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Current sales growth of poultry products might easily be taken as a back-to-basics trend among consumers, if not for the long-term, sustained appeal of these products with shoppers.
According to Information Resources Inc., Chicago, multiple categories in "processed" frozen chicken and turkey reflect sales gains ranging from 3.4% to 6.5% for the 12-week reporting period ended Aug. 13 of this year.
That range of sales growth may well reflect the diversity of products that are now available—in chicken, turkey and duck—from leading brands such as Pilgrim's Pride, Murry's, Jennie-O Turkey Store and Maple Leaf Farms.
Pilgrim's Pride, Pittsburg, Texas, has drawn on its tradition of introducing poultry products that offer healthy eating options at a reasonable price, while emphasizing great taste and convenience. Two new product lines, Eat Well Stay Healthy, introduced in a phased rollout this summer, and Eat Well Stay Healthy Kids, introduced in July, feature the American Heart Association's heart check mark.
This certification requires that individual servings contain less than or equal to 5 grams of fat, as well as meeting strict standards for being low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. To qualify for use of the USDA-regulated word, "healthy," a product must meet even more stringent standards by containing less than 3 grams of fat per serving.
The Eat Well Stay Healthy line consists of seven products: Italian style grilled chicken breast fillets, Key Lime flavor chicken breast fillets, grilled chicken breast fillets, chicken breasts, split chicken breasts, and chicken breast tenderloins. The Eat Well Stay Healthy Kids line consists of breaded chicken breast nuggets and breaded popcorn chicken.
"We do chicken wings and tenders and buffalo wings, but if you look at our history as a company, we have always migrated toward the healthiest options, at a reasonable price level, while also keeping the great taste, which is essential. While these items are fully cooked for added convenience, the Eat Well Stay Healthy products are all fresh and ready to cook in just 15 minutes," explains Dan Emery, vice president of marketing.
Marketing and promotional programs to support the launch of both new lines will run the gamut, from television advertising and radio to consumer promotions. "Our first consumer event will be at SuperBowl time. We are also doing a tie-on with the History Channel program, 'Desperate Crossings,' a unique program that will be appealing to consumers who are concerned about fat, cholesterol and health issues," he explains.
Murry's continues to find positive responses for its chicken products and is expanding distribution beyond its core, East Coast markets to the West Coast with retail acceptance of its chicken pick-up stix and popcorn chicken.
"We have launched nationwide with our pick-up stix and our popcorn chicken because quick serve restaurants have created consumer demand for these products through their own, restaurant versions," says Stuart Levy, national marketing manager for the Upper Marlboro, Md.-based company.
While Murry's also offers chicken strips, nuggets, patties and wings, the success of its pick-up stix and popcorn chicken has prompted some retailers to present these two products as snacks, outside the poultry section.
"Some supermarkets are putting our pick-up stix and popcorn chicken in the hand-held snack section, which gives us our own identity within the section," explains Nick Milano, national sales manager. The company is also responding to retail category managers by offering new packaging for pick-up stix in the form of standup, resealable bags in a 28-oz. size.
Milano also notes the Murry's has a lighter breading to meat ratio, compared to other brands that feature a heavier coating. And since Murry's chicken products are not fully cooked, moms are cooking the product for the first time and getting a fresher, better-tasting product, he adds.
"With today's busy lifestyles, it easy for moms to cook a meal from nuggets or strips and add some French fries for a meal that is a better alternative to many other types of meals," Levy explains.
Jennie-O Turkey Store, Willmar, Minn., continues to benefit from the convenience, health and wellness features and versatility of turkey.
"The versatility of turkey products plus the ease of preparation have helped with the growth of the frozen poultry category," says Steve Lykken, senior vice president, retail.
"Jennie-O Turkey Store has broadened the use of turkey beyond Thanksgiving," Lykken points out. Among those choices are turkeys, bone-in turkey breasts and boneless skinless turkey breasts. The company's newest products include crunchy dogs, a lean turkey frank rolled in either sweet or regular crunchy coating. It is currently in 17 test markets.
To support its products and its brand, the company uses "a combination of advertising, marketing and public relations campaigns with traditional vehicles such as print, TV and broadcast, as well as the Internet," Lykken explains.
Maple Leaf Farms, Milford, Ind., has positioned itself as the duck specialist by drawing on 48 years of experience in its development of value-added and further processed duck products that offer retailers a higher ring and healthy profit margins.
"We have had tremendous success with our duck products, and we are not an overnight success story. We have been showing this success in retail for the past five years," says Michael McMann, retail marketing manager. "Our bread and butter has been the duck served in white tablecloth restaurants, but we are succeeding in going mainstream with our retail duck products. We are still in that niche of premium protein, but the industry is going in that direction with a push from us and a pull from the retail establishment."
New products include a new flavored garlic duck breast, with a suggested opening price point of $4.99; a reintroduced rotisserie-flavored duck; and a new microwaveable drilled duck breast in three flavors, chipotle, garlic and original. All carry suggested price points ranging from $5.99 to $6.99.
"We want our retail partners to know we expect them to sell less cases but at a higher margin," says McMann. "The average duck consumer spends $40 more per retail ring. They are more sophisticated, upscale consumers who are willing to spend more for duck."
author: By Michael Hartnett