THE RETAIL MEAT INDUSTRY CHALLENGE

The purpose of this paper is to outline the opportunities available to the Canadian retail grocery industry with regard to meat and poultry. The fresh meat and poultry department is one of the largest and fastest growing areas of the grocery store. At the same time, its potential as a point of differentiation and as a merchandising flagship for the retailer remains largely untapped. Furthermore, for the meat and poultry sectors to move forward to higher levels of customer satisfaction and value, the industry requires that the retail sector take a leadership role. It needs to be noted that from a technological and attitudinal perspective, industry processors and producers are now more ready to move forward with retailers than at any time in the past. It is hoped that this paper will help to make retailers aware of the untapped potential and to encourage the rest of the industry to be prepared to move forward with their retail partners