Christmas period boosts UK turkey meat sales

Turkey meat sales in the UK showed growth over the Christmas period with the British Turkey Federation (BTF) reporting an 18% rise in sales, with whole turkeys making up 6.1% of the increase.

The fresh turkey market was worth an estimate £77m during the four week Christmas period, the BTF said. Visitors to the British Turkey Federation website also soared with an increase of 49% on 2009, recording 353,259 visits during December.

“We are very pleased with how the sector performed. Although the icy weather conditions in December presented a considerable challenge to consumers’ shopping habits, more people than ever wanted to serve turkey for the most important meal of the year, with many consumers buying their turkeys earlier than usual,” Noel Bartram, chairman of the British Turkey Federation said.

Now the BTF plans to capitalise on the success with their “I Love British Turkey” campaign. The site aims to keep people cooking with turkey throughout the year by highlighting its characteristics such as high protein, low fat as well as being rich in vitamins and minerals.