Developments in Meat Trade

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1070, 6 September 1930, Page 27

Developments in Meat Trade

Possibilities of Packaged Meats AT various times during the past sir months or so reference lias been made in The Sun to tlie developments which have taken place in the meat-packing industry overseas, more particularly in the direction of the new process of sharp freezing and the marketing of moat in sizeable packages. It seems that more notice should be taken of this process by freezers in this country for there is every indication that it has come to stay and, if New Zealanders are not careful, they will be left behind when the idea is generally accepted by consumers.

Mr. R. A. Colyer, of Messrs. Colyer. ffatson and Co., with New Zealand an( i Australian interests, lias not long returned from an extensive tour abroad He spent several weeks in tbe United States and in the Central States of Latin America, and during that time was able to see a little of what had been done to put this new phase of meat-packing on the map in various parts there. Mr. Colyer is confident that the new method has come to stay, and that it

will mean a big change in the methods of marketing and distribution in the near future. Several of the big packing houses in the States have taken up the idea. The meat is cut up into sizeabie cuts and all waste and extra fat taken off: it is wrapped in hygienic transparent packages and tan be handled by any salesman. The onlv essential for a store handling the meat is a cool storage counter under glass, and it is not necessary to store the meat at the same temperature as that at which it is first sharp frozen. It brings all cuts and classes of meat down to the same category as

wrapped sausages and bacon and other meats which are handled in the general stores today, and already the big chain stores have adopted the idea. The need for the retail butcher, to a large extent, will be done away with, and already in the States and in England, considerable alarm is being expressed among the trade at the way in which the new phase is taking on. Mr. Colyer dined at places where nothing but the sharp frozen meat was used, and considers that it preserves all the flavours of fresh meat and, particularly in regard to beef, should have big possibilities ahead for the New Zealand and Australian exporters in their efforts to meet the competition of the chilled meat shippers of the Argentine. There is the additional advantage from both

the producers’ and the consumers’ points of view that a great deal of the cost of distribution and marketing should be. done away with under the new methods. At the moment several processes for sharp freezing are being tried out, not only with a view to putting them into operation in the meat trade, but also with a view to extending them to other foods. The writer understands that the New Zealand Meat Board is keeping a close watch on the developments overseas, and has even gone so far as to have samples shipped to this country, and served up at a special dinner. It is essential that a close watch should be kept for, even though it might be a costly business to introduce the idea to this country, we certainly could not afford to lag behind exporters in other parts of the world. The next year or so will be extremely interesting from the meat producers’ point of view.