Foto: Theimer
»Auch 2021 wird ein
schwieriges, von Neujustierung
und Unsicherheit geprägtes
Jahr werden.«
»2021 will also be
a difficult year marked
by readjustment
and uncertainty.«
Jos Claeys
Not as traditionally in Belgium - last time in Mechelen in 2019 - but
on a virtual video and chat platform, 24 participants from meat
industry specialist editorial offices exchanged views and followed
the presentations of various speakers organized by the Belgian Meat
Office. After the welcome by Joris Koenen, the first speech followed
immediately, as only two hours were available.
Thus the first speaker described Rupert Claxton, department head at
GIRA, ASP and Covid-19 in an impact analysis as „black swans“, whose
effects are far from being overcome. The global recession as well as
a lower consumption of meat due to less demand in the food service
sector had torn large gaps. In addition, a drop in domestic demand for
premium products could also be observed in many countries in recent
months. However, the ASP in China had created a market for surpluses
from the EU, Brazil and the USA: at a persistently high price. The expert
assumes that challenges such as higher standards of animal welfare
will make domestic production more expensive and that consumers will
attach great importance to the issue of sustainability. „2021 will also be
a difficult year marked by readjustment and uncertainty,“ he concludes.
In the second part, after a short break, several speakers highlighted the
effects of the corona virus on meat consumption in Belgium and the
experiences of selected companies with it. VLAM marketing consultant
Kris Michiels reported on higher meat consumption in the home. In-home
consumption of fresh meat in the 2nd quarter of 2020 was 23 %
higher than in the same period of the previous year. Mixtures of differ-ent
types of meat achieved the greatest growth. Price would continue
to play a major role in purchasing, but the factors of regionality and
health would also shape future purchasing decisions.
Manuel Goderis, product manager at Westvlees (Belgian Pork Group)
said that since Corona, the company has sold 15% more to the retail
trade, but 30% less to the food service sector with 10% fewer slaugh-ters.
Finally, Luc de Lille introduced the family-run company Danis,
which has had great success with the brand „The Duke of Berkshire“.
The company focuses on sustainable and transparent value chains.
All participants had the opportunity to ask questions in a chat tran-script,
some of which were answered directly or afterwards. More
detailed questions were answered later by e-mail. In 2021, the round
table should take place again in the context of a personal exchange if
possible. mth
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