Game meat is a developing category

By: Szalai László Date: 2022. 11. 24. 10:20

Two years ago, after the COVID pandemic had broken out and the HoReCa sector had collapsed, our magazine wrote: it is essential for game meat producers to diversify instead of just focusing on restaurants.

Since then market players have changed directions and done well in building the domestic market. What is more, due to rising motor fuel prices and international shipping problems, importing game meat from other continents has become much more expensive.

A part of everyday life

Dr. Attila Lőrincz
game meat processing director
Vadex

Dr Attila Lőrincz, game meat processing director of VADEX Mezőföldi Zrt: “Because of the drastic increase in the price of meat, and the general feeling that there might be food supply issues in the future, shoppers show growing demand for game meat in Hungary too – it has become a part of their everyday life. Plus in many cases game meat costs less than pork or beef, and there is also the fact that game meat represents very high quality.”

Patrik Pechtol
managing director
Fiwi-Hűt

According to Patrik Pechtol, CEO of Fiwi-Hűt Kft., in addition to game meat becoming more available, the game meat consumption trend also has to do with consumers spending more time experimenting in the kitchen since the pandemic: “Our Vadkonyha product range hit the shops of the market leader discounter chain during the third wave of the pandemic, and sales have been growing ever since. We also educate shoppers with tips and preparation methods, so that game meat consumption becomes a real experience for them.”

Gábor Ivánácz
CEO
Venison Gusto

Gábor Ivánácz, CEO of Venison Gusto Kft.: “Unfortunately it has a negative influence on Hungarian game meat sales that those consumers who try cheap, poor quality game meat product for the first time think they don’t like it. They believe this even if it isn’t game meat in general that is bad; they just came across a product that was probably made of industrial waste.”

Artisan food quality

Dr Attila Lőrincz explained that VADEX processes each game with the biggest, artisan-like care and precision. The innovation directions of the company haven’t changed: they offer uniform packs, top quality, convenience packaging, lots of information on the packaging, and high enjoyment and nutritional value to consumers. The company is proud to host the International Game Gastronomy festival every year, which welcomed more than 6,000 visitors in 2022. It was also VADEX who supplied the Bocuse d’Or world final with game meat.

Recently, the price of game meat is lower or at least not significantly higher than that of pork and beef

Going in the convenience direction

At Fiwi-Hűt the main innovation direction is convenience. Their view is that shoppers don’t like to waste time with complicated cooking methods. This was made really clear by the superb sales performance of their game meat ready meals; these are high quality, additive-free products that can be prepared in a microwave oven. The company keeps monitoring the trends of the meat market, and try to create the game meat alternatives of the latest products. This is how Fiwi-Hűt’s microwaveable ready meals were born, and how their grill product range became complete this year with spicy venison meats. In the long run Fiwi-Hűt would like to see the level of game meat consumption reach the currently much higher level of Western Europe.

Maintaining or further improving quality is the only way

Premium innovations

Venison Gusto regularly rolls out new innovations, and they already have nearly 50 different products in the market; they specialise in salami, sausage and cured hams. Although they sense growing demand from retailers for lower-priced products, they have decided to focus on premium innovations. In the past few months, they broke sales records with their premium products on a weekly basis, e.g. with cured venison and wild boar ham. Venison Gusto’s recently launched Special Edition Őz venison salamis are a great success, even though they are the company’s most expensive salamis.