990853 From Ostrich Mignon to Tofu Turkey…August 25, 1999San Francisco - Typical American high-fat meals are under threat from an unlikely predator. According to SPINS, a San Francisco-based natural products market research company, increasing numbers of families are coming home to a new entree: ostrich. No longer considering them just oversized, long-necked birds with heads stuck in the sand, Americans are learning to think of ostriches as, well, dinner. SPINS reports that sales of ostrich meat have grown 300.9% in natural products supermarkets in the year ending April 1999. The growth in ostrich sales is just part of a larger trend in the food industry toward healthier and more natural meals. In fact, many consumers are now replacing traditional meats with so-called “meat alternatives,” vegetarian foods that are made to look, smell and even taste like meat. Meat alternatives, such as veggie burgers, tofu franks, wheat protein chicken and tofu turkey are growing rapidly in popularity. In fact, according to SPINS and ACNielsen, sales reached $352 million in natural stores and supermarkets in the 12 months ending April 1999 -- an increase of 32.1% over the previous year. Says Paddy Spence, CEO of SPINS, “Meat alternatives are some of the fastest growing products, in grocery stores today.” Why are so many consumers opting for exotic meats and non-meat alternatives? Many attribute this to the nutritional profiles of these foods. Meat alternatives and exotic meats like ostrich, buffalo and venison are often lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than traditional meats. Some are actually higher in protein. Additionally, many meat alternatives are made from soy, a product receiving a great deal of attention because of an array of health benefits many believe to be associated with it. SPINS CEO Paddy Spence believes that growth in healthy meal alternatives is likely to go on. “As food consumers realize the health benefits of these products, the growth in these categories should continue.” The health benefits are clear, but ostrich burgers? Says Spence, ostrich meat should not really seem all that unusual to us. “After all, the American diet now includes many foods that our parents would probably never have even dreamed of eating.” San Francisco-based SPINS is the leading provider of marketing information to the natural products industry. SPINS offers a range of sales and consumer information services, including two services in conjunction with ACNielsen.
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