Sysco are one of the largest meat (and other food) distributors in the US, with access to more than 425,000 customers and a turnover in excess of $48bn in 2015. Director of culinary development Neil Doherty gave his view at the Meat Market Seminar on an area where he sees potential for Irish lamb, if we get the green light to commence exporting.

Doherty, who originally hails from Mayo, explained that, at the moment, Sysco’s lamb offering relies heavily on New Zealand and Australian lamb.

The breakdown of 4,628t of lamb traded in 2015 is 37.7% from Australia, 32.3% domestic, 27% New Zealand and 3% other, which also reflects overall imports.

The company is supplying many high-end or premium markets and also has links currently with Irish Country Meats and Slaney Foods through their EU supply network.

He says that consumption trends of US consumers are changing and that this must be kept in mind when assessing the target market.

“There is a new generation of customers that are on the go and looking for fast convenient food rather than the traditional white tablecloth sit-down experience.

“Lamb, thankfully, is starting to show up on a lot of other dishes like curries, mince-based offerings and American-style tapas.

“Products like lamb burgers are also showing up as a second offering to the traditional beef burger and is slowly starting to make inroads. It is small volumes, but at least it is on the menu and moving,” he said.

Doherty sees this premium or value-added market as offering the best potential to Irish exports.

“Australian lamb has made big inroads and, along with US lamb, is being heavily marketed. In America, this all revolves around sustainability, similar to your Origin Green marketing, so it fits right in with what American consumers are looking for.”

However, there is a word of caution on price. Doherty says most customers desire a product that is produced with a good image, but not all are willing or able to pay for it.

“In California, grass-fed beef is big, but it comes from Australia. That’s down to one reason – price. If Ireland is coming in at commodity level, it is very hard to compete with Australia or New Zealand. American lamb is already regarded as a super-premium and that’s where you need to come in. For me, it has to be value-added.”

The move to purchasing healthier foods that have been produced with a green image has been shown in market analysis to be more prominent in female shoppers, with younger consumers driving this agenda. Ensuring consumers have access to such products is also another way of potentially kick-starting higher consumption.