Rima Grocery 1000 | Gilde and Kiwi owner Norgesgruppen accused of adulterating barbecue ribs

Barbecue season is a time when meat producers and grocery chains can really hope for good sales of different types of grilled meats.

Grilled ribs are definitely a classic. Now it turns out there's a lot of creativity when it comes to using names. Nettavisen's thorough examination reveals that barbecue ribs are sold from the neck, comb and rib.

Even more innovative is Nortura, a meat producer for Norwegian farmers.

Kiwi owner Norgesgruppen also uses barbecue ribs for meats unrelated to ribs.

– Particularly disappointing

– It is particularly disappointing that Nortura, owned by Norwegian meat producer, is at the forefront of this, Per Ola Hofmo tells Nettavisen.

He is the recently retired chief veterinarian at Norsvin, where he worked for 35 years. Norsveen is an organization of 1,500 Norwegian pig farmers.

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-It will be overwhelming. To me, it's like they're trying to present the product as if it's a nobler part of the pig than it actually is, says Hofmo.

One of the things that makes barbecue ribs popular is that they are sourced from the side of pork. It's well-marbled and has some fat, so it's very juicy, unlike some other types of pork which are often a little dry.

– Why not be honest and say that there are barbecue discs from the swamp for example? “Everything is not ribs,” says Hofmo.

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In the past, it has been revealed how many manufacturers spray their BBQ food full of water. Nettavisen's examination now shows that barbecue ribs can be meat taken from different parts of the pig.

BBQ ribs products checked in Kiwi, Rema 1000, Extra, Coop Prix, Meny, Spar and Oda.

In total, we found nine barbecue rib products. Some of these are repeated through several series, including two Guild variants.

Six of the barbecue ribs consist of pork. One from the neck meat, one from the comb, and one from the leg.

All three of these are made by Nortura. Two of the three are made under the Gilde brand name. It may be noted that we did not find any Guild barbecue ribs that were actually made of pork.

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Comb barbecue ribs are sold in Norgesgruppen stores such as Kiwi, Meny and Spar. This is sold under the name Folkets. It is a so-called private label brand (EMV), and is produced by Nortura's subsidiary Norfersk.

So Nortura is the only company that makes barbecue ribs from something other than pork. None of the other meat producers do this, nor do Nordfjord, Grilstad or Fatland.

Low-cost brands First Price and Prima also stock pork chops.

– They're mixing it up

– The arch, neck or crest are and will never be ribs, says former veterinarian Hofmo.

It is true that the packages indicate the presence of roasted ribs from the neck, bow and comb. Hofmo thinks it doesn't help much.

– People are not taught how to recognize what is in different types of meat. On the contrary, the industry contributes to confusion and makes it difficult to understand which different cuts of meat are which, Hofmo says.

Nettavisen asked the owner of Gilde Nortura several questions:

• Where did you get the definition of rib?
• What is the reason for calling parts of an animal other than ribs ribs?
• Why not call it the Grill Book, Grill Comb and Grill Neck instead?

The naming was simply intended to make it clear that these are alternatives to barbecue ribs, made from other cuts, says communications consultant Marthene Petersen for Nettavisen.

– BBQ ribs are a popular product, but many still think they can be too fatty. She says these options are seasoned and cut the same way, but contain more meat and less fat than regular barbecue ribs — for those who want that.

Kiwi Owner: – Got it provided by Nortura

Roast rib from comb From the brand the people Sold in Kiwi and other stores in Norgesgruppen. Norgesgruppen owns the brand the peoplebut is produced by Nortura's subsidiary Norfersk.

-We chose to call the product Comb BBQ Ribs because that is the name under which this type of product was first launched, which was introduced to us from Nortura, Communications Director Kine Søyland wrote in an email to Nettavisen.

It confirms that Norgesgruppen is responsible for the name of the respective products the people.

In the past, Norgesgruppen was very concerned about using the correct names for parts of the pig. Now they advocate using the name like this:

– The product is called “from comb” in the product name, and the product description states that the product is produced from pork comb. So we believe we are clear that the product is made with pork and not side meat, so consumers know what they are buying, Soiland wrote.

Cooperative: – Misleading

Coop has a completely different view of the matter than Norgesgruppen.

-We have moved away from calling cuts other than BBQ pork ribs. We think it would be wrong to call a cut part like the neck a barbecue rib, says communications director Harald Christiansen.

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Coop reportedly changed this a few years ago.

– We consider it misleading marketing towards our customers to call barbecue ribs pork necks, and pork necks should be called pork necks and not ribs, says Christiansen.

– Violating the marketing law

Marketing and reputation expert Trond Blindheim believes Nurtura's use of the name is outright fraud.

– They're obviously doing it to make money. And with the good weather we're having, a lot of BBQ ribs will undoubtedly be sold. He says it's possible they use the neck, bow and comb to get enough barbecue ribs.

But the result is that people are getting something other than barbecued ribs, and that's simply too much cheating, says Blindheim.

– a surprise

He is amazed that Nurtura and Guild are responsible for the creative use of names.

– He says it's the farmers' own meat producer that cheats on this, which is surprising, and actually makes it worse.

He believes the authorities should look into the matter more closely.

– They call the product something it is not. He says the consumer watchdog should find out whether this constitutes a breach of marketing law or the Good Commercial Practices Act.

He believes Guild's reputation will be severely damaged.

– Guild's reputation will be weakened by negative media coverage. Posts that show they are reforming clearly make them vulnerable.

Read also: Guild with BBQ Fist: – Completely misleading

The guild turns

Nortura has informed Nettavisen that it will now change the labeling of its barbecue rib products.

“Gilde has recently decided to change the name Grillribbe av nakke and Grillribbe av bog, as well as move away from similar naming in the future,” says communications consultant Martine Petersen.

– She says: – We take into account the comments that this is confusing, which is clearly undesirable.

But customers won't notice any immediate change in stores. The name won't be changed until next year.

– We will be using pre-printed packaging this season, but the products will be given new names for next year, says Nortura communications consultant, Marthene Petersen.