This report looks at the factors driving the poultry market, consumer attitudes, manufacturers’ strategies and development options for the future. It discusses the hypothesis that in order to stimulate growth, manufacturers will need to focus on the development of value added products while, at the same time, watching and reducing their production costs, guaranteeing meat safety and maintaining an optimum quality/price ratio.

The report covers the retail market for poultry for in-home consumption. Specifically, this comprises the meat of:

- chicken (including poussin)

- turkey

- other poultry (including duck, goose, guinea fowl and quail).

Areas covered include: Market Size and Trends; Market Segmentation; Distribution, The Supply Structure, New Product Development and The Consumer, as well as Prospects and Mintel’s Forecasts.

Europe-wide, the Spanish market is growing the fastest, recording 35.5% growth at current prices between 1998 and 2004, but France remains the largest market, with a 30.3% value share. The positive attitudes towards poultry as a leaner and, on the whole, healthier meat are balanced by the trend towards eating less meat and more fish, vegetables and fruit.

Trends towards smaller households and convenience-driven lifestyles, where consumers want to spend less time on household chores and more on leisure activities, have led to changes in most food markets, including poultry. Smaller portions and packages, and an increase in demand for convenience lines, such as poultry cuts and portions rather than whole birds, and further processed products, such as stuffed turkey breast and breaded escalopes, have been the result.

The Germans are the highest consumers of poultry, with 94% of main shoppers ever purchasing it, but penetration is above 80% across the board. Fresh poultry is more popular than frozen.

Chicken is the sector likely to see the strongest growth in the next five years, driven mainly by processed as opposed to primary meat. The German market is the only one forecast to decline, as consumers choose red meats such as beef and pork in preference to poultry.

Please note that this Pan European Overview is only available as a companion report for purchasers of three or more country reports within the Poultry title.