MEAT-LOVERS are lapping up the latest craze for exotic meat after a Basford firm sold out of zebra steaks in just five hours.
Specialist retailer MuscleFood.com sold just over 900 zebra steaks shortly after launching the new range last week.
Its range of exotic meats has proved to be particularly popular with fitness enthusiasts and athletes.
Darren Beale, director of MuscleFood, said: "The exotic items we have started selling are high protein and very low fat – they are the ultimate meat for fitness enthusiasts and athletes.
"If you compare zebra steaks to ordinary supermarket beef steaks, they have 7-8g less fat each."
The company, which was established in 2013, employs 17 people and receives an average of 1,600 orders per week.
It stocks a range of health foods, products and supplements.
Exotic meats were introduced following a surge in demand for horse meat after last year's food contamination scandal.
As well zebra, ostrich, kangaroo and buffalo meat is also available.
Brand relationship manager Alex Mills said: "After the horse meat scandal we received an influx of requests to sell horse and other more exotic meats.
"We chose to trial horse and some of the other most requested meats so our customers could decide for themselves.
"We have all been amazed by the uptake. When we launched horse meat, we sold out of 1,100 fillet steaks in less than three hours.
"We started introducing exotic meats to the range around the beginning of February.
"The most recent addition to our exotic range is zebra steaks, which launched at the end of last week. In five hours, we sold out of just over 900 steaks.
"I am confident sales of exotic meats will continue to increase and believe this is the start of an underlying change in the way British people view exotic meats.
"If you buy two beef steaks from the supermarket, it costs at least £12 but two zebra steaks work out £4 cheaper.
"We have many customer favourites but our best-selling product has to be our premium chicken breast fillets. We only source our chicken with no added water and salt which our butchers hand trim."
Mr Mills added: "Fitness enthusiasts and athletes are our typical customers but we are starting to see more people not necessarily fitness-focused buying from us.
"Athletes who are either fans of Muscle Food meats or the products we stock include Louis Smith, Ricky Hatton, Phil Vickery, Carl Froch, Dexter Blackstock, Jamie Paterson and Will Hughes."
Bodybuilder Lisa Parker, 33, of Linden Place, in Mapperley, said: "I haven't tried any of the exotic meats. but I would be interested in trying it to see what it's like.
"I know a lot of people are trying to be healthier.
"I eat turkey, fillet steak, chicken, white fish and salmon."
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