Aussie Select Lamb pastrami. Image – MLA.

LAMB pastrami featuring Australian lamb will be stocked 73 Costco stores across the United States’ south-east as delicatessen purchases of other meats boom.

Meat & Livestock Australia said the placement had come after a project between MLA and Aussie Select, a company specialising in hand-crafted, modern charcuterie products featuring premium Australian lamb.

MLA said the aim of the project was to develop and test a suite of Australian lamb products by Aussie Select to build on the ready to eat and deli meats trend to grow demand in value added Australian lamb in the United States of America.

MLA’s group manager – science and innovation, Michael Lee, said American retailers had seen a 154 percent increase in weekly ready-to-eat or deli meat purchases, but that there were no lamb products on offer.

“Research indicated that US consumers spent $7.7 billion a year on deli meats, including ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat foods,” Mr Lee said.

“Turkey, pork, chicken and to a lesser extent beef dominate the deli. Yet, lamb, particularly lamb from Australia, is growing in popularity in the United States.

“American consumers indicated pressures around cooking time and that they have little confidence in cooking lamb,” he said.

“As the number one provider of lamb to the US market, the Australian industry has a massive opportunity to break into this market as the first to market ready-to-eat lamb products.”

Despite challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Aussie Select developed four hand-crafted, modern charcuterie offerings. They included Agave Rosemary Lamb, Tikka Masala Lamb, Lamb Pastrami and Lamb Prime Rib.

Aussie Select chief executive officer Jaclyn Glatzer said after multiple rounds of research, Aussie Select met or exceeded market demands for taste, sustainability, innovation, and health and wellness.

“Based on the research, current tonnage projections to meet the demand for Aussie Select show a potential for 3,700,000+ pounds of exclusively Australian raw product over the next five years,” she said.

“We’re thrilled to see Aussie Lamb products rolled out throughout the south-east (Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Puerto Rico).

“The initial products in the Aussie Select line only scratch the surface; there is exciting growth opportunity for lamb in the ready-to-heat, ready-to-eat and snack-kit categories,” she said.

To view the full project report visit: Aussie Select Cuts: development and testing new lamb US deli products and insights (Meat Tender)

To view the latest Monthly US Lamb Market Update, visit: Monthly US Lamb Market Update June

Source – MLA.