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.
-- Enjoy Foods International, Fontana, Calif., offers Steak Kabob Jerky in hot, teriyaki, old-fashion and barbecue flavors. The "chewy steak on a stick" is marinated in special sauces.
-- Armour Food Co., Downers Grove, Ill., has available Armour Homestyle Breaded Beef Patties in four-count plastic wrapped trays. The refrigerated patties are made from scratch and fully cooked. They can be heated in an oven or microwave. Ads feature a 50-cent coupon.
-- J.R. Simplot Co., Boise, Idaho, has extended its MicroMagic line of microwaveable products to include a 6.25-ounce cheeseburger, the Big One! The 100 percent beef product is topped with two slices of American cheese and served in a sesame seed bun. The product is packaged in a box and carries a $1.79 retail price.
-- O'Brien and Co., Bellevue, Neb., offers its Snak-Magic Lunch Kit, which contains hickory smoked beef summer sausage, Wisconsin cheddar cheese spread, toasted crackers and a mint. The kits are sold in 3.4-ounce packages that have a shelf life of six months, the company claims.
-- Van den Bergh Foods Co., Lisle, Ill., introduces its Ragu Hearty 100% Natural Pasta Sauce Flavored with Sauteed Beef. It is made with tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, corn syrup, beef, soybean oil and garlic powder. It contains no preservatives or additives. The sauce is packaged in a 28-ounce jar that retails for $1.77.
-- Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., is test marketing its Double Diamond Brand Beef Cuts in select areas. The refrigerated steaks come in a tamper-proof package that explains that the purplish color of the product reflects its "longer life," the company claims.
-- Monfort Inc., Greeley, Colo., introduces Armour Marinated Boneless Pork Loin. The product has a "unique marinating process that allows the flavors to be distributed evenly throughout the loin," the company claims.
-- Jimmy Dean Foods, Cordova, Tenn., has added original flavor Mini Hot Dogs to its line of refrigerated sandwiches. Four microwaveable hot-dog-on-buns are packaged in an 8-ounce box with a window display. The hot dogs are made with pork, turkey and beef, and feature a hickory smoke flavoring. The fully-cooked product can be heated in the microwave or conventional oven. Product retails for $2.29.
-- Smithfield Foods Inc., Smithfield, Va., now offers prepackaged Hamilton's Classic Cuts Pork.
-- Charqui Beef Snacks, Miami, has added a Seasoned Beef Steak on a Stick called Jerk-A-Bob to its Charqui line of Beef Jerkys and Beef Sticks. A combination of beef jerky and beef shishkabobs, the "chewy, spicy" snack item is recommended for most everyone, the company claims.
-- Colorado Jerky Co., Westminster, Colo., is distributing Saddleback Steak Filet Jerky in Ranch Cut and Prairie Fire flavors. The Ranch Cut is marinated in Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, Kikkoman soy sauce and dry spices.
Prairie Fire is described as an extra spicy flavor with a marinade that is "intensified for uncomparable western flavor."
The products are packaged in 1-ounce bags designed for rack display. The product contains no MSG and has 1 gram of fat per 1-ounce bag, the company claims.
-- Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark., is test marketing its brand pork. The line includes fresh cuts, as well as marinated pork items.
-- VIP Sales Co., Tulsa, Okla., offers a line of frozen Oriental entrees introduced under the Tai Pan name. One of the flavors is beef and broccoli.
Packaged in a 14.2-ounce box, similar to take-out containers, the product can be left in the package and heated in the microwave in eight minutes. It has no MSG. Suggested retail price is from $2.29 to $2.89.