New market for rabbit?

- Winter - 1998 "Update" Newsletter Article -

New market for rabbit?
University meats specialist will offer consumers opportunity to taste new rabbit products

From CATI Publication #981001
Copyright © 1997. All rights reserved.

Fresno State meats specialist John A. Jacobs is so used to the question that he often poses it himself early in conversations about rabbit meat: "Would you ever try feeding your kids the Easter Bunny?"

That mental picture raises probably the most common psychological barrier Americans face when considering the idea of eating rabbit meat. It’s a barrier that could start to come down as Jacobs leads a research effort seeking new markets for rabbit meat.

Prepared rabbit is sold more commonly than most people think; it can be found in just about any major supermarket, Jacobs said in explaining his project.

"They’re there; you just have to look for them, usually in the frozen foods section. And they’re very, very expensive," he said. Typical buyers are senior citizens who like the mild tasting, tender meat, which also is very low in fat, he noted. "Rabbit is very similar to chicken breast, with a finer texture and a very mild flavor."

Conventional packaging is in the form of a "fryer rabbit," similar to a whole frozen chicken, Jacobs said. A central goal of this project will be to develop and market new products more attractive to the consumer. They include restructured rabbit cutlets and "Italian style" sausage made from rabbit.

Production methods for rabbits are already fairly well established, Jacobs said, and small-scale farms exist in California and all over the U.S. Thus Jacobs’ research team will purchase rabbits from existing farms and use Fresno State’s new meats laboratory for processing the new "fresh-meat" products.

The research team will consist of students from the Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education, where Jacobs is a professor. The Initial test arena will be the University Farm Market. The market is located on the Fresno State campus at Chestnut and Barstow avenues and is open to the public.

"Product samples will be prepared and served to consumers of all ages. Students will complete questionnaires from questions asked of consumers sampling these products," Jacobs explained. Panels of trained food testers also will take part in preliminary evaluations.

In addition to the taste testing, the new products will undergo independent laboratory analysis to determine fat, protein, cholesterol, sodium and potassium content. A key to a renewed consumer interest in rabbit meat could be its low fat content, Jacobs said.

Following completion of the product development and testing in approximately one year, Jacobs and the research team will determine whether to continue production for sale at the farm market or to attempt development of other new rabbit products. Information will be released as it becomes available.

Funding for this project was provided by the American Rabbit Breeders Association Inc. University support will be provided by the California Agricultural Technology Institute (CATI) and the Center for Food Science and Nutrition (CFSNR).

For more information, Jacobs may be contacted through his department office, at (559) 278-2971.

{ page top }