With the cost of red meat continuing to increase in 2014, more consumers are opting for poultry, which is typically a cheaper source of protein. Many consumers also see poultry as a healthier alternative to red meat, helping to drive sales.

Sales of raw unprepared chicken have benefited from the trend towards cooking from scratch in both NI and RoI, while a segment of consumers remain somewhat dubious of processed and prepared poultry/meat products in the aftermath of the 2013 horsemeat scandal.

Key themes within the report

  • Has poultry usage and sales benefited from the increasing trend to cook from scratch? – With a strong level of Irish consumers seeing poultry as a versatile ingredient for dishes, has this helped to increase poultry usage?

  • Do consumers prefer frozen poultry or chilled poultry? – Which type of poultry do consumers find easier to cook with? Have attitudes towards frozen poultry changed?

  • What impact will changing attitudes to food wastage have on the Irish poultry market? – With consumers increasingly trying to avoid wasting food, will this see an increasing shift to buying frozen poultry?

  • What impact will increasing exports of poultry have on the domestic supply of poultry? – With the level of food exports in Ireland increasing, will this see Irish manufacturers/retailers rely more on imported poultry products?

Definition

Poultry is defined for the purposes of this report as comprising of retail sales of processed and unprocessed chicken, turkey and other poultry (duck and goose) for in-home consumption.

Unprocessed/raw poultry and game includes all primary cuts – fresh or frozen meat (whole-bird or portion), including poultry which has been marinated or glazed with a sauce.

  • Processed and cooked poultry and game includes:

  • Frozen coated poultry, eg coated with breadcrumbs or battered.

  • Chilled added-value poultry – poultry which has been taken a step further than adding a marinade or sauce, eg breaded, battered and formed products.

For the purposes of this report, game may be either quarry or farmed. The essential difference is that the former is indigenous, lives in the wild and is hunted during specified seasons, while farmed product is available most of the year.

Other reports of relevance:

  • Meat – Ireland, March 2013

  • Marketing to Young Families – Ireland, December 2012

  • Grocery Retailing – Ireland, October 2012

  • Meat, Seafood and Poultry – UK, October 2012

  • Meat-free and Free-from Foods – UK, September 2012

  • Entertaining in the Home – Ireland, June 2012

  • Brand vs Own Label Retailing – Ireland, April 2012

  • Artisan Foods – Ireland, March 2012.

Consumer research

For the purposes of this report, Mintel commissioned exclusive online consumer research into Irish consumers’ engagement with, and attitudes towards, poultry. The research was carried out by Toluna on behalf of Mintel in August 2014. A total of 1,250 internet users aged 16+ in RoI and 750 internet users aged 16+ in NI were asked questions regarding the poultry sector:

“Which of the following types of poultry products (either chilled or frozen) have you bought for yourself of for someone else to eat at home (or as part of a packed lunch) in the last 12 months?”

“Still thinking about poultry products, which, if any, of the following statements, if any, do you agree with?”

“Thinking about buying poultry products, which, if any, of the following statements do you agree with?”

The results from the survey are discussed in the Consumer sections of this report.

Mintel also draws consumer insight from other sources:

  • Mintel’s Inspire database and previous Mintel reports in the UK and Ireland.

In compiling this report, Mintel has gathered data from separate NI and RoI sources (eg NISRA and CSO). In some cases therefore it has not been possible to provide comparable data for each region.

For the purposes of this report:

  • Ireland refers to the island of Ireland.

  • NI refers to Northern Ireland.

  • RoI refers to the Republic of Ireland.

Therefore, ‘Irish consumers’ refers to both NI and RoI consumers.

Abbreviations

BFFF British Frozen Food Federation
BSE Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
CBOT Chicago Board of Trade Wheat
CSO Central Statistics Office (RoI)
DARDNI Department of Agriculture and Rural Development NI
Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
EU European Union
GNPD Global New Products Database
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