Successful Anuga for VION Food
GERMANY - Stefaan Vansteenkiste was delighted with VION’s interactions with visitors at Anuga, the world’s leading food fair. He highlighted that the main growth markets are in Asia as well as launching Goldbeef and the popularity of high-welfare pork with European retailers.
11 October 2013
2 minute read
VION Food CEO, Stefaan Vansteenkiste, said at the end of five successful days in Cologne: “We provided information and advice to our customers in the retail and meat processing industries, conducted negotiations and made countless new contacts, primarily at international enterprises.”
The VION Food stand in the meat hall was a central hub for international figures from across the industry, playing host to over 1,500 customer meetings.
As Mr Vansteenkiste observed, Asian businesses were particularly interested in VION’s products.
He said: “We expect to receive official approval from authorities in Beijing for four additional VION slaughterhouses by early 2014 at the latest. This means we’ll be able to produce goods for the Chinese market – which is great news, especially for our Asian customers.”
Once the certification process is complete, VION will, for the first time, be able to supply products directly to meat industry players and local retailers, in addition to selling to wholesalers.
Mr Vansteenkiste predicts that VION’s business in China will grow by around 20 per cent in 2014 alone. He underlines that since 2009, the quality, safety and traceability of VION’s products have made the enterprise an increasingly sought-after partner for Chinese retailers and meat processing companies.
Bernd Stange, Managing Director of Fresh Meat at VION, said: “One of the highlights of the event was the launch of our new product, Goldbeef. This dry- and wet-aged beef was exceptionally well received by customers and retailers alike.”
Goldbeef is a high-quality German product sourced from female animals no older than 36 months. Its long aging period makes it unique.
“Only top-quality local produce goes into Goldbeef,” stresses Mr Stange.
VION Food’s positioning as the company with the most extensive animal welfare programme in Europe was a real talking point for retailers. In the Netherlands, VION is the leading supplier of pigs raised in line with Beter Leven conditions, providing over one million animals each year across all three certification categories, from entry-level to organic. In Germany, VION Food is the only meat supplier to receive the German Animal Welfare Association’s entry-level certification. Currently, its pork is being introduced by three retail chains in several test markets – mostly in Berlin – with excellent results.
As Anuga drew to a close, the German Agricultural Society (DLG) awarded two VION facilities with its gold accolade, reserved for the very best. Artland Convenience GmbH in Badbergen and VION Convenience GmbH in Landsberg took home the prestigious prize. The panel congratulated them on over 25 years of “exceptionally high-quality meat products and convenience foods”.
TheCattleSite News Desk
