As food inflation bites, families are taking a more prudent approach with shopping and dining, potentially leaving red meat off the list.
Food prices were 7.4 percent higher in July 2022 compared with July 2021, Statistics New Zealand reported this month. Grocery items were the largest contributor to the movement, in particular cheese, milk and yoghurt.
After enjoying a period of record export returns, the red meat industry is being urged to be “hyper-alert” to retail disruption as shoppers go back to basics to trim their food bill, the OTD reported this week.
As food inflation bites, families are taking a more prudent approach with shopping and dining, potentially leaving red meat off the list and opting instead for basics such as frozen vegetables and cooking sauces to extend meals and feed the family at a reasonable prices.
According to New Zealand Food and Grocery Council chairman Mike Pretty, some brands are employing “right-sizing” or shrink-flation” tactics – selling smaller amounts of product for the same or lower prices, or larger value packs are being offered with extra portions. Sheep and beef farmers need to factor in retail disruption as shoppers chase discounts, move online and go back to food basics, Pretty was reported as saying.
The theme of this of year’s Red Meat Sector Conference in Christchurch, earlier this month was “Reinventing for Sustainable Value”.
Speaking at the conference in Pretty told the 300 delegates, “It’s frankly unsurprisingly that flexitarianism is on the rise”. But evidently took a dim view that this trend has much to do with consumer concerns over the climate or potential environmental impacts of red meat production.
“Apparently in New Zealand one-third of shoppers are claiming to reduce meat intake and the key motivators are weight loss and cholesterol”, Pretty said. “The lowest factor was environmental so this is all about health and nutrition”.
PLUS: How chefs are driving meat marketing and consumer trends
Whether it is Gordon Ramsay overhauling a modest English café with a foul-mothed tirade or Matt Preston wearing his cravat and using an impressive vocabulary to describe a mouthful of food – the celebrity chef has no doubt become a part of modern culture.
A food industry entrepreneur says the rise of chefs has made them a key part of meat marketing – with chefs being some of the main consumer influencers in the supply chain.
Hero image by Maria Lin Kim on Unsplash
