Product innovation

Overview

MLA invests in research and development (R&D) to create innovative red meat products, with the aim of producing higher value, more desirable products that satisfy consumer demand in domestic and international markets.

Insights gathered from product innovation R&D identify emerging global food trends and consumer behaviours that offer opportunities for the Australian red meat industry to increase its product range in areas such as health and wellness, convenience (snacking) and high protein diets.

To capitalise on these opportunities, new value-added product and service innovations need to be created through new technologies, processes and business models.

Core activities

R&D initiatives include:

• engaging with food technology entrepreneurs, producers and brand owners of value-added products to develop and implement innovative value adding products and/or supply chains
• developing and testing proof-of-concepts and value propositions with cost-benefit analyses
• evaluating new science and technology platforms for red meat inclusion that can grow demand and improve productivity
• incorporating future-focused consumer-led input across other MLA activities, such as consumer insights.

Benefits to industry

• MLA’s product and packaging innovation R&D ensures that value chains and the wider industry have access to new products, processes, packaging and business models.
• Producing higher value, more desirable red meat products responds to declining per capita consumption in the domestic market and provides emerging markets with more choice beyond commodity offerings.