Ground Turkey Distribution Grows: NTF

Turkey cuts and products are proving to have a year-round presence with increased visibility in the retail and foodservice categories, said the National Turkey Federation, based on results of its 2008 Marketplace Survey.

Ground turkey saw the most significant growth with more than 403 million pounds sold in 2007, up from almost 365 million pounds, resulting in a 10 percent increase from 2005, the last time the survey was conducted, said the trade group.

AgriStats, Inc., a statistical research and analysis firm, conducts the survey for NTF every two years revealing turkey product distribution information. The survey represents more than 4 billion pounds of product.

“Ground turkey growth in the marketplace is a reflection of its versatility and excellent nutritional profile, which makes it easy to use in an array of dishes, such as burgers, chili and meatloaf,” said Sherrie Rosenblatt, NTF’s spokeswoman.

The survey reveals that the top three turkey products produced are whole birds (24.5 percent), cooked white meat, or deli meat, (13.8 percent) and ground turkey (10 percent). Nearly 43 percent of the turkey volume sold goes to the retail sector. Whole birds make up 50 percent of the volume distributed to supermarkets, followed by ground turkey (15.6 percent) and bone-in breast (7.3 percent).

The foodservice sector receives about 18 percent of the turkey volume. The top three products distributed in the foodservice sector are cooked white meat (37 percent), sliced deli meat (12.8 percent) and other raw turkey meat, such as breast cutlets and mignons (11.4 percent).
 
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