The partnership with Lidl encourages the meat processing company to improve its products
In 2020, Nematekas, one of the largest meat processors in Lithuania, which also produces part of the products of the private Lidl brand Pikok, supplemented the shelves of the retail chain with 8 improved meat products.
Stasys Gineitis, the meat manager of Lidl Lietuva, says that the quality of products is improved by reducing the amount of salt and sugar and by removing additives that are not necessary or replacing them with more natural alternatives.
“When improving the composition of food products, we try to give priority to those products that are consumed on a daily basis. Customers have a significant influence on the development of our private label products – we pay special attention to the wishes of customers, we also take into account trends in society. Therefore, after analyzing the Lithuanian “Pikok” meat products in the range, we provided suggestions and recommendations to our partners, according to which we could improve their quality together,” says S. Gineitis.
Rūta Vaicekauskaitė, Head of New Product Development and Implementation at Nematekas, says that there has been a growing demand for new products with improved formulations recently. “We are always looking for ways to improve our products and focus on finding more natural additives as alternatives to chemical additives. At the same time, of course, we strive to ensure that neither the taste nor the functional properties of the products are affected,” says the interlocutor.
Product development is a long process and the process from idea to product with a modified composition takes more than a month. “Initially, we consulted with product suppliers, discussed alternatives in formulations, and their food technologists prepared new samples. We responsibly checked these offers and organized both internal and consumer tastings, as we wanted to make sure that the customers’ usual taste and appearance characteristics would remain the same. Finally, most of the products in the Pikok range have been able to remove unnecessary dyes, maintaining the visual quality of the product and replacing artificial flavors with natural ones, while preserving the good taste of the products,” says S. Gineitis.
According to Rūta Vaicekauskaitė, Nematekas works in accordance with the current European regulations and has the highest rating of the IFS standard, which reflects strict control of all production processes. According to her, the company also has a Navision process management system, which helps to further align the company’s internal kitchen. It records and manages all production processes, from the acceptance of raw materials, spices, additives and packaging materials to the placing of products on the market.
“During production, our technologists evaluate the appearance, consistency, smell and taste of the products, and all technological processes take place according to computer programs created for each product group. Then we label and package the products in accordance with all regulations, and the products in the finished product warehouse are inspected by measuring their gas, weight and internal temperature,” says R. Vaicekauskaitė.
The head of new product development and implementation of Nematekas notes that Lidl’s Pikok range of products, like all of the company’s products, are set aside for reference samples in order to verify that their shelf life is proper.
“In addition, we have selected a team of specialists who taste the products from all the batches produced on the respective day. Also, in order to evaluate the composition of the products and their compliance with the established standards, the products are subjected to food testing with the FoodScan food analyzer. Finally, we also perform research in external laboratories – from raw materials, spices, additives, air, water and ice tests to finished products, washes from inspections of employees or equipment,” says R. Vaicekauskaitė.
