,000 consumers who keep food diaries. The research has
been ongoing since 1980.

The top 10 lunch and dinner entrées consumed by Americans
have remained relatively unchanged during the past several decades, according to Balzer. The top entrée item is a sandwich, followed by chicken, beef, Italian food, homemade variety dish, pork/
ham, pizza, frozen dinners, seafood and soup.
While the audience guessed that the top entrées ordered in restaurants by men vs. women would be quite different, Balzer showed
that they are actually almost identical. In descending order, men
typically order burgers, fries and pizza while women order fries,
burgers and pizza.
"On-premise dining" has declined in America," Balzer said, and

Nearly 20 percent of restaurant meals are purchased "through the
car window," in a drive-thru.
The current top trends, according to Balzer, include:
* Low-carb;
* People wanting to lose weight by eating, not exercising;
* Healthy foods are "in" and take priority over convenience, which
is a major driver;
* The percentage of women who work is declining slightly, which
impacts how and when Americans eat;
* And fresh foods are the new "battleground."

take-out is the key. In fact, nearly 20 percent of restaurant meals are
purchased "through the car window," in a drive-thru.
Balzer also touched on the issue of obesity. While more Americans are overweight today, they have changed the way they view
beauty. In 1985, 55 percent of Americans believed people who
were not overweight were more attractive. By 2003, that figure had
dropped to 24.5 percent. "The easiest thing to do is to change your
attitude," said Balzer.

Canada introduces "new" B.S.E. strategy
The Canadian government announced a strategy to assist Canada's
livestock industry in repositioning itself to ensure its long-term viability this past month. The strategy has been developed, according to
government officials, in consultation with the provinces, territories,
the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and other industry groups.
Once consultations are complete, a federal investment of up to
C$488 million will be made to the industry.
The strategy includes continuing efforts to reopen the U.S. border, taking steps to increasing ruminant slaughter in Canada, introducing measures to sustain the cattle industry until capacity comes
on-line and expanding access to export markets for livestock and
beef products.
"Since May 2003, the situation facing Canada's livestock industry
has become urgent and the Canadian government is providing innovative ways for producers to manage in these difficult times," said Andy
Mitchell, agriculture and agri-food minister. "While we will continue our
efforts to reopen the U.S. border, this strategy will facilitate the industry's efforts to ensure its competitiveness over the long term."
Provincial governments will take steps to facilitate the building of
slaughter capacity in Canada. Plans are already underway to expand
capacity, and in order to accelerate this process a number of measures are being implemented.
Measures to sustain the industry until domestic capacity is in line
with production levels are also being introduced through various government programs. Cash flow and liquidity issues are being addressed
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MEAT&POULTRY

through an accelerated cash advance provision. This component will
provide assistance for breeding cows and other specified ruminants.
In addition, to help manage the current oversupply of cattle, set-aside
programs will be introduced for fed and feeder animals.
Canada will build upon previously announced initiatives to further
strengthen the scientific capacity and regulatory framework to ensure the health of the Canadian herd and the safety of beef products.
These additional measures include implementation of a reimbursement program to increase access to animals targeted for B.S.E. testing and will ensure Canada has a traceability system for livestock.
"Canada's animal health and food safety systems are among the
best in the world and there is no scientific basis for the continued border closures," said Mitchell. "Government and industry have worked
closely together to develop this strategy and ongoing cooperation will
be key to its success."

Dakota Turkey Growers building
new plant
Dakota Turkey Growers, Huron, S.D., broke ground on a new, $45million turkey processing plant this past month. The first carcasses will come off the line sometime in January 2006. The 185,000square-foot facility will employ approximately 1,000 after initial startup and process 8 million turkeys per year.

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

OCTOBER 2004

http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - October 2004

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