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| Meeting the New Challenges in Competition through Research and Development |
| Alain PEYRON |
| Technology Department, French Development Meat Research Institute, Clermont-Ferrand 63039, France |
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Abstract Through advisable orientations in research and development, technological transfer and innovation the meat industry can respond to the consumers’ demand. Continual crises have helped the consumers to understand that the term “beef”is generic and corresponds to many different products, breeding systems and origins. The beef meat sector has responded by improving the traceability of meat. For companies, there were two challenges: reassuring the consumers as to the origin of the meat consumed and information through appropriate labeling. This traceability has ended up being a strategic commercial asset. However, although the indication of the origin of meat is one of the first criteria of consumer choice, it is not the only one. Today’s consumer is looking for an appropriate quality/price/use ratio. Since the cost-effectiveness of meat companies is rather low, there is a real need to combine consumer habits with a strategic positioning of value-added products. It is necessary to make investments profitable through higher volumes and diversification of the market. For example, ground meat has increased from 25% to more than 40% of the total meat consumption by supplying diversified products. The creation of an added-value via diversified products has raised many research and development problems which are discussed in this article.
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