Game trend theme at the SÜFFA

Picture: Messe Stuttgart

Game dishes are on the rise in local kitchens. Meat from local hunts is very popular: According to the latest surveys, German consumers consumed around 30.000 tons of wild boar, roe deer, red deer and fallow deer last season. Not only is consumption increasing, but also the number of hunters. What is striking here is the growing proportion of young women taking the hunting license exams. The Stuttgart SÜFFA, trade fair for the meat industry, will take up the complex topic of game as a program item from 21 to 23 October.

"More than half of all Germans eat game at least once a year," says SÜFFA project manager Sophie Stähle from Messe Stuttgart. “That is an increase of over 25 percent over the last ten years. After a lot of positive feedback on the placement of the topic, we are once again taking this important trend into account at the SÜFFA and thus building a bridge in communication with customers: when it comes to processing and marketing game products, butchers are the ideal partners for hunters.”

"Game has a permanent place in the butcher's counter"
Leonie Baumeister from the Baden-Württemberg State Guild Association and a butcher with her own hunting license thinks so too: “Further processing and refinement of game meat fits well into our classic job profile. Thanks to good advice and persuasion, wild game has long had a permanent place in our counters. This has been well received by customers.” The range has long since gone far beyond fresh meat and, in addition to barbecue items and sausages, also includes raw sausages, ham, salami, cans and ready meals as standard. Many customers also informed themselves thoroughly about the respective properties and possible uses of the meat, which is why "game increasingly ends up on the grill or in the sous-vide bath".

Wild is “in”, as a look at the internet shows. A wealth of classic and innovative game dishes can now be found on the relevant recipe portals, ranging from venison goulash cooked at low temperatures to wild boar burgers and tom-kha-gai soup with venison fillet. Baumeister reports that people of all ages buy, although they are happy to pay a little more for quality. "Availability and price go well together with wild game - it doesn't have to be every week, but if, for example, the family is visiting, that's of course a highlight. There is now a good understanding that not everything can always be bought. Game is not on call, because a hunt involves a lot of patience and skill.”

Hunting is getting younger – and more feminine
Many butchers like to go stalking themselves, like Leonie Baumeister, who not least appreciates the "change from everyday life". Overall, contact between hunters, butchers and customers has become easier. “Through photos and videos you can show what is involved in hunting. It's not just about a high kill, it's about caring for wild animals in particular." It can be observed on social media that more and more people are interested in hunting.

Increasingly, young people in particular are picking up guns themselves. With almost 4.000 candidates, a record was set at the hunting tests in Baden-Württemberg last year. The next generation is not only getting younger, they are also becoming more female: In recent years, the proportion of young women in the preparatory courses has risen from 20 to almost 30 percent. Commercial suppliers of hunting weapons and clothing have already recognized the new market niche and have expanded their range with appropriately adapted products. The motivations for getting a hunting license are complex, says Baumeister. “Many find their passion in bringing something of their own to the table and dealing with nature and its life cycles. The animals are allowed to live an animal-friendly life, are then killed in a manner that is appropriate to the hunt and professionally processed.” Sustainability in practice.

"Safe, Safe Meat"
Surveys by the German Hunting Association confirm this assessment: In addition to experiencing nature and actively practicing nature conservation, the procurement of game is one of the most important reasons for hunting training, especially among young women. This may be seen as an expression of a demonstrably higher level of health and nutritional awareness. Samuel Golter from the Baden-Württemberg State Hunting Association sees this as a very general trend in consumer behavior: “Today, regionality, sustainability and short distances are just as important as healthy nutrition, certainty of origin and animal welfare. Venison has a high proportion of important trace elements such as selenium, iron and zinc. It is low in cholesterol, free of medication and therefore very popular not only with many athletes and allergy sufferers. People want harmless, safe meat – fresh, regional goods instead of mass-produced meat produced with concentrated feed.”

About SÜFFA
People and markets come together at the SÜFFA in Stuttgart. It is the meeting place for the butcher trade and medium-sized industry. Exhibiting companies from the fields of production, sales and shop fittings present themselves to the competent specialist audience in the halls. The SÜFFA specials also make the trade fair an event that no specialist company should miss.

www.sueffa.de

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