Just for the peckish… ostrich kebabs
OSTRICH kebabs are being added to the barbecue range at hundreds of high street stores.
tesco is selling the free range ostrich meat in 400 locations amid evidence t hat t he nation is developing a taste for exotic and unusual cuts.
Just last Christmas, Lidl was offering reindeer steaks and claimed it was unable to keep up with demand, while the discount chain Budgens has sold squirrel.
It is possible to buy llama mince, imported from Chile, on Amazon. Many other exotic choices, ranging from zebra steaks, to crocodile, kangaroo, camel and elk are available from specialist suppliers.
tesco is selling the 300g packs of Mossel Bay ostrich kebabs for £5 on in-store promotional displays.
Details were revealed in the grocer magazine, which said the fastrising discount supermarkets are to follow in tesco’s footsteps.
Aldi will offer ostrich kebabs in September and Lidl plans to have ostrich meat on its shelves this Christmas.
the kebabs at tesco are supplied by wholesaler DB Foods, which said a trial of Mossel Bay ostrich s t eaks at Britain’s bi ggest supermarket in March had gone ‘very well’. there are some ostrich farmers in the uK but the meat being sold by tesco comes from South Africa as the result of an exclusive deal with a farming co-operative called Mosstrich.
DB Foods is already supplying more than 2,000 high street butchers and the upmarket uS chain Whole Foods Market with the kebabs and chief executive Ben Bayer said that ostrich was going to become increasingly visible to consumers.
Nutritionists consider ostrich a red meat, though it has much less fat than other red meats such as beef or lamb.
‘It is our ambition to see ostrich become a mainstream meat,’ Mr Bayer said. ‘It’s nutritional, has a great taste and is a healthy red meat.’
ostrich has around three per cent fat, against around 10.5 per cent for beef, 15.2 per cent pork. It even has less fat than chicken, which is typically 7.4 per cent.
historically, there have been animal welfare concerns about farming ostriches, particularly when it was carried out in the uK where it was feared the climate was too cold and wet. there were also concerns that the birds should not be reared in intensive conditions.
Mr Bayer said DB Foods is in talks to supply other retailers. he has insisted his company has worked closely with Mosstrich to ensure the welfare of the birds.