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.
-- Dubuque Foods, Dubuque, Iowa, offers Hunter's Survival Kit, which contains 7-ounce rolls of Thuringer, beef summer sausage and beef salami, plus a free Hunter's Red Knit Cap. It's packaged in a camouflage box, and sells for $6.99.
-- World Cafe, Marshall, Minn., introduces Pockitos in pork and chicken varieties. The "bite-sized, flour tortilla pouches are filled with seasoned pork or chicken, and deep fried until crisp and tender." The company describes them as "mini tacos."
Pockitos carry a $2.49 suggested retail price. World Cafe is a division of Tony's Pizza Service.
-- Armour Food Co., Downers Grove, Ill., offers its Premium Lunch Makers, meat, cheese and cracker combinations. Two of the varieties are cooked ham, Swiss cheese and crackers; and bologna, American cheese and crackers. The ham is 96 percent fat-free, the company claims.
The combinations are sold in 3.7-ounce divided plastic trays designed for rack display. The refrigerated products sell for $1.39.
-- Ore-Ida Foods, Ontario, Ore., offers Igor's Piroshki, a hand-held sandwich in new barbeque beef, turkey and Swiss varieties.
-- Bee Lor, Oskaloosa, Iowa, has available Bratos-lean pork and tofu links. The fully cooked, heat-and-serve links are said to contain 50 percent less fat, 17 percent less cholesterol, and 17 percent more protein than competitive, conventional products, and contain no MSG.
-- Ticino, South San Francisco, Calif., has available a line of "high quality" meats. Included are nine varieties of salami, such as Toscano, Soppressata, Premium Genoa, Milano Classico, Deli Genoa, Contadino, Cacciatore, Pepper Salami Loaf and Italian Dry.
Pancetta (tightly rolled, dry-cured bacon) and Dry-Cured Ham Specialties (Mild and Hot Coppa, Prosciutto and Prosciuttino) are also available, as well as Mortadella Meat (a "premier" deli meat studded with green pistachios and aromatic spices.)
-- Mama Rosa's, Sidney, Ohio, has available a Kids 4-Pack of Mama Rosa's refrigerated, microwaveable pepperoni pizza. Four single serving pizzas are packaged on a cardboard tray with a clear plastic overwrap. It retails for $2.99.
-- Myers Foods Co., Plumsteadville, Pa., introduces two Myers Hearty Value Meals: the Johnny Marsetti and the Lasagna Bites.
Johnny Marsetti features elbow macaroni, ground beef, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili sauce and grated Mozzarella cheese. Lasagna Bites is "tender, bite-size, lasagna-shaped pasta in a zesty tomato sauce blended with Italian sausage and covered with Mozzarella cheese."
Each of the frozen entrees is packaged in 32-ounce foil trays with cardboard lids that are flagged "bake & serve."
-- Red Baron Frozen Pizza, Marshall, Minn., offers two new versions of its Red Baron's OvenStuffs, microwaveable frozen sandwiches, in Ham & Cheese Pocket and Beef & Cheddar Pocket.
The sandwiches are sold in boxes containing two individually wrapped, single-serving sandwiches. They carry a $2.79 suggested retail price.
-- Acme Markets, Malvern, Pa., introduces its Heritage Light Lowfat Beef to selected markets. The company claims the beef has 25 percent less fat than traditional beef because of genetic engineering. The product is "priced slightly higher than regular beef."
-- Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark., offers its frozen Tyson Beef Fajita Kit in a box. The meal consists of beef vegetables and flour tortillas. The fully cooked meal can be ready in eight minutes. Advertisements with $1 coupons are used for promotion.
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, Ohio 44114, phone 216/579-0814 or fax 216/579-0911.