American shoppers' love affair with protein is showing no signs of slowing. Recent consumer surveys from groups like the International Food Information Council (IFIC) show 3/4 of consumers build their dinner meals around protein, and around half do the same for both lunch (56%) and breakfast (49%). And an overwhelming majority of consumers (76%) describe themselves as "omnivores" as opposed to vegetarian, vegan and the like.¹ Just looking at red meat, from January to September 2020, the percentage of consumers claiming to eat beef at least weekly increased from 67% to 72%.²

The top reasons protein is a sought-after nutrient are³:

• For a balanced diet (42%)
• Satisfy hunger throughout the day (36%)
• Build muscle/strength (34%)

Most importantly for retailers, the proof of animal-protein's power is in the sales data. Meat sales are still at all-time highs — despite the headlines for plant-based substitutes. Up from 1.0% growth in 2019, the retail meat department increased dollar sales by 19.2% and volume sales increased by 11.0% over 2020.⁴

How to tap into the passion for protein

Grassfed beef brings benefits to the table that appeal to high-value, big-basket shoppers with upside potential. Attributes like no-antibiotics, no-added-hormones, and humanely raised have broad appeal, and move the needle even more for these shoppers.

Despite the recent sales growth from the meat case – both on and off-line – this is not the time to be complacent. "Marketing the meat case" has been proven time and again to reinforce shoppers' choices and get them to buy. Consider these factors:

• More than 70% can be influenced by in-store marketing such as in-store events, tastings, butcher recommendations and point-of-sale.
• 80% of grassfed beef shoppers have no set budget, or are willing to make an exception to try something new
• 61% of meat buyers are willing to pay for better quality meat

It's important to remind shoppers that lean proteins like grassfed beef from Australia have built in advantages. Here's a Three Point Plan to Advance Your Meat Sales with Grassfed Beef:

1. Make it Prominent. Many meat sections have yet to catch up to consumer demand for higher quality, sustainable offerings like grassfed beef. First and foremost, add assortment and make it easy to find.
2. Emphasize the Fundamentals. Leverage the built-in drivers for meat sales by focusing emphasis on taste, variety, and healthfulness. Showcase recipes in-store and online that help maximize the appeal to today's "protein" shopper.
3. Lean into the Goodness of the Meat. Leaner cuts of grassfed beef deliver high-quality protein with far fewer calories than non-meat sources like quinoa or beans. In all marketing, include callouts for high quality, all-natural, sustainable and high levels of Omega-3s.

True Aussie Beef & Lamb (the global brand for Meat & Livestock Australia) represents the Australian beef and lamb industry globally, and aims to educate and inspire home cooks and food enthusiasts on the USA's number one source of high quality, all-natural and sustainable lamb and grassfed beef.  And yes, that is Australian lamb and grassfed beef! Australian meats are readily available to retailers nationwide, and we stand ready to add value with shopper insights, marketing promotions and pilot tests. Drop us a line at [email protected]