Past the worst period?

Easter ham sales in 2013 reflected last year’s meat market trends well: volume sales plunged and value sales declined just a little. Zoltán Szántó, product manager with Pick Szeged Zrt. informed Trade magazin that they expect a slow growth in consumption this year, due to positive developments in consumer confidence and an improved macroeconomic situation. This year Easter is rather late, which means a longer selling period. In the 2014 Easter season Pick Szeged concentrates on the Békebeli product line – products developed to suit the taste of quality conscious buyers who like traditional flavours: PICK Békebeli spare rib, tied ham and Frikandó ham. Pick Szeged’s experience is that the market is shifting in the direction of smaller size products, therefore they made all products available in vacuum foil packaging in 0.8-1.1kg version, with a 45-day shelf life. Krisztina Bódi, Kométa ’99 Zrt.’s marketing director spoke to us about the strong position of their products among quality hams. In 2013 the company managed to improve sales, but rising grow material prices put great burden on them. In her view the market share of low quality import products is still too high. In the Easter period Kométa puts its quality products in the limelight: Buonissimo, Benvenuto and Gustavo hams are unique in the market because they are made without added phosphate and are gluten-, lactose- and milk protein-free. Their meat content is very high and they are low in fat and salt. Another good news for Kométa fans is that Kemencés Sült (Oven Baked) ham is also available in shops. Pápai Hús 1913 Kft. has always been a strong market force in the traditional smoked Easter meat product segment. Erzsébet Sebestyén, the company’s director of commerce told our magazine that the various packaging units they offer were tailored to the needs of consumers – they make whole, cut and sliced products as well. The company’s traditional product range aims at creating the real Easter atmosphere in homes, bringing families together with a hearty holiday meal. This is the time of the year when shoppers often put traditional Pápai peasant’s ham, peasant’s shoulder, smoked spare ribs and thigh in their baskets.