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July 2002
Quality British turkey makes it's mark!
Exciting new independent research commissioned by the British Turkey Information Service (BTIS) has revealed that the Quality British Turkey Mark (QBT Mark) is the second most recognised mark in the meat and poultry category.
Launched three year's ago, the QBT Mark, and it's accompanying quality assurance scheme, aimed to decrease volumes of imported turkey and provide consumers with assurance of food safety, animal welfare and traceability.
Coming second only to the British Meat mark (71% recognition) and surprisingly, ahead of the widely used Red Tractor icon (30%), Quality British Turkey has certainly made its mark with 45% recognition. Today the majority of multiple retailers support the QBT Mark on packaging with an increasing number stocking 100% British turkey.
Quality Marks
When asked what they were looking for in a quality assurance scheme, consumers responded, unprompted, that trustworthy (28%), British (24%), taste (18%) and high quality (12%) were most important. The success of the Quality British Turkey Mark can be attributed to the fact that it assures consumers on all these counts - and this has been widely communicated by the BTIS.
Kim Burgess, Chairman of the British Turkey Sector Group (BTSG) Publicity and Marketing Committee commented "In a market crowded with marks and icons the British Turkey Federation is hugely encouraged that the QBT Mark stands out. We've every reason to believe that retailers will respond to consumer demand and continue supporting the QBT Mark on consumer literature and packaging".
In addition to gauging recognition and understanding of the QBT Mark, the research aimed to assess awareness and perception of turkey, explore cooking and consumption repertoire and opinions of imported meats.
Buying British, Nutrition and Welfare
Buying British is certainly important to consumers with 57% of those questioned stating the origin of fresh meat was "important" to them and over half stating they "actively seek British produce" in-store. This was particularly evident amongst the 50+ age group.
Nutrition and welfare were also important consumer issues with half of those questioned claiming they "always look for nutritional labels" and a third saying they "seek animal friendly labels" - findings that further illustrate the value of the QBT Mark.
Consumption and reason to purchase
The industry was encouraged by the unprompted response that "like the taste" (29%) scored as the second highest reason to purchase turkey (convenience and good value also scored highly). But, unsurprisingly "special occasion" (38%) is the most popular reason for purchasing turkey with whole birds being the most purchased product.
This is substantiated by reports that whole birds held a 75%* share of the total turkey market in 2001 and that turkey meat maintained a significant 30%* share of the Christmas 2001 meat market.
Turkey pieces (29%) and steaks (28%) came in second and third for most purchased product with currying, casseroling and stir fry as preferred method of preparation. Consumers seem aware that turkey may be used as an alternative to chicken for a variety of dishes, but frequency of purchase remains low and this is driving the industry to ensure turkey is top of mind for shoppers.
Trends
Both Christmas and year round sales show fresh turkey is steadily gaining share of the turkey market at currently 46%, compared with 44% in 2000**. This has culminated in a healthy 7%** rise in volume for fresh turkey over the same period.
Other major category trends include the demand for convenience and added value presentations, which currently account for 66.4%** of the market. This sector has been largely driven by innovative ready to cook products and by rolls and roasts which have seen a dramatic 20%** increase since 2000 (MAT).
Fresh portions including quick cook steaks, stir fry strips, mince, cubes, and diced thigh meat are also included in this sector and they currently dominate a quarter of the turkey market (26.4%)**. The British turkey industry anticipates further growth of these every day cuts.
Tempting Turkey into Trolleys
Commitment to the publicity and marketing of turkey remains steadfast with initiatives this year including media campaigns and on-line support at www.britishturkey.co.uk. The website has been enormously successful with 2,124,837 hits since the site was re-launched in April last year and a database of 8,000 registered users.
The British turkey industry will have the opportunity to demonstrate its on-going quest for innovation and excellence at the fifth British Turkey Product of the Year Awards, which will this year be held at the Landmark Hotel, London on the evening of 19 September.
For further information/pictures/interviews please contact Jackie Hollis/Jane Saward at Field McNally Leathes, 8 High Street, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, BN6 9TY. Tel: 01273 834716, fax: 01273 834306, email: turkey@fml-pr.co.uk