February 4, 2008

Australian beef usage by foodservice outlets points to long term growth

Strong demand from Australian foodservice outlets point to long term growth and popularity for beef and lamb in the country, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

In November, beef and veal usage stood at US$79.2kilogramme/outlet. Beef and veal usage volumes have risen steadily in six of the last seven surveys, with average growth of 1 percent per annum in volumes over the last seven years, despite price increases.

Respondents in the MLA survey said they were serving more meat dishes compared to less. Poultry had the highest net increase, with more than 38 percent, followed by beef and veal at over 23 percent, and then lamb and pork, both with 21 percent.

The survey also indicated that the amount of red meat in a menu was dependent on the consistent availability of red meat.

The most popular first choice cut of beef was scotch fillet and cube roll at 12 percent, followed by porterhouse/striploin/sirloin, 10 percent, and rump at 7 percent.

Australian food outlets' most popular first choice lamb cuts were leg boneless at 1 percent, cutlets at 10 percent and rack also at 10 percent.