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Cheaper Cuts in the Credit Crunch
At this time of economic uncertainty, the cost of raw materials is high on everyone's agenda, particularly for chefs and caterers who are trying to put together menus for the summer season. With the current demand and initiatives for fresh local produce and healthy balanced diets, it is the circumstances surrounding production and pricing structures has never been more relevant.
Margaret Stewart extols the virtues of being creative with your cuts…
Of all the products found in a kitchen, beef has one of the longest and most complex lifecycle from conception to consumer. On average, this journey takes three years, from a calf born at 50kgs to a finished steer at 600kg, back to a carcase of 350 kg, which in turn will yield 240 kg of saleable meat*. There may be several owners, hundreds of miles and more than a ton of feed, and that's excluding all the grass consumed en route.
We are lucky in Scotland; over 90% of this production comes through a fully controlled mechanism, where animal health and welfare are high on the agenda with systems in place to minimise stress and the quality of the end product. However, labour, fuel, fertilisers and feeding costs have all increased dramatically in recent months, and the reality is that production has fallen while prices have continued to rise.
The UK is now only 80% self-sufficient in beef and it is estimated that, in the catering sector at least, over two thirds of products are imported. Beef-cattle and prime cattle numbers in Scotland have been steadily falling for the past 10 years, and current slaughter numbers are the lowest since 2004. Calf registrations for the whole of the UK (including N. Ireland) are all down slightly on previous years, so it is against this backdrop that producer prices per kilo (deadweight), and average prices of wholesale cuts are at their highest for many years. Because of the pressures on the supply of high-value cuts with Scottish origin, chefs should be suspicious of special low prices or one-off offers; they may not be all they seem. Moreover, the forecasts indicate that the situation is unlikely to change in the immediate future.
However, it is not all bad news. The variety of cuts from the 240-odd kilos of saleable meat on a cow carcase is one of the principal advantages of the species, and it allows for an eclectic array of dishes in restaurants.
Caterers are in a strong position to influence the end consumer, and if the sector makes use of the more economical cuts of Scotch Beef it will help itself by keeping the price of prime steak and roasting cuts as low as possible.
Every single piece of Scotch Beef from the carcase is produced to the same high standards, with the same care and attention to breed, feed, animal husbandry, primary processing and the environment. The key to alleviating the pricing issue is to utilise more of the carcase and spread the cost more evenly over the 240 kilos. The fillet is the prime example of this pricing imbalance. This tiny but highly prized muscle represents only around one percent of the carcase by weight but currently delivers over 15% of the value. If chefs and caterers start to use more economical cuts that require longer, slower cooking they will save money while maintaining standards.
There are clear signs that higher prices are here to stay and it is becoming increasingly important for caterers to work very closely with regular meat suppliers, so that every link in the chain can achieve profitable returns and the consumers can still enjoy healthy, well-prepared locally produced meat dishes.
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine August/September 2008.
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