Minnesota Turkey Industry Moves to China

US - Minnesota's turkey growers are introducing a new product to the Chinese market: Turkey.
calendar icon 5 December 2007
clock icon 2 minute read

Little turkey is consumed in China, where pork is the meat of choice.

Minnesota's Department of Agriculture and the state's turkey industry want to grow turkey consumption in the country, the world's largest market.

"You can't ignore a market of this size," said John Zimmerman, a Northfield turkey grower, who went to China in September as part of a Minnesota delegation studying the Chinese meat market. The country is home to 1.3 billion people and about 300 million of them are in an emerging middle class, Zimmerman said.

Rather than compete with pork, the Minnesota turkey industry wants to position turkey as a higher-value meat.

"We want turkey to be the porterhouse steak in China," Zimmerman said.

Instead of relying on American recipes when introducing turkey to China, the Minnesota group worked with Southern Yangtze University and Master Chef Tang, who has more than 30 years experience, to develop recipes that appeal specifically to Chinese diners.

Source: AgriNews
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