Red meat dashboards give farmers insight into end markets
© Tim Scrivener Beef, sheep and pig farmers will be able to get a better understanding of their end markets following the launch of new red meat dashboards.
Developed by levy body the AHDB, the dashboards provide an overview of the latest food-service data for beef, lamb and pork.
The online platform breaks down the volume of sales so that users can compare takeaway performance to red meat eaten in or consumed on the go.
See also: Opinion: Red meat is back in, so let’s engage with consumers
It gives growth by dish type – such as Asian, Italian, Mexican, burgers and sandwiches – to allow users to track the changes over time.
For example, the latest data on beef shows food-service sales of 71.1m kg were recorded in the year up to 13 June 2021 – down 15.8% year-on-year. However, this period saw growth in sales in beef burgers and beef in the Asian food-service sector.
Over the same period, food-service lamb sales rose by 3% to 15.49m kg, but food-service pork sales were down 24.2% to 97.76m kg.
Quarterly updates
The dashboards will be updated four times a year, after key periods such as Easter and Christmas. Users can sign up to receive email updates.
The AHDB said investment from the red meat sectors allowed it to create its own volume estimates for beef, pork and lamb in food service, based on data from Kantar Out of Home.
AHDB retail insight analyst Grace Randall said: “Understanding how food-service sales are changing can help our levy payers and stakeholders better understand their end market.
“When used alongside our existing retail dashboards, our new food-service offering will provide all the information needed to get the complete picture on the performance of the British red meat sector.
“This is completely unique to the AHDB. This information cannot be accessed anywhere else, making it an incredibly valuable source of information.
“This is another example of the AHDB looking at ways to provide additional value for our levy payers, now and in the future.”
Visit the online AHDB dashboards.
Industry’s first carbon food label scheme launches
A UK-based tech firm has become the first to launch carbon footprint labels on food for food businesses and restaurants.
Foodsteps, a food-tech start-up established by Cambridge University scientists and alumni, says the labels will allow restaurants and caterers to detail the environmental impact of their food.
The first British-specific impact database for food covers more than 1,000 ingredients and incorporates carbon footprint and the effects of pollution, water use and land use.
This company says the initiative will help companies calculate, reduce and label the environmental credentials of their food as part of industry efforts to meet net-zero targets on carbon emissions.
Food providers can use the platform to upload recipes and view the sustainability of each ingredient. This can be used to monitor targets, develop new recipes and improve a menu or product’s sustainability.
From there, companies can choose to print their own labels, which provide a traffic light rating, to clearly communicate the sustainability of a product.
“If we can make assessing and communicating environmental information in the food industry more accessible and standardised, there is no reason why it won’t become as widespread as nutritional information,” said Anya Doherty, founder and CEO of Foodsteps.