The Ratite Meat Industry

The time is now for the ostrich, emu and rhea meat industry. The high priced breeder market is a thing of the past. The future of the ostrich and emu industry will depend greatly upon the successful sale of the meat. The rhea industry will depend upon its sale of the meat as a health product.

Ratite meat is an expensive meat and must be handled and sold as such. It must be marketed as a premium meat and sold on its high iron- low fat content. Its "healthy" meat aspect must be promoted. Ratite meat cannot compete on a cost basis with beef, pork or poultry.

The success of the ratite meat industry will depend upon: 1) sound breeding (the ratite must yield a high percentage of meat, 2) good nutrition and management (a good feed to gain ratio), 3) efficient processing procedures and 4) an aggressive marketing and promotion program. An in-depth discussion of 3 and 4 follows.

Ratite growers must have a cost effective way of getting their birds processed and marketed. Federal inspection must be paid by the federal government.

Processors include those who:

     1 Kill, dress, cut up, package and sell the meat.
     2. Kill, cut up, package the meat. It is sold by someone else.
     3. Kill and dress. Cut up, packaging and selling is done by someone else.
     4. Cut up, package and sell.
     5. Cut and package. It is sold by someone else.

Regardless of the manner in which the meat is handled, there must be an adequate supply of quality meat to furnish the needs of the market on a regular basis. Meat from ratites that are not well fleshed or that are too old should not be sold as quality meat. This meat should be incorporated into by-products that do not require the degree of tenderness of high quality meats.

Processors and others who prepare ratite meat for sale must know, or be trained, to put out high quality meat. The meat must have all the "silver" removed. "Silver" refers to the thin tissue, which is silver in color, that covers each muscle. When cooked it becomes tough, resulting in a tough mouth feel to the meat.

Packaging needs to be done as it relates to the type of customer. Ratite meat to be sold to retail customers should be in a package with an attractive picture of the ready-to-eat meat on the front. How to prepare the meat, its nutritoinal content and other pertinent information should be included. There should be one or more openings on the package so the customer can see the meat. Ratite meat to be sold to the institutional trade, and this includes restaurants, need not be packaged as elaborately.

Ratite meat to be sold as whole muscles require a method of identification. This is especially true of meat being sold through brokers and being exported to foreign countries. Identification of ratite muscles by numbering the muscles with reference to their scientific names is the simplest way and the most widely accepted procedure. The American Ostrich Association in their Meat Buyers Guide lists numbers for most of the ostrich muscles. The International Ostrich Meat Buyers Guide lists numbers for all of the muscles. The numbers of the two groups differ somewhat. The American Emu Association is working on numbers for the emu muscles. The Australian Emu Association has a different set of numbers. No numbers have been developed for the rhea muscles.

Promotion of ratite meat is paramount in the movement of the product. Promotion needs to be done by all involved in the ratite business and must be directed to the segments where the meat will be marketed and/or consumed.

Today, the major market for ratite meat is foreign countries. Tomorrow, the United States could become a major consumer. Success depends upon the determination of the growers, processors and sellers to market high quality products that consumers want.

By Richard Adams, Ph.D. (Animal Sciences Dept.); William Stadelman, Ph.D. (Food Sciences Dept.); and Hubert Schmieder, Chef (Restaurant, Hotel, Institution Management and Tourism Dept.), Emeritus Professors, Purdue University - University of California Cooperative Extension Poultry Fact Sheet