Ghlgroupe

La bleue des prés:

If there is one area that is constantly changing, it has to be food. Tastes change and the way we nourish ourselves changes as our way of life is being transformed.

Whereas today Belgian consumers are still demanding very tender and extremely lean beef, a good many of them are looking to make flavour a priority as well as the desire for healthy eating.

A return to genuine values, a return to genuine flavours, it could be said!

Bleue des prés meets these expectations by offering flavoursome, tender, lean and healthy meat. As beef it is one component of the Menu Equilibrium.

« La Bleue des prés » is a Belgian Blue cow between 30 and 72 months old, which has grazed for two seasons and is fed with locally-produced cereals.
Its darker, marbled meat is acclaimed by catering professionals for its excellent taste (flavour and tenderness) and is appreciated by the most exacting consumers. It is quite distinct from the meat of Belgian Blue bulls which is low in fat and therefore less tasty.

During finishing (a minimum of ninety days), the animal is also fed extruded flax (Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids). This is a definitive plus for consumer health (recognised by medical and dietetic environments, see also the results of the Menu Equilibrium study).

The " Bleue des Prés " carcasses are classified in the category S (superior) and E (Europe). All the animals are therefore double-muscled, meaning outstanding tenderness and a more pronounced taste due to the presence of fats.

The entire "La Bleue des Prés" chain is controlled by a certifying body (Procerviq).

Historical notes

A rapid reaction to changing tastes - and to the invasion of foreign meat.

« La Bleue des prés » chain was born at the end of December 2001, thanks to the initiative of Professor Pascal Leroy, President of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Liège, and the then Minister for Agriculture, José Happart. Australian beef, Irish beef, Scottish beef....

It was noted at the time that the Horeca sector was moving away from the Belgian Blue Beef towards other foreign breeds with a stronger flavour due to the higher fat content: Australian beef, Irish beef, Scottish beef....

The objective was thus threefold:

1. Meet the demand of catering professionals and changing consumer tastes.
2. Promote the Belgian Blue chain and the know-how of our livestock breeders and feeders.
3. Offer an alternative to imported meat by producing a quality product and maximising guarantees.

Find out more

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège and the University Faculty of Agronomic Sciences at Gembloux are both committed to what has become called differentiated quality.

This new, recently-introduced concept in animal production refers to the unique productions characterised by organoleptic properties recognisable by the consumer. Hand-in-hand with these characteristics is the notion of "region", i.e. set geographic location, breeds and special rearing methods.