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.
-- Roast America, Palos Heights, Ill., offers honey beef roasts and honey pork roasts. The boneless eye of the round and boneless pork loin are marinated in a delicate honey sauce and sold ready-to-cook from frozen. Their sizes range from 3 pounds to 8 pounds.
-- Bryan Foods, Memphis, Tenn., a division of Sara Lee Corp., will launch smoked sausages and hot dogs made with McIlhenny Brand Tabasco Pepper Sauce.
-- Old Settlers, Covina, Calif., offers beef jerky in super hot, hot, teriyaki, sweet 'n' spicy and western varieties. The product features natural smoke flavor. It is available in 1-ounce, 4-ounce and 8-ounce clear plastic pouches that reclose, as well as in 28-count and 32-count canisters with tamper-evident seals over the twist-off caps.
-- Cher-Make Sausage, Manitowoc, Wis., introduces a seven-item line of shelf stable summer sausage, including a low-salt variety. The line, marketed under the Smoky Valley brand name, also includes salamis.
-- Gwaltney, Smithfield, Va., has reformulated its pork sausage with a "new improved flavor." It is available in a chub pack that lists nutritional information on the back of the package.
-- Wilson Continental Deli, Oklahoma City, Okla., is marketing a line of refrigerated fresh-cut deli meats under the Wilson brand name. Three of the varieties are 95 percent fat-free Virginia Baked Ham, 96 percent fat-free Honey Cured Cooked Ham and Genoa Salami. The products are sold by weight in resealable clear plastic vacuum packs. The unit prices per pound are $4.39, $4.99 and $4.59.
-- American Home Food Products, Madison, N.J., offers microwaveable Chef Boyardee Rice With Beef & Vegetables. The entree is sold in 7.5-ounce plastic containers that retail for 87 cents.
-- Pioneer Snacks, Farmington Hills, Mich., is distributing Skinny Joe Spicy Snak-Stik, a meat stick made with beef, chicken, salt, flavoring, corn syrup, dextrose and paprika. One stick retails for 25 cents.
-- ConAgra Frozen Foods, Omaha, Neb., has reformulated its frozen family-size entree-Gravy and Six Salisbury Steaks-with a "new recipe" and with the patties that are 20 percent larger, the company claims. The product is sold in an overboxed tray and is promoted with full-page ads offering 50-cent coupons.
-- Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., is distributing House of Tsang Take-Out Cuisine for Two in eight shelf-stable varieties, three of which are beef stir fry, beef with pea pods and sweet and sour pork.
They are sold in boxes similar to take-out packages and retail between $3.49 and $3.99. Range-top and microwave heating instructions, as well as ingredients and nutritional facts, are printed on the side panel.
-- Luigino's Inc., Duluth, Minn., is marketing its Michelina's 3-Component Frozen Dinners, featuring beef taco, bean and beef burrito, meat ravioli, Swedish meatballs and beef stroganoff varieties. They are packaged in trays that range in weight between 10.5 ounces and 12 ounces.
The dinners heat in six minutes in the microwave. Suggested retail price ranges between $1.59 and $1.79.
-- Calzone and Company, Redmond, Wash., offer Madalena's Masterpiece microwaveable calzones. Included in the line are sausage and pepperoni, and ham and cheese varieties. The 10-ounce calzones are sold in boxes that retail for $2.79. Four packs ($7.89) are also available at club stores.
-- Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J., offers its boneless pork rib, and beef and broccoli frozen dinners. The former also contains beans, seasoned corn and an apple crumb dessert. The latter features a bed of rice and side dishes of corn, carrots and a chocolate brownie. The 10-ounce meals retail for $2.29, and are presented in overboxed trays.
-- Freezer Queen Foods, Buffalo, N.Y., introduces its Veal Parmagiana Meal, new to its line of Freezer Queen Frozen Entrees. The breaded veal pattie comes with spiral pasta in tomato sauce and peas. Packaged in an overboxed, dual, ovenable tray, the 9-ounce product can be heated in a conventional or microwave oven.