Butterball, the largest turkey producer in the United States, has quietly entered the organic turkey market in time for the Thanksgiving holiday next week.
It did so with so little fanfare that unless you are a reader of USA Today, you probably didn’t know the company even got involved with organic turkey production.
Why didn’t Butterball shout it out loud and proud to all of the consumers who are preparing to put a turkey on the table on November 23? The reason is simple: “We want to (avoid) a situation where we’re overselling what we produce,” Butterball Chief Operating Officer Jay Jandrain told USA Today.
The company had previously released products from turkeys raised without antibiotics through its Farm-to-Family line. But this will be the first year that organic Butterball products will be available for people who value that organic label.
Reason to be thankful
I’m really looking forward to gathering around the dining room with four generations of my family to observe Thanksgiving, and like so many families, we will certainly give thanks for the turkey on the table when prayers are said.
For me, it really won’t matter what is on the table or how that food was raised. I’ll simply be thankful that we all have something to eat. That’s something that’s a struggle for so many people.
However, in the United States there is enough wealth that there are people who have the luxury of consuming niche’ products like antibiotic-free or organic turkey meat and the ability pay a premium price for them. That’s certainly something for which to be thankful.
We also should be thankful that there are companies like Butterball who are willing to expand their product offerings to cater to those who seek them, while still providing mainstream turkey products to those who don’t.
Be grateful for your food, the companies that processed it and the farmers who raised it. If you are eating an organic turkey, be especially thankful for the extra effort and attention to detail that was necessary to earn that organic certification label on the packaging.
