Saint Cloud, MN – Gold'n Plump Poultry, the Midwest's largest fully integrated chicken producer, is following up the launch of its Recipe Ready(tm) Ground Chicken in 2008 with an encore of six ground chicken line extensions, due to start shipping nationally after Labor Day this Fall. The new products offer both merchandising flexibility for the retailer and alternatives to ground beef for health conscious consumers looking for lean products. Sized in 16-ounce versus the previous 20-ounce packages for easy recipe use, offerings include two attractive spaghetti-ground products for the fresh meat case and two value-priced chubs for both the fresh and frozen meat cases, respectively. This gives retailers the ability to merchandise either with other poultry products or alongside other ground meats like beef, pork, and bison. Three different fat-to-lean variations are available depending on packaging: "regular" 90/10 in both tray-pack and chub; "lean" 95/5 in a tray-pack and 93/7 in a chub.
"Consumers continue to purchase ground poultry as a healthier alternative to ground beef, and our research has shown the consumers doing so follow strong health trends and are more loyal to their favorite brands and retailers," said Sara Danforth, product manager for Gold'n Plump Poultry. The key to the development of the new offerings, according to Danforth, was both the popularity of the original product and the number of people desiring to shift to ground chicken from turkey because they prefer the flavor. "But it hasn't been easy for consumers to find the lean benefits of turkey in ground chicken. That's where the 95/5 and 93/7 products directly meet those needs and more," she added.
In addition to offering new package options that include both fresh and frozen versions, the company also enhanced the packages to clearly identify fat-to-lean content and popular meal suggestions. "Helping time-strapped consumers quickly zero-in on products that best meet their needs is important in today's fast moving culture, whether they shop the fresh or frozen meat cases," explained Danforth. The company also added full-color food photography to the value-priced chubs for even more merchandising appeal. The addition of meal suggestions appears to be in lock-step with recent labeling consumer study that showed consumers prefer cooking and serving suggestions directly on meat packages so they don't have to match recipes to cuts of meat or poultry1.
"It's really about providing products that are on-target with continuing health, convenience, and value trends. We think we've done that and are excited about meeting growing consumer demand for healthier ground chicken products that are easy to purchase and use," Danforth said.
All products are available to order for retail distribution, nationwide. Marketing support includes point-of-sale items such as shelf-talkers for both the fresh and frozen meat cases and recipe brochure. Free standing inserts in-store demos, and cross-promotional on-pack coupons are also planned. Suggested retail prices (SRP) on the new packages range from$2.99to $3.99 per 16-ounce package.
###
1 "Protein Labeling Study II 2009" a research study by the National Pork Board, the Beef Checkoff Program and Yerecic Label conducted to identify current consumer information needs while shopping the meat case.
About Gold'n Plump
Based in St. Cloud, Minn., Gold'n Plump Poultry is a family-owned provider of premium chicken products to retail, deli and foodservice customers throughout the Midwest and in other parts of the country under the Gold'n Plump(r) and Just BARE(r) brands. The company employs about 1,500 people and partners with more than 300 family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin to produce wholesome, high-quality chicken. For more information on its full line of poultry products, as well as innovative recipes, general cooking and safe handling tips and nutrition information, visit goldnplump.comandjustbarechicken.com.
Source: Gold'n Plump