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Not being able to "parse" the above comment is on you, not its author. When else have you heard the goings-on at Maple Leaf Meat Co? That's right, never. Furthe
by listenallyall 8y ago
Not being able to "parse" the above comment is on you, not its author. When else have you heard the goings-on at Maple Leaf Meat Co? That's right, never. Further, in what other context has someone expressed "very encouraging" (the grandparent) about a meat producer? Exceptionally rare, the only news meat producers make is as the cause of some environmental, labor, or health disaster.
Look, they don't care much about PR among consumers, they don't sell to them. But it is nice to be in the news for something positive for a change. PR within the food-supply industry, now that IS important, and this will certainly make news there, perhaps repositioning this company as a market pioneer. But the real reason they are adding plantburgers to their offerings is because purchasers, in virtually every industry, prefer (often mandated) to reduce the number of suppliers and consolidate orders. Maple Leaf wants to continue to provide one-stop shopping to its customers, it knows its meat orders are at risk if customers have to go elsewhere for these plantburgers. They obviously have seen more demand, or at least inquiries, and they are filling that need.
- slededit 8y ago> Look, they don't care much about PR among consumers, they don't sell to them. Actually they do - directly in the grocery store there is Maple Leaf branded meat. Further they have PR commercials on all the time about how happy and healthy the farms are. Your analysis is flat out wrong.
- listenallyall 8y ago> flat out wrong I'll bet that felt good to say. If anything, the fact that Maple Leaf is a consumer brand (unlike US giants Cargill, National Beef, JBS) amplifies my point -- the positive PR can help position the company as an environmentally-conscious market leader in the minds of wholesale buyers AND individual consumers. Since the original post, Maple Leaf's announcement was covered by publications such as Food & Drink International, GlobalMeatNews.com, FoodBev.com, Agribusiness Intelligence, just-food.com (these are the top results of a Google search of "maple leaf plant burger") -- in other words, trade publications, the exact types of industry news outlets I described. Or maybe you'll tell me I'm wrong again because you regularly peruse the pages of Global Meat News. I don't see how your fact-check contradicts any substantial part of my post. Meat producers don't normally make news unless it is highly negative. The announcement signaled to purchasers -- wholesale or consumer -- that Maple Leaf can continue to be their preferred, single source of meat, and now, meat-ish products like a veggie burger.