Offal Renaissance To Boost Livestock Industry
UK - Offal is back! There were once 260 tripe shops in Manchester alone, reflecting the popularity of tripe and onion, alongside meals based on the likes of liver, kidneys and oxtail.
19 November 2007
1 minute read
But in the past few decades, as incomes have risen and tastes have become more refined, consumers have turned their back on offal.
Things are beginning to change, however. UK offal sales have risen over the past three years and set to continue rising as restaurants, butchers and consumers increasingly see the benefits of the ‘fifth quarter’, according to the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX)
EBLEX has teamed up with celebrity chef Sophie Grigson in a bid to accelerate the ‘offal renaissance’, which it believes could bring about a significant boost to farm incomes.
Carcasses will be worth more to abattoirs and private butchers if parts that are currently disposed of, sometimes at a cost, can be sold into the food chain in quantity at a profit, EBLEX chief executive Richard Ali said.
EBLEX has created a free guide, ‘It’s all about offal’, with information and tips on buying and cooking offal, including a number of recipes, which is being widely distributed in butchers’ shops. Recipes can also be downloaded from www.beefyandlamby.co.uk/offal or ordered by calling 0870 4286154.
EBLEX believes that as consumers take more notice of issues like local sourcing, the nutritional value of food and food waste, the time is right to promote offals.
