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Top themes butcher’s trade IFFA 2016

Добавлено: 20 янв 2016, 23:14
Познышев Вадим
Fleischerhandwerk
The 15,000 or so businesses in the butcher's trade in Germany have very good prospects of growing their market share. Key is to respond to changes in consumer behaviour and to take on board new technological advances which help to lower costs or to improve products and services.

Simplification of working practices
Demographics show that specialised craftsmen will in the near future be in very short supply. Already today one in five apprenticeship places remains unfilled and even now many companies are suffering from a shortage of skilled workers. Since this trend is set to deepen, businesses are investing increasingly in mechanisation in order to make up for the lack of manpower. Furthermore investment in the simplification of working practices as well as collaboration between colleagues is helping to offset this shortage.

Energy efficiency
The production and storage of meat and meat products in the meat-processing trade is highly energy intensive. In order to compensate for soaring energy costs or even to lower the cost of materials, increasing investment in energy efficiency is being actioned. This includes not just equipment, machinery, lighting, heating, refrigeration etc but also optimisation processes, energy pools and alternative forms of energy generation.

Convenience
The population's consumer habits are changing fast. Traditional products of the meat trade such as the Sunday roast are less in demand today than they were just a few years ago. Increasingly, ready prepared dishes and all the trimmings are bought to be eaten at home. Then there are also new eating places and times. Many meals are eaten as fast-food snacks, whilst standing or more and more on the move. Fixed mealtimes are becoming increasingly unusual. The meat trade is well positioned to enter this market on an individual basis as there are huge regional variations in this trend.

Hygiene
A company's food hygiene is not just the prerequisite for the production of safe food but also a crucial factor for consumers in where they decide to shop. In the meat-processing trade we are seeing huge investments bringing improvements as far as hygiene is concerned both in sales as well as in production. These measures include structural building works.

Changing consumer behaviour
The specialist butcher's shop has in recent years developed from a simple location for selling meat and sausage into a specialist shop for hand-crafted foods. Nowadays the majority of butcher's shops in Germany offer a wide range of other foods including most often salads and cheeses. In most recent times you come across specialist butcher's shops offering a party catering service which includes vegetarian and even occasionally vegan food. The trade is responding to the current popularity of so-called meat substitute products and is thereby improving its reputation for purveyors of handcrafted high-quality food.

Animal rights and animal welfare
Society's awareness of animal rights and animal welfare has increased and for many consumers these have become important issues affecting their purchase of animal-based products. The butcher's trade has a good opportunity in this area to distance itself from commercial and industrial competitors. Animal traceability, often locally reared, limited food miles, animal friendly slaughtering procedures and craft slaughterhouses are fundamental to the deep appreciation for the living creatures which supply us with a precious and valuable food product.

Local food
It is precisely in the course of increasing globalisation that many consumers are rediscovering local foods. Consumers are seeking out local produce and wanting to support the local economy. The butcher's trade is deeply rooted in local life and thus offers the first port of call for customers who are looking to enjoy local foods or regional specialities. Many specialist butchers are taking full advantage of this and are proving very successful in attracting customers from outside their own region, and are either using locally sourced products or else using their own skills to produce regional specialities.

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