The beef industry must prepare for a new consumer world that demands more meat, has higher expectations for safety and quality, and puts a bigger emphasis on health and “green” techniques.
Experts delved into changing consumer preferences Tuesday during the International Livestock Congress’ conference, “Global Beef: Meating the Demand,” at the Denver Renaissance Hotel.
Americans have gone from an attitude of “be happy you have something to eat” in the Depression era to today’s expectation for beef that is organic and antibiotic-free and comes from “happy cows” raised on wide-open spaces, said Lowell Catlett, dean of agriculture at New Mexico State University.
“It ain’t just about calories anymore,” Catlett told a packed audience.
About 1 billion people around the world rose out of abject poverty in the past 16 years, and another billion are expected to do the same in the next four years, Catlett said.
With that change has come a four-fold increase in per-capita beef consumption, he said.
“People afford what they want, and they want more meat and they’ll pay for it,” he said. “People, for the most part, like the taste of meat.”
America’s southern neighbor, Mexico, presents “interesting” beef-market prospects, said Ramon Lozano, founder and vice president of the meat-processing company RYC Alimentos.
Citizens of Mexico have a growing taste for beef, Lozano said, and studies show that 70 percent can be targeted with a “buy more beef” message.
Meanwhile, “the supply of beef in Europe is continuing a downward trend,” said Monty Brown of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. He sees increased dependence on imports ahead.
John Lundeen, executive director of market research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said recent surveys show that more than half of consumers are changing their beef-buying habits, turning to cheaper cuts, buying more store brands and eating less beef and more chicken.
In 1999, 42 percent of those surveyed said they ate steak in the past two weeks, compared with 34 percent in 2008, Lundeen said. The numbers of those who ate ground beef and roasts held steady.
More consumers say health plays a bigger role in their food buying, while ready-to-eat meals are gaining in popularity especially as the average size of households shrinks.
Lundeen’s last words advised cattlemen and retailers to keep an eye on the 83 million “millenials,” babies born between 1980 and 2000.
“They swung the election to Barack Obama, and only half can vote,” Lundeen said. “They are the future of the beef industry, and we need to win the hearts of this generation.”
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
