The primary focus of the research was the channels of distribution within the Romanian meat market as broken down under traders/importers, retailers and processors.

The Romanian pigmeat market remains less than self sufficient with imports amounting to around 200,000 tonnes annually. The Germans and the Hungarians are the key suppliers to this market. The principal products imported are pork trimmings, boneless shoulder and back fat for further processing.

The largest importers and distributors of meat were identified and ranked accordingly, from Macromex recording the highest turnover, down to Agroalim, Alfredo Foods and then Costiana.

In terms of retailers, Metro was examined in detail as it is a prominent player in the Romanian market. Retailers with a cash and carry facility were also included, with Selgros ticking all the right boxes here. In terms of finding a premium retailer, Bord Bia selected Mega Image based on their strategy for selecting quality produce with good locations.

Some of the key processors that emerged from Bord Bia series of meetings included Smithfield, Global Meat KFT, Christim, Angst, Aldios and Ifantis. This is potentially a significant market channel as almost 65 per cent of frozen imports are aimed at the further processing market with the bulk of the remainder being targeted at the retail sector.