With such a wide variety of options available to stock your store, it can be a difficult to decipher through the assortment of quality meat suppliers and brands in the market. Colorful logos and misleading labels can make it confusing to select the best available choice. To ensure you are purchasing the highest quality meats that you want to represent your store, make sure to review these important questions before partnering with your next meat supplier.
1. What processes and procedures does the meat supplier use to ensure the highest level of food safety?
With alarmingly increasing rates of food safety concerns, it is of the utmost important to ensure your meat supplier takes precaution and systematic measures to ensure the safety of all their meat products. That means having a discussion with your potential supplier about the specific measures they take when it comes to protecting their products against food borne illness and contamination, and making sure that those standards align with that of your own store.
2. Do the meat products actually taste great and have quality flavor?
A product can look excellent on the shelves, but what really keeps customers coming back to buy more is a product’s unique and exceptional taste. A proper meat supplier’s products should be both fresh and flavorful. If possible, see if you can taste test some of their meat products prior to stocking your store to confirm that they can offer an assortment of flavors and high quality freshness that would appeal to your varying customer base. Suppliers should be offering anything from a range of fresh, raw meat product to a spicy seasoned variety, assuring that they can offer a flavor that will catch the eyes of your diverse shoppers.
3. Does the supplier offer a wide range in their selection of meat products that could appeal to your customer base?
Not all grocery shoppers are the same, and neither should all of your meat products. Customers are of course looking for quality meat, but their preferences definitely vary when it comes to types, cuts, seasonings and flavors. That means, having a supplier that can deliver on a wide range of product that does not compromise quality is ideal. For some customers, convenience is a priority, so having pre-cooked meats, frozen foods or entree style meals is a suitable fit for them. On the other hand, someone who is looking to cook from scratch may just need a premium quality meat like ground chicken, pork chops or steak tips to use in their recipes. And of course, for the organic eater, a supplier should be able to deliver organic, antibiotic free, all natural meat products to cater to those demands.
4. Does the meat supplier recognize trends in the marketplace and is able to evolve with them?
Customer demands, food trends and upcoming flavors are all things that continue to shift in the food marketplace. It is critical to partner with a supplier that recognizes the constant change and is both flexible and innovative enough to come up with solutions and new products that can keep up or even stay ahead of trends and popular customer demands.