Spaghetti Bolognese, lasagne, meatballs in curry sauce and meatballs with potatoes. These dishes top the list of the Danes’ favourite everyday meals, and what they all have in common is that minced beef and/or pork is the main ingredient. Consequently, these dishes account for quite a high percentage of a Danish family’s total meat consumption.
In launching a completely new concept, Danish Crown is now targeting products at families who want to cut down slightly on their meat intake without losing out on the taste of good, Danish meat.
“The name of the concept is ‘50/50’, and it is being launched in both a beef and a pork variant. Fifty per cent of each packet is the high-quality Danish Crown meat that Danes know and love, while the remaining 50 per cent is vegetables which are, of course, also high-quality,” says Finn Klostermann, CEO of Danish Crown Beef.
Different vegetables
To make the products as tasty as possible, the two variants do, however, not contain the same vegetables.
“Beef and pork taste slightly different, and the vegetables need to complement these variations in flavour. ‘Grønt & Gris’ (vegetables and pork) contains carrots, peppers and chickpeas, while kidney beans have been used instead of carrots in ‘Grønt & Okse’ (vegetables and beef). Both variants also carry the Nordic Keyhole label (only 6 per cent fat) and therefore meet consumer demand for low-fat, low-sodium products,” says Kamilla Wetke, Senior Brand Manager at Danish Crown, who has been closely involved in developing the two products.
In July, Danish Crown announced that it would be launching a veggie burger by the end of the year, and the 50/50 concept is another new initiative aimed at ensuring that Danish Crown can continue to supply products consumers want.
“It’s important to emphasise that our core product is meat. That said, we must also acknowledge the fact that consumers are increasingly looking for alternatives to meat, something that we would obviously like to be able to offer. At Danish Crown, we have the equipment and the expertise needed to develop these products and to get it right – first time,” says Finn Klostermann.
Danish Crown already supplies a number of beef-based hybrid products to a small number retail chains, but these own-brand products contain only 20-30 per cent vegetables.