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Flying high with nutrition on their minds
Two months after the avian flu outbreak which resulted in the culling of 159,000 birds, turkey-producers Bernard Matthews are confident that they dealt with the crisis in the best possible way and are determinedly rebuilding the 57-year-old brand.
As the Food Standards Agency announced in early April that they would not prosecute the firm, staff were defiantly proud of containing the disease and are looking forward to working on a number of new initiatives.
Jo Skailes meets Bernard Matthews' Matt Pullen, and finds the turnaround was swift and the outlook is good…
It is not yet known how the Suffolk plant was infected by the deadly H5N1 virus. Early reports listed a number of possibilities, including wild birds feasting on uncovered waste bins, and the import of turkey meat from Hungary where an identical strain had been discovered a month earlier. The food safety watchdog eventually said they had insufficient evidence to charge Bernard Matthews after investigating possible food-waste storage violations.
Marketing Director Matt Pullen says that because of the type of company Bernard Matthews is, confidence is now being rebuilt among consumers: "The brand and the product suffered but the standards have always been very good and we dealt with the bird flu outbreak very, very well, ensuring it was contained effectively".
"It is unlucky that anyone got it but in a way it was lucky for the industry that it was us. We were professional; we detected it, contained it and eradicated it within 72 hours, something very few companies could have done. It did arrive but it was dealt with, stopped from entering the food chain and stopped from causing any risk to health. I believe we did a good job."
Bernard Matthews took a much greater hit in the retail sector than their foodservices division in the weeks following the outbreak. "The foodservice industry tends to have more understanding. Retail dipped about 40% in the following weeks and it is now reviving, but we would like this to be quicker. The main impact was on confidence in the brand and we are focussed on the restoration of that. We have spoken to consumers. Their behaviour did change briefly, but not for long."
Traditionally associated with 'boodiful' Turkey Twizzlers – and a consistent target of Jamie Oliver - the firm is now striding forward in today's health-conscious society.
At the International Food Exhibition (IFE) at the end of March, they launched their Litecrumb range, producing their top four breaded turkey products - Turkey Dinosaurs, Turkey Premiere, Crispy Crumb Turkey Burgers and Golden Drummers - in lower fat, lower salt versions. They form part of the company's Big Green Tick range, and because they needn't be fried they are designed to help schools provide a balanced meal for growing children:
"We want to make sure people understand the nutritional values of the product. Turkey is low in fat, high in protein and has bags of vitamins and minerals,' says Matt. 'Our products taste good, look good and, importantly, need minimum preparation at back of house."
Emphasising the nutritional benefits of turkey as a 'superfood', Bernard Matthews are aiming to have it on every menu in every town. "It makes up only 5% of meat consumption in the UK, but 20% in America. There is a big gap for us to fill. It is not going to happen overnight or over the next year but it is changing."
In building up new products, Bernard Matthews are also seeking the advice of a recently recruited trained chef who, knowing what he likes to work with, is designing products from a very different perspective. The foodservice sector also allows them to try out different products and see what works before developing them for the retail market.
Pullen adds that the smoking ban, introduced here last year and soon to come into effect in England, means more families are going out and publicans are looking for alternatives for their children's choices.
"This is a big push for us strategically over the next few months. We have been planning a complete refreshment of the brand over the last year, built on quantitative and qualitative research and a huge amount of activity is planned to follow the recovery strategy from mid-April onwards. We are trying to understand our consumers better, with a particular focus on retail.
"We have learned a lot of lessons from these past few months. We learnt that bird flu will always be out there but also that we can cope with it. We are looking at how to further improve our bio-security, from the security of the farms to placing netting over the effluent plants."
As the bird flu scare gradually fades into the background, Bernard Matthews certainly seem be flying high once again…
If you have any questions or would like to know more, contact Bernard Matthews Food Service on 01603 872 611.
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature please see Catering in Scotland magazine May/June 2007.
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