Domestic game, farmed game or meat-flavored game?

The colder it gets outside, the more likely game dishes are put on the table: autumn and winter are traditionally the hunting period. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has guidelines that indicate what may be called game: an animal that has lived a free life and scavenged its own food. But how do you recognize this on the packaging?

In 2015, research firm Questionmark conducted research on wild meat from six supermarkets representing about 80% of the market in the Netherlands. This agency aims to increase the demand for, and supply of, sustainable products. Questionmark concluded that legislation on label information is not being followed. Director and co-founder Questionmark, Charlotte Linnebank: "Most of the animals identified in the study as farmed game have no better life than other animals from industrial farming, such as chickens and pigs."

White caged rabbits

"Almost never real game are rabbit and duck. Usually not real game but farmed game, but kept in relatively good conditions is venison," Charlotte Linnenbank stated. "Rabbit and pheasant are called 'game' even though that is often not justified." These are often white caged rabbits.
Duck and rabbit can be hunted as well as sold wild, but most are raised industrially in barns. Quince ducks have no access to water, the research report states.

Sporadic 'real game'

Manufacturers are not required to disclose the manner in which the animals were raised and therefore whether the meat comes from game, farmed game, natural meat or regular meat. Linnebank advises, "Those who want to eat real game can use the following rules of thumb. Real game is usually: wild boar, roe, mouflon and hare." These animals cannot be bred and are therefore truly wild, according to Sijas Akkerman of NGO Natuur & Milieu. "Mouflon is hunted. Pigs from the Netherlands are also guaranteed wild," Akkerman said.

Need for hallmark

Earlier research in 2017 by marketing agency Zest found that 67% of the Dutch consider it important for wild game to be recognizable by, for example, a hallmark. So there is a need among the public and chain to be able to distinguish wild game from other products.

New hallmark game

The need for transparency must be responded to, thought one restaurant owner in the Veluwe region. For this reason, he created the Real Game Quality Mark Foundation in December 2018. Until now, 'game meat' products have been labeled 'domestic game', 'farmed game' or 'game-flavored meat'. This should be clearer, it sounds from the Real Game Hallmark Foundation.

"Game is meat from an animal that has lived a free life, scavenged its own food and was shot here. So a farmed deer from Argentina, a rabbit from a hutch or a pheasant fed in the woods is not," said the foundation's chairman. With the hallmark on meat in supermarkets, poultry shops and on restaurant menus, the foundation wants to give consumers clarity.

Guidelines NVWA

The NVWA has guidelines indicating what can be called game and checks the origin. That system is already in place, only it is not transparent to consumers. The Real Game label will be available to companies and individuals who bring game into the chain according to the current guidelines of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, and thus only applies to game whose origin can be traced.

At the National Game Dinner in October 2019, the president of the Real Game Hallmark Foundation announced that the Hallmark will continue to be rolled out in the coming period.

Précon's Regulatory Affairs consultants keep an eye on developments. Want to know more or need help? Feel free to contact us at +31 (0)30 - 65 66 010 or info@precongroup.com.