When it comes to processed foods, I have to admit, I am a bit of a snob! I grew up almost entirely on a home-cooked diet including very few processed foods. It wasn’t even a choice, that’s just the way things were in my family and that lifestyle continues with me now.
As a result, I have always viewed processed food with suspicion, chemically enhanced, un-natural and un-healthy - a fairly narrow-minded view I know. However, things are changing, food processing companies are now conceding to public opinion and concerns for more healthy foods. After all, it’s simply a question of supply and demand; the public is demanding healthy, un-tainted foods and these companies risk loosing business (and money!) if they don’t supply what their consumers want.
One company that has suffered a lot from consumer disapproval is Bernard Matthews the iconic turkey processors . Following the criticism of Turkey Twizzlers in Jamie Oliver’s campaign for better school dinners and an outbreak of bird flu hit its Norfolk farms in 2007, the company has seen serious drops in sales.
As part of the company’s business recovery plan, Bernard Matthews said that it will relaunch the brand, creating a new healthier image that will be supported by a series of new product launches.
From September, the new products will be made with 100% British turkey and only natural ingredients; there will be no artificial colours and flavours, and the products will contain lower levels of saturated fats and salt.
Bernard Matthews is also extending it’s free range turkey line and introducing a new frozen product range that is billed as healthy and convenient. Called Big Green Tick, it aims to be marked green on the UK’s Guideline Daily Amounts nutritional labelling scheme.
So, it seems we can look forward to a healthier Bernard Matthews range. It is difficult to alter a bad reputation once it has been earned and I honestly don’t think I will be rushing out to buy Bernard Mathews products. But it is satisfying to know that the consumer is being listened to, especially when their concerns are 100% warranted.
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1 Comment on "A healthier Bernard Matthews?"
Since they got hit with bird flu and you saw thousands of birds pulled out of a single shed and disposed of, my stomach has just turned any time I see the BM food in the supermarkets. I don’t think I’ll ever (intentionally) eat their food again.
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