Today's Turkey: Serve Up Something Unexpected

Turkey’s tender flavors and delicious aromas beckon families to the Thanksgiving Dinner table, yet turkey’s lean protein is also finding favor among chefs and dietitians year-round for its unexpected innovative meal choice preparation as tenderloin and breast meat, with versatility in meatballs, soups, wings and burgers. The National Turkey Federation has launched a new program,  Today’s Turkey – Serve up something unexpected?, which offers resources  and support for grocery retail professionals to engage with consumers about turkey, the perfect lean – but at times overlooked – protein.

“Turkey is top-of-mind when consumers are planning the traditional Thanksgiving meal, which makes it a great time to remind them that turkey is a fantastic choice for any meal occasion, all year long,” said Shari Steinbach, MS RDN a member of the National Turkey Federation’s Nutrition Advisory Board, and Health and Wellness Nutrition Manager for Meijer, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer operating 222 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Today’s Turkey engages grocery retail executives, retail dietitians and foodservice professionals to promote turkey’s excellent nutritional profile and culinary benefits. Food professionals will discover a variety of turkey cuts, flavor versatility and easy preparation options within the newly launched ServeTurkey.org for an extensive recipe library, and a complete set of turkey-related resources with consumer-oriented information on nutrition and meal preparation.

The National Turkey Federation built Today’s Turkey through comprehensive research that reveals a ready opportunity to meet consumers’ interest in healthy lean protein options, convenience and value. Seven out of ten consumers are ready to incorporate turkey into their regular meal routine with turkey’s many cuts from tenderloin, sausage, and ground turkey as new, unexpected meal choices.  Restaurant chefs are welcoming turkey’s easy adaption to preparation and are increasingly aware of turkey’s opportunity for use in a variety of menus.

“Retail dietitians look for new ideas to stimulate shoppers’ appetites for delicious, healthy and convenient meal solutions,” said Steinbach, “We say turkey is the unexpected choice for breakfast meats to lunchtime salads, soups and stews, appetizers and innovative dinner options.”

To learn more about Today’s Turkey, visit ServeTurkey.org as well as on Twitter @ServeTurkey.

The National Turkey Federation is the national advocate raising awareness for its members’ products, while strengthening their ability to profitably and safely deliver wholesome, high-quality, and nutritious food to consumers worldwide. NTF represents America’s turkey farmers, processors, hatchers, breeders, distributors, allied services and state associations.

NTF’s official industry website, EatTurkey.com, and its new website for retail and foodservice professionals, ServeTurkey.org, are both home to hundreds of turkey recipes, cooking and preparation tips and educational information on raising and marketing turkey.