Red meat innovation

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE	KPIs	OUTCOMES	BENEFITS	FUTURE
Grow demand for red meat through innovative products and technologies	Two new shelf-stable products developed to increase return on secondary cuts Two novel convenience products developed from secondary cuts One new technology for manufacture of products used in institutional aged care market	The development of four pre-cooked extended shelf life products Ten new product prototypes based on secondary cuts High pressure processing to improve eating quality of secondary cuts being assessed	Sales of shelf-stable products are expected to reach $14m in 2007 Retail butchers increased sales by $10m pa by value-adding secondary cuts Access to emerging technologies for manufacturing ready-to-eat red meat meals	Research new technologies to improve eating quality of secondary cuts Accelerate consumer uptake of convenience products Develop technology and products for self-care aged market

Creative butcher workshops resulted in a $10m increase in value added secondary cuts

Extending shelf life

Sales of shelf-stable products continue to climb with figures estimated to reach $14m this year (2007). Confidence in the market has climbed, with five companies investing a combined total of $8m in equipment to manufacture shelf-stable red meat products this year.

To support investment by industry into shelf-stable technology, we have studies underway into the suitability of shelf-stable products for the institutional aged care sector and additional market opportunities overseas.

Making more from secondary cuts

Secondary cuts such as blade, knuckle, brisket and chuck make up more than 60% of the carcase and are therefore a primary focus for our value-adding activities. We have introduced a range of programs to enhance the value gained from secondary cuts.

Trials with Tatiara Meat Company applied ‘meat strip alignment technology’ to secondary sheepmeat cuts, resulting in new value-added products, such as diced, strips and steaks, for foodservice and consumers in the Asian export market. These reformed sheepmeat products were trialed in February and trials are expected to be completed early in the coming year.

The success of re-formed sheepmeat products is paving the way for application to beef. New projects with commercial value-adders are looking at how to achieve similar success.

The ageing society

The aged care sector in Australia, including both institutional and self care, is estimated to be 2.4 million people. This population is estimated to consume around 55,000 tonnes of red meat per year, which is considerably less than the average Australian and are a significant challenge for the industry as the ageing population increases. The aged population has increased from 12.6% to 13.3% over the last five years and is expected to account for more than 25% by 2045.

This market has been the focus of a number of our activities to increase red meat consumption from its current levels by addressing age specific impediments such as bite feel, texture and swallowing disorders.

First steps were taken to understand the aged care market with a report released late last year highlighting bite texture as a major issue. This report led to a project conducted with Food Science Australia to assess the ability of high pressure processing to cost-effectively manipulate the eating quality of secondary cuts.

Creative convenience

Secondary cuts once again featured heavily in our efforts to increase demand for red meat. Working with butchers in a series of creative butcher workshops, sales of value-added secondary cuts have increased by around $10m a year. Working with retailers, we have developed 10 new value-added products from secondary cuts such as knuckle, oyster blade and topside. Retailers are currently assessing a range of products for release.

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