According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Annual Poultry Slaughter Summaries, U.S. turkey production peaked in both total weight and head count in 2008, when 271.3 million animals were slaughtered and 7.859 billion pounds of live animals were processed. Since that year, U.S. turkey production has never fully recovered from the double whammy: the financial crisis that triggered the Great Recession in 2008 and the increase in corn prices resulting from tightening ethanol regulations and consecutive years of drought in the U.S. Corn Belt. In 2023, 20% fewer animals were slaughtered than in 2008, and the amount of live animals processed was 13% lower. In contrast, the number of live pounds of chickens slaughtered in the United States increased by 23% between 2008 and 2023, and the U.S. population grew by 12% over the same period.
US per capita Turkey consumption peaked before 2008; in 1996, U.S. consumers ate an average of 8.7 kg. Per capita Turkey consumption in the U.S. fell to 14.8 pounds in 2023, an 18% decline since 1996.
U.S. turkey marketers have lost the battle for market share this century. I haven’t worked for a turkey manufacturer in over 25 years, but I still regularly buy ground turkey, turkey burgers, turkey sausage, and cooked turkey slices for sandwiches at the supermarket. I also buy at least three whole turkeys at a loss price around Thanksgiving. But all of these products were readily available in stores for the last century.
Where are the new products? Where are the innovations?
The U.S. turkey industry experienced rapid and dynamic growth in the 1980s and 1990s. Reviving the turkey industry will require innovative new products and marketing efforts that emphasize turkey’s unique flavor, texture and nutritional value.
Turkeys are native to America and the U.S. turkey market is the largest in the world. Innovation must start here, and start now.
