THERE’S plenty of cache (and some might say cash) associated with aligning fast-moving consumer products with popular breed types in the beef industry (think Angus beef pies), but we’ve seen some recent examples of food products that some might say have over-stepped the mark.

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One of Australia’s premium potato chip (crisp) manufacturers, Kettle Foods, has recently released a new range, called its Crafted Collection. Among the exotic flavours offered is Angus Beef & Caramelised Onion. Retail prices ranged from $6.00 to $6.90 per 150g bag, in retail sites we visited online. In comparison, Kettle’s original Sea Salt Chips (still a bit premium) in Coles this week were $4.50 for a 165g pack.

“Inspired by Angus beef, raised on sprawling Australian pastures and countryside, finished with tasty caramelised onion. No added artificial colours or flavours,” the back of the pack proclaims. The small print of product ingredients is hard to read, but appears not to list Angus beef among them.

So many questions.

Does ‘inspired by’ mean the chips contain any Angus beef at all? If so, how much?

Are there other beef breeds involved? How is the authenticity of the Angus claim protected? Is this a legitimate use of the word, Angus, from the beef industry’s perspective?

Does an ‘Angus inspired’ chip (crisp) taste any different from a ‘Hereford inspired’ chip, or ‘Brahman inspired’ for that matter?

To be fair, there has been an explosion in premium potato chip (crisp) flavours in Australia in the past year or two, with products claiming to contain truffle, Peking duck, applewood smoked butter, ginger beer, Kakadu plum and lemon myrtle making an appearance. Others claim to be ‘cooked in avocado oil.’

Premiumisation is a trend happening right across the food industry (including beef – see earlier story), and the chip (crisp) market does not appear immune. But does adventurous product marketing like this ultimately damage legitimate ‘brand Angus?’

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It appears that Australia is not the only place where beef breed names are being vigorously hijacked by the snackfood sector.

Consider this popular brand of Wagyu beef flavoured potato chips (crisps) being sold in Japan. Language barriers prohibit us from looking into the fine-print on the pack, but the strategy appears to be similar: align a basic snackfood item with a flavour name that projects images of quality and prestige.

In fact both the Japanese and Australian examples splash an appetising image of a juicy looking slice of Wagyu/Angus beef steak across each pack.

Give that the Wagyu industry has forged its formidable reputation (and equally formidable price-point) on extreme tenderness, juiciness, silkiness and flavour, is that even relevant in a humble potato chip? What possible characteristics of Wagyu are left?

How about these Gourmet Wagyu gourmet biltong strips, produced by Northern Rivers Provisions in NSW, and sold in premium Australian supermarket retailers like Harris Farm? Flavour, maybe, but tenderness and juiciness are not characteristics normally associated with biltong, a product akin to jerky.

What do readers think?