Give Busy Customers More Quick Meal Options

Posted to BeefRetail.org in conjunction with March 2010 issue of Retail Beef Blast.

A busy mom stops by your store hoping to get in and out in 15 minutes because she stayed at work late, and she just has a few minutes before she has to pick up her teenage son from baseball practice at 6:15 pm. How will she prepare dinner for the family and have time to help everyone with homework?

In this mom’s day, she has probably had little time to think about dinner, much less take time to get the ingredients. Same goes for her breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout the day.

What the Beef Industry is Doing
The above scenario is common, and the beef industry has worked hard in recent years to get more products in the store that meet customers’ needs for a grab and go meal. According to a research study funded by the beef checkoff and conducted by Mintel International Group, the number of new products that include beef are increasing.

The top companies launching beef center of the plate protein products are SuperValu^®, Tyson Foods^®, Birchwood Foods^TM, H-E-B^®, Target^® and Wal-Mart^®.

Beef had more product launches than chicken, pork and turkey from 2004 to the first five months of 2009. In 2008, there were 130 beef product launches, 96 chicken, 92 pork and 36 turkey.

The most frequently introduced beef products in 2008 included:
• Burgers/Patties – most with seasonings
• Meatballs
• Hot dogs/Franks
• Steaks
• Corned Beef/Hash
• Roasts

Your customers are asking for more convenient and easy meal solutions like these. You can meet their needs by bringing more of them into your stores.

New and Innovative Beef Products
The Beef Innovations Group (BIG) is always working to develop concepts for products that meet the consumer's demand for convenience. View all products.

A few examples are:
• Slow Cooker Ready Meals – A line of easy-to-prepare meals designed specifically for the slow cooker using the right cuts of beef with complementary vegetables and spices, all brought together in one package. Varieties include BBQ Beef, Chunky Chili, Beef Ribs, Pot Roast and Beef Stew. You can make them available in the fresh meat case alongside the fresh beef.
• Pasta Shells – Ever-popular portabella mushrooms are blended with sliced cooked beef in Marsala wine sauce and stuffed into small pasta shells. The shells are coated with a blend of polenta and crunchy Japanese bread crumbs.
• Flash-in-the-Pan Steaks – Introducing a new and easy cut of beef that can replace chicken in a variety of meals and snacks. That’s because it’s quality beef that’s thinly filleted (about ¼-inch thick) so it cooks quickly. The flavor and shape are perfect for stacking on sandwiches and crackers, rolling in tortillas and around cheese, layering in casseroles and stuffing into pitas. Make sure these are prominently displayed in your fresh meat section.

Some companies are already developing similar concepts into products. Here are a couple examples

• Philly Cheese Steak Rolls are one product that has been recently launched by Amy Foods, Inc. The concept was jointly developed by the beef checkoff-funded Beef Innovations Group (BIG) and the company. The product is an eggroll made with whole wheat and filled with seasoned steak, onion, red and green peppers and cheese. You can sell the Cheese Steak Rolls in the fresh meat section.
• Slow Cooker Creations^TM are a line of products by Tyson Foods created as quick meal solutions. The product line includes beef roast, pork roast, stew and chili. Slow Cooker Creations provide wholesome, convenient meal solutions. Items are slow-cooker ready, so consumer simply combine the components, turn on the slow cooker and walk away.

Signage Ideas
When your customers are rushing into your store looking for a quick dinner solution or an on-the-go snack, encourage them to try these new convenient beef products with clever signage ideas. Since these customers are busy already, a hidden sign won’t do. It has to be out in front!

Here are a few ways to get their attention:
• Group all of the innovative and convenient products in your meat case together and label the section “Grab ‘N Go.”
• Use signage that provides the meal prep time, like “Dinner in 10 Minutes,” to show customers there is a quick and convenient option.
• Use signage like “No time to cook dinner? You can still provide a home-cooked meal” to show customers there is a healthy and delicious option for a home-cooked meal.

For more information on these new products and concepts, please contact your Marketing Manager or State Beef Council.

Sources:
Research Education Innovation, “Trends in U.S. Retail Product Launches,” July 7, 2009, funded by the beef checkoff.
Protein Review, Mintel International Group, June 30, 2009. 
Tyson Slow Cooker Creations^TM photo, Courtesy of Tyson Foods