November 19, 2005

AMERICANS PAY MORE TO GET TO KNOW TURKEY BEFORE EATING (WHICH ONE'S THE TURKEY?)


Nov 18, 10:31 AM (ET)

By Anna Driver

NEW YORK (Reuters) - She's a small-breasted beauty from a good family in the American Midwest who enjoys spending time outdoors. She eats only natural foods, is drug- and disease-free and her video can be found on the Internet.

It may sound like a lonely hearts ad, but it's all information about a turkey that can be found on the Web from Heritage Foods USA, a marketer for family farmers.

The site sells heritage turkeys, which are birds that descend from the first domesticated flocks in the United States. When raised, they are allowed to roam free while fattening, and are not subjected to industry practices like beak cutting, which is used to speed up feeding.

Rare-breed heritage turkeys, which have pedigrees and are exhibited in shows much like dogs', are relatives of the turkeys the Europeans took from the United States in the 1600s. The European birds were then brought back in the mid 1800s and bred with wild American turkeys.

"People are starting to want to know more about the food they put in their bodies," Patrick Martins, co-founder of Heritage Foods USA, said on Thursday.

"With the Web, everyone now knows everything about their favorite Hollywood movie star. Now the light is starting to shine on the horrid conditions in the American food supply, and we don't have anything to hide."
In fact on Heritage's Web site, www.heritagefoodsusa.com, consumers can see live footage of the farm where their bird once frolicked, read a profile of the farmer who raised it, and punch in a bar code number to find out its age and where it was slaughtered. This close to Thanksgiving, which falls on November 24, there is little footage of the frolicking birds themselves because most have already been slaughtered for the holiday.
Such detailed information on the provenance of food destined for the dinner plate is now available because of Americans' growing penchant for eating healthy.

"The market for heritage turkeys and other food is a small niche, but it appears to be growing," said Bob Golding of food industry consulting firm Technomic Inc. in Chicago. "Heritage is perceived to be better tasting and nutritious, and it's part of an overarching trend of concern with health and nutrition."

Even so, "'Butterball' is still selling a lot of turkey," he said, referring to the popular ConAgra Foods brand, adding that a Web cam to view the farm where your Thanksgiving dinner was raised is a merchandising ploy.
It is a small part of the poultry market, but this year, Heritage Foods USA received an order for 1,000 turkeys from Costco Wholesale Corp., the largest warehouse club retailer in the U.S. Such an order from a mainstream retailer offers proof that heritage turkeys are not just for the "educated elite" anymore, Martins said.

Still, heritage turkeys cost about $7 to $10 a pound (450 grams), compared with less than $1 a pound for a conventional turkey. They are typically smaller than factory-reared birds.

But increasingly, people don't mind paying more for quality.

"Today, consumers are very educated," said Nick Cacace, meat and poultry director for the Gourmet Garage market in New York. "They don't mind paying a few extra dollars for heritage or heirloom turkeys because it's good for you and they were not raised in an overstuffed pen."

Since Heritage started selling heritage turkeys in 2001, sales have doubled each year, with 2005 Thanksgiving sales of around 10,000, Martin said.

The American Bronze or Bourbon Red heritage turkeys taste better than supermarket birds because their flesh is dark and more richly marbled with fat and requires a knife to cut it, Martin said.

The birds have a following among top chefs and will be served at big-name restaurants including Alice Waters' famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California.

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