Statistical research and analysis firm AgriStats Inc. conducts the survey for N.T.F. biannually, revealing turkey product distribution information. The 2009 survey represents more than 6 billion live lbs. of product.
“The growth of cooked, white turkey meat in the marketplace is a reflection of its versatility and excellent nutritional profile,” said Sherrie Rosenblatt, N.T.F.’s vice president of marketing and communications. “Not only is it delicious in between two slices of bread, but it’s also a great addition to soups and salads and can be extended into breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
The top three turkey products produced are whole birds, at more than 1 billion lbs.; cooked white meat, totaling more than 467 million lbs.; and ground turkey, at more than 415 million lbs.
Forty-one percent of the turkey volume sold goes to the retail sector. Whole birds make up 51% of the volume distributed to supermarkets, followed by ground turkey (19.5%) and bone-in breast (7.9%).
The foodservice sector receives about 18% of the turkey volume. The top three products distributed in the foodservice industry are cooked white meat (30.5%), sliced deli meat (21.7%) and other raw turkey meat, such as breast cutlets and mignons (14.6%).
The 2009 Marketplace Survey enables industry to determine what type of products are sold and which channels offer processors the most growth potential, according to N.T.F.
