February 11, 2008
 

Beef industry needs to focus on taste and tenderness

 

The cattle industry needs to focus on taste and tenderness if it wants to build greater beef demand, meat specialists said at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association annual convention in the US.

 

While there is no "silver-bullet" solution to increase beef demand with consumers, taste and tenderness continue to be repeated as important characteristics, with the taste category breaking down into issues of flavor and juiciness.

 

Daryl Tatum, meat sciences professor at Colorado State University, said Thursday  (11 February 2008) that in addition to the quality issues, consumers are concerned about safety, convenience, diet and health considerations and production practices. The beef industry has to be ready to fulfill all of their needs and questions or they won't gain or keep consumers, he said during a presentation.

 

There is a connection between taste and purchasing desire, Tatum said. Studies have shown that taste and tenderness are linked, and when both are present, consumers have indicated a willingness to buy the product.

 

Producing tender, flavorful beef, however, requires a coordinated effort through the whole chain of production and preparation, Tatum said. Proper breeding must be followed by the right handling and feeding programnes, and the meat must be aged and prepared properly.

 

Tatum urged producers to do their part by controlling breeding, genetics and feeding policies to enhance marbling and to improve the overall tenderness and flavor of beef.

 

Although breeding for tenderness is difficult and slow, DNA selection can help and can reduce the number of days needed in the aging process to get beef to a tenderness level that is acceptable to consumers, he said.

 

The challenges are the cost of production in terms of feeder cattle, corn and fuel costs, Tatum said. Most cattle spend less time on feed, yet they reach heavier weights through more time on grass. There also is more of an incentive for feeders to use growth enhancement programmes, which potentially delay fat deposition. John Stika, president of Certified Angus Beef, also told the NBCA forum that branded programmes differentiate product, create customer loyalty and add value to the product.

 

Brands make a promise to consumers to deliver a basic need or desire, Stika said.

 

Brands also project an image and convey the thought that consumers are getting more for their money, but the branded product must truly be different than commodity product, he said.

 

The emphasis on taste means there are quality challenges for cattle producers such as insufficient marbling, cattle too heavy, a lack of uniformity, inadequate tenderness, and excessive external fat that can occur when producers try to add marbling to animals without the right genetics.

 

"The last time taste took a backseat, the industry experienced a 22-year decrease in beef market share," Stika said.