What's New in Review
New meat products have made their way onto store shelves and restaurant menus in recent months. Meat Marketing & Technology, with the aid of Marketing Intelligence Service of Naples, N.Y., reviews what's new in the market.
-- Johnsonville Foods, Sheboygan, Wis., is marketing its Beer City Grillers Bratwurst, which are "spiked with Wisconsin's best-known staples: cheddar cheese and beer. The product is packaged in six-count "Party Pack" boxes that are labeled "real."
Johnsonville is also offering its Country Sausage in Sage 'n Pepper and Hot 'n Zesty varieties. The refrigerated links are sold in overwrapped 8-ounce and 12-ounce trays.
Package copy for the Sage 'n Pepper variety states, "A flavorful country sausage generously seasoned with sage and black pepper." The company claims its Hot 'n Zesty sausages are "bursting with the flavor of hot-red chili peppers!"
-- Hatfield Quality Meats, Hatfield, Pa., offers "new and improved" Pork Nuggets in a 48-ounce clear plastic vacuum pack. They are fully cooked and breaded.
-- Hillshire Farm, Cincinnati, has added Lit'l Cheddy Hots to its line of refrigerated cocktail links. Flavored with jalapeno peppers and cheddar cheese, the links are sold in a 50-count vacuum pack.
-- Ember Farms, Arnold, Pa., introduces its frozen heat and serve Ember Farms Pork Sausage Links and Patties. Using a patented process for fully cooking and browning, the 100 percent pure pork sausages can be warmed by griddle, oven or microwave in less than half the time required for uncooked products, the company claims, adding that the sausages are prepared uniformly without shrinkage.
The links are sold in 40-count boxes, and patties are sold in 22-count boxes.
-- Stouffer Foods Corp., Solon, Ohio, introduces its French Bread Pizza Extrasª, which include extra toppings of the most popular varieties to test markets. The Extras line includes Plentiful Pepperoni, Seriously Sausage, Cheezier Cheese and Definitely Deluxe.
Stouffer's has added Cheeseburger and Bacon Cheddar varieties to its French Bread Pizza line.
The Cheeseburger Pizza is topped with ground beef, a blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, mustard, ketchup and pickles. The Bacon Cheddar Pizza is topped with tomato sauce, a cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend, and bacon.
-- Hunt-Wesson Inc., a division of Omaha, Neb.-based ConAgra Inc., has reformulated 13 Healthy Choice Frozen Entrees, including Beef Tips Francais, to "deliver fuller taste."
The Beef Tips Francais is packaged in an overboxed tray with a yellow banner across the front that identifies it as an "entree" (main dish) rather than a "dinner" (entree plus side dish and dessert) or "classic" (traditional recipe in larger servings). The descriptor "Francais" was added to the name to enhance the culinary imagery of the product.
Some of the other reformulated entrees include: Beef Pepper Steak Oriental, Beef Macaroni Casserole, and mild and medium versions of Beef Burrito Ranchero.
-- Sara Lee Meat Group, Chicago, introduces four Jimmy Dean products: Flapsticks Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick in Strawberry, Homestyle Sausage Biscuits, Mini Dogs and Grilled Mini Burgers.
Each of the refrigerated, microwaveable products are packaged in four-count, 8-ounce, 7-ounce and 6.8-ounce boxes.
-- Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark., offers a Pot Roast with Vegetable Gravy in its Complete Club Store Pack Kit. The frozen entree is available in a 5-pound bag.
--Bar-S Foods Co., Phoenix, has launched its German Brand Bologna and Garlic Bologna. The first product is coarsely ground and flavored with onion, and the latter "offers an extra boost of garlic for those who prefer a bit of Italian taste in their bologna," the company says.
The refrigerated products-made with chicken, beef and pork-are sold in 12- and 16-ounce packages.
If your company has launched a new meat product, please mail or fax a news release to Larry Aylward, Meat Marketing & Technology, The Arcade, 401 Euclid Ave., Suite 461, Cleveland, OH 44114, 216/579-0814 or Fax 216/579-0911.