Clean label offers poultry industry new opportunities

Poultry producers raise the bar at the production line with respect to clean labeling to meet and maintain the needs of their consumers.

Perdue Clean Label Chicken

Consumer demands are pushing poultry producers to ask themselves these three questions, “What do consumers want? Can we make it? And can we make money at it?” said the Vice President of Research and Development at Perdue Farms Dr. Parker Hall when discussing how their company will handle and has handled clean labels in a presentation at the Poultry Processor Workshop.

Although there is no real definition to what clean labels are, companies have made use of their own protocols to make such products. There is an ongoing trend for consumers to buy products with clean labels from producers that have already implicated new ingredients and changed their process.  After making products to appeal to clean label buyers, producers then implicate it into their marketing plans. As the clean eating trend has become more prevalent within society so have the efforts of producers to reduce the ingredients in products.

Taste is key to consumers

“Clean” may be interpreted differently by what the consumer feels their own personal demands are. However, Hall suggested one thing all consumers agree on is that taste is the most important factor in buyer decision.

Hall recognizes that the poultry industry may have to make a valid effort in going toward clean label, “to run with the herd.”  Patience is the virtue, Hall implied, not all products have to be clean, just meet the demands of these buyers with some of your products. Completely converting isn’t realistic.

To stay competitive in the clean labeling trend, Perdue has defined their market and evaluated the company’s capabilities to answer the customer’s needs through innovation. With that comes managing the processes, this may include changing ingredients or marketing techniques.

“My recommendation is if you don’t have a meat scientist on your staff and you’re making meat products, go get yourself a meat scientist or partner with someone that has one,” said Hall. This will help producers understand what they can do differently and still make economically smart decisions for their operation’s needs.  

After modifying a product at Perdue, the company focuses on measuring success based off the quality of product they have offered, at what cost, and how easy or difficult it was to manufacture.

Producers must be transparent

Transparent communication is sharing with consumers nutritional content and value in a clear and user friendly, easy-to-understand format, Hall said when paraphrasing a position statement from Nestle during his speech. That combined with moderation and balance might be the best way to appeal to the consumer watching carefully what they eat and where their food came from.

Once producers have found consumer acceptance through panels and marketplace performance, they can then take the next step in heightening profitability by competing with other companies.

To make cleaner products available, producers may want to work with scientists on changing ingredients. From a scientific standpoint, when given the opportunity moving forward, it might be best to give products and ingredients titles that are not unfamiliar to the consumers, Hall explained.

According to Tamika Sims, Ph. D., director, food technology communications at The International Food Information Council Foundation, people tend to stay away from things they don’t completely understand.

Although studies show the millennials are the most conscientious in their buying decisions, Hall referenced another study that showed 69 percent of consumers in all age categories say reading labels impacts their buying choices. The same study showed that nearly one in four regularly read labels watching for specific ingredients in most of the food they buy.

Both Perdue and Harvestland, a product offered from the Perdue merchandise line, products are made with all natural turkey raised on a vegetarian diet and never given antibiotics. Perdue no antibiotic ever turkey product may contain other elements such as sodium phosphate and anti-microbial ingredients. Harvestland turkey is created only with recognizable ingredients. Those differences can be found directly on the packaging at the time of purchase.

Perdue’s position on natural products follows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s definition, no artificial flavors, colors, chemical preservatives or any other synthetic ingredients. By labeling their products as “natural,” they must also incorporate a statement of its meaning on each package.

To maintain their integrity at the highest of levels at Perdue they must also hold their suppliers to a higher standard insuring the products are in fact “natural”.

Producers are not the only ones faced with meeting these demands as restaurants have been trying to please guests with cleaner meals for years. Some of these include chain branches like Subways, Taco-Bell, Chipotle, Pizza Hut and many others.

Manufactures like Campbell Soup Company, Kellogg’s and Nestle have already made the push toward “clean,” by offering GMO free products and eliminating artificial flavoring and coloring.

For any company to offer these types of products, it must consider what is and isn’t allowed. Hall referred to this a technical consideration. Salt may be added. Additional water should be monitored from not only a temperature, state and volume standpoint, but, maybe most importantly, from a quality perspective.

Functional ingredients and food safety also go into consideration at Perdue while trying to maintain the integrity of their natural label when considering what is and isn’t allowed in the product. While doing all of this they must also maintain the functionality of the meat protein.

Not all consumers are the same in their request or the demands that they wish a company would meet. One thing is consistent though, taste is the number one influence in purchasing decisions. Many buyers do not have confidence in food manufacturers and are seeking better ingredient transparency. Hall referenced the "Free From Food Trend – US" report done by Mintel, which says 71 percent of people believe there are harmful ingredients in food that manufactures aren’t telling them about. 

By monitoring animal intake and what happens post-harvest, companies have the driver’s seat in dictating how their labels will read. “I think this is the next micro trend in food labeling-space,” said Hall.

 

Learn more:

Poultry industry transparency can tackle consumer misconceptions, www.WATTAgNet.com/articles/20898

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