THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604100390
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY STEPHEN W. DILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
With many in Britain avoiding beef because of ``mad cow disease,'' a North Carolina company plans to market ostrich meat as a safe substitute for red meat.
Oro Verde Farms is the only U.S. company approved to sell ostrich meat in the United Kingdom. This month, Oro Verde will begin shipping the meat to two large supermarket chains in England.
``We are at the right place at the right time,'' said company President Jim Kirk.
Oro Verde first tried to sell ostrich meat in Britain eight months ago, before the beef scare began. The going was slow until Brits began avoiding beef for fear of contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the human form of mad cow disease.
The Knightdale company hopes to start shipping 40,000 pounds a month and work up to 100,000 pounds. With beef sales down as much as 60 percent, Kirk said his English customers have told him they will take all he can supply.
Oro Verde is selling its meat at $7.20 a pound - British consumers can expect to pay about $15 a pound.
The meat will be available through two British supermarket chains: Tesco, with more than 500 stores; and J. Sainberry, with about 350 stores.
Oro Verde sought the British market after unsuccessful efforts to sell ostrich in the United States.
``We turned to Britain because Europeans are more trendy, they are more willing to try something different,'' Kirk said.
Oro Verde raises its own birds and also plans to buy meat throughout the United States for shipment to England. ``We cannot even begin to satisfy the market that has emerged,'' Kirk said. by CNB