Whether it’s a long-term trend or just a passing fad, beef tallow is making its way into products across the food landscape.
The $15.86 billion global beef tallow market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% to reach $26.12 billion by 2035, according to Business Research Insights.
The data analytics firm noted that the “boom” in beef tallow sales is driven only in part by food applications. Personal care products and biodiesel production are also bolstering the industry, according to the report.
“In the meals zone, tallow is gaining reputation as a conventional cooking ingredient due to its perceived health blessings, along with being a supply of healthful fats,” Business Research Insights noted.
That’s good news for industry leaders in the beef tallow market, such as Cargill and Brazilian meat giant JBS Foods USA. Strong consumer demand for smooth-label – or products with a few natural ingredients – is driving market growth, according to the report.
They face a potential challenge, however, from the growing popularity of plant-based alternatives, according to the report. Consumers are increasingly “turning to plant-based oils, which includes coconut and palm oil, which can be perceived as more healthy and extra sustainable options,” the group explained.
Bars with animal protein
Among the most recent notable growth of the beef tallow trend comes from Prima protein bars.
The company announced in mid-July its expansion to nearly 500 Kroger locations across the US. Prima dovetails with consumers’ move away from ultra-processed foods, the company explained.
The lineup of bars is “built around grass-fed protein, raw honey, egg yolks and beef tallow,” Prima said in a press release, which also emphasized the bars are free of seed oils, emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners.
“Right now, we’re seeing a major shift in consumers becoming increasingly skeptical of ultra-processed foods and paying closer attention to ingredient labels than ever before,” said Prima Co-Founder and CEO Dominick DeLegge. “We built Prima around the belief that protein should come from real ingredients people recognize and trust. Expanding into Kroger allows us to bring that philosophy to a much broader audience and makes it easier for everyday shoppers to access protein bars made with ingredients they can actually understand.”
Tallow and creatine bars
Rello is also in the beef tallow business, although its protein bars and shakes are focused more on the benefits of creatine, which aims to enhance muscle performance.
The bars, which are available at Sprouts Farmers Market, include 20 grams of protein (grass-fed collagen and whey), 1.2 grams of creatine, organic almond butter, chicory root fiber, organic honey, cocoa butter and grass-fed beef tallow.
Similar to Prima, the bars are free of seed oils and artificial sweeteners, among other ingredients, including sugar alcohols and fillers.
“Creatine is one of the most clinically validated ingredients in performance nutrition, yet its delivery has stayed stuck in outdated formats: Gritty blends, artificial flavors and little-to-no transparency around sourcing and testing,” said Rello Co-Founder Brett Sullivan. “As interest in strength, recovery and cognitive health expands beyond gym culture, consumers have been missing a clean, convenient way to integrate creatine into daily life. That is what we built Rello to deliver, with efficacy and taste at the forefront.”
Beef tallow fries
Frozen fries are also getting the tallow treatment from Jesse & Ben’s, a company that touts its short ingredient list of potatoes, grass-fed beef tallow and sea salt.
“Our ingredients are simple. So simple that we share them in big bold letters on the back of our bag (unlike Big Potato, we’ve got nothing to hide!),” the company says on its website.
The “guilt-free” fries also come in varieties that use avocado oil in place of beef tallow. Most importantly, Jesse & Ben’s notes that its products are free of seed oils.
“Back in the day, McDonald’s made their fries with tallow. Ronald was on to something,” the company said on its website.
Utz enters the beef tallow business
Chips are also getting a makeover with beef tallow. In May, Utz Brands announced the launch of its Boulder Canyon Sea Salt Kettle Chips cooked in beef tallow.
The move was driven by consumer demand for snacks that do not include seed oils, according to Utz.
The kettle-cooked Sea Salt chips are gluten-free and made with premium beef tallow and non-GMO potatoes, Utz said.
“From our commitment to non-seed oil innovation from Boulder Canyon to our Americana flavors of summer with Backyard Burger and the return of Lemonade from our flagship Utz brand, we are building a portfolio of snacks that continue to surprise and delight snack lovers,” said Stacey Schultz, senior vice president of marketing at Utz Quality Foods.
