There is a market for game meat in Croatia, it is important to establish a supply chain

Research has confirmed: almost 99 percent of respondents consume game meat of domestic origin. Everyone agrees that game meat is rich in protein and nutritional values. Attitudes towards hunting are also positive – respondents believe it helps maintain balance in nature. However, the intention to consume game meat is mediocre. Where then lie the discrepancies between attitudes and behavioral intentions?! The answer to this question was sought yesterday at the expert meeting ‘Game in Modern Diet’ at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb. Experts from the fields of hunting, consumer behavior in food markets, and nutrition, as well as representatives from the industry and the world of gastronomy, made their contributions. The common goal was to popularize game meat as a modern food product and bring it closer to end consumers by presenting modern dishes.

– There is a market for game meat in Croatia, therefore it is important to establish a supply chain. Given the gap between attitudes towards this type of meat and attitudes towards hunting with the intention of consuming game meat, it is necessary to determine the causes of this gap (higher price, perception of safety, availability) and also educate consumers about safety, emphasize the importance of hunting, and the benefits of consuming game meat – concluded doc. dr. sc. Marina Tomić Maksan. Together with prof. dr. sc. Nikica Šprem from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb, she conducted research among Croatian consumers in January this year on a sample of 603 respondents.

Assoc. prof. dr. sc. Nives Marušić Radovčić from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology in Zagreb highlighted the nutritional and ecological aspects of game meat. The raw material comes from natural, sustainable hunting, which reduces the environmental impact compared to intensive farming of domestic animals.

Game meat is naturally ‘organic’, without added hormones and antibiotics, making it a healthier choice for health-conscious individuals. As a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and nutritionally rich option, it represents an excellent alternative to other types of meat.

At the meeting, Branimir Stankić from the Croatian Hunting Federation spoke about the importance of hunting, while prof. dr. sc. Nikica Šprem from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb discussed the game that surrounds us. Assoc. prof. dr. sc. Kristijan Tomljanović from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology in Zagreb reflected on the production of game meat from Croatian hunting grounds. The Croatian Hunting Federation currently has more than 75,000 active members. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, during the 2023/2024 hunting year, the most common species of ungulates in the cull are wild boar with a cull of 48 thousand heads, followed by roe deer with almost 18 thousand heads and red deer with 5.5 thousand heads. Recent national data indicate a production of over 2,100 tons of red deer, roe deer, and wild boar meat annually, with a consumption of only 0.55 kg per capita. According to the current price list of Croatian Forests, the annual production amounts to about ten million euros.

– With an innovative approach to the market and pairing game meat with indigenous products from the region where our production process takes place – in Istria – at Histris we aim to add value to game meat and change consumer awareness. We are not only branding a cured meat product but also inheriting the best from the world of gastronomy. For example, we have linked venison sausage, the so-called king of the forest, with Istrian truffles. Along with the nutritional advantages and flavors of authenticity, we are seeing a steady increase in interest in our game products. We secure raw materials from our own hunting ground near Ogulin and by purchasing from hunting societies – emphasized the production director of the Istrian cured meat company Histris, Dalibor Matišić, discussing the challenges they face in the technology of game processing.

To ensure that it was not all just words, theory was ultimately translated into practice at the end of the expert meeting. Participants had the opportunity to taste four modern dishes arranged by young chef Matija Bogdan and Histris’s game products.