In a Canadian snack food industry packed with competing products, one of the old favourites has gained a new lease of life. Sales of beef jerky, the dried chewy meat snack, are growing by about 50% each year, and other meat snacks are also growing fast.
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Because it is high in protein and contains less fat and carbohydrates than most junk food, it is perceived as a healthier snack – despite being loaded with salt and preservatives, comments the Globe and Mail newspaper. The product is also extremely convenient, as it is handheld and generally requires no refrigeration.
Last year, Canadian consumption of jerky and allied products pepperoni sticks and kippered beef reached an estimated C$60-75m (US$37.7-47.2m). While meat snacks still account for just a small percentage of the C$1bn-plus snack food market, their slice is rising fast and manufacturers are coming up with innovative products to tap the trend.
Link Snacks of Minong, Wis., a senior US player, is growing fast in the Canadian market. “International markets are “a huge growth opportunity for us,” said Cathy Sturm, Link’s senior marketing manager. Toronto-based Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is meanwhile developing a jerky product to complement its Meatheads meat snacks. Maple Leaf president Rick Young commented that meat snacks are showing “explosive growth”.
At the end of last year, research showed that jerky was the fastest growing snack in the US market – for more information, just-food.com members should click here.
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