November 20, 2007

 

Offal can reinvigorate British livestock industry

 

 

Offal sales in the UK have risen over the past three years and set to continue rising as restaurants, butchers and consumers increasingly see the benefits of the "fifth quarter", according to the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX).

 

EBLEX has teamed up with celebrity chef Sophie Grigson in a bid to boost the "offal renaissance", which it believes could bring about a significant raise to farm incomes.

 

Carcasses will be worth more to abattoirs and private butchers if parts that are currently disposed of, sometimes at a cost, can be sold into the food chain in quantity at a profit, EBLEX chief executive Richard Ali said.

 

EBLEX has created a free guide, "It's all about offal" with information and tips on buying and cooking offal, including a number of recipes, which is being widely distributed in butchers' shops. Recipes can also be downloaded from www.beefyandlamby.co.uk/offal or ordered by calling 0870 4286154.

 

EBLEX believes that the time is right to promote offals as consumers take more notice of issues like local sourcing as well as the nutritional value of food and food waste.

 

Many fashionable restaurants are featuring offal on the menu, as consumers are now willing to return to the nutritious taste of traditional products as well as trying "speciality" offal such as, sweetbreads, fries, tripe and ox cheek, it says.

 

One-third of offal sales are through butchers, with 80 percent of sales being to housewives aged 45 plus.

 

Speaking at a media "Offal Renaissance Tasting Event" in London restaurant, St John, Sophie Grigson said offal was "nutritious, delicious, economical and affordable".

 

It is also versatile and offers an exciting variation for mid week meals, she said, adding people these days don't realise that offal is not only extremely delicious, but can be a total bargain. Grigson noted that offal is one of the great "neglected delicacies".

 

Mo Herd, from EBLEX said the increase in consumer demand is "very positive and shows that such great tasting products are being used in more imaginative ways which can encourage more consumers to buy beef and lamb offals".