Turkey iand pork producers in labeling conflict By JOANNE SPAHR WASHINGTON, D.C. - lirkey producers and pork reducers are locked into a isagreement right now. The irkey people have a product a the market called “turkey am” and the prok reducers don’t like the ibeling at all. Because of iis, the National Pork reducers Council, Des loines, lowa, and the merica Meat Institute, 'ashington, D.C. have untly asked the U.S. epartment of Agriculture it to allow labels such as irkey ham on non-pork roducts and to propose a filiation on the prohibition ir public comment. The problem, as far as the MI and the NPPC is con ;med is that “turkey ham” «sn’t have a single bit of am in it, and that surveys “Kick” up corn profits with Uniper Starter Special 13-34-10. 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Omron We can recommend to you the program details for a sound Unipel fertility program —which, on Starter alone, has returned over $3O an acre above fertilizer investment more than blend “bargain” programs. P. L. ROHRER & BRO., INC. SMOKETOWN, PA which the pork groups have taken show that consumers associate ham with pork. Therefore, they feel that the poultry product banks on the 'hard-won reputation of real ham for its success, while actually being an imitation. "People like ham” stated Bruce Butterfield, director of public relations, the American Meat Institute, in a telephone interview with Lancaster Farming. The AMI is a national trade association for meat packers and processors, which deals mainly with'red meats. “Consumers eat a lot of ham,” he continued, “and our pilot consumer attitude survey shows that people think the turkey ham is made of two meats-ham and turkey.” The survey referred to was done by Westat, Inc., Rock- ville, Md., a market research firm, in February 1977. In four major U.S. cities-New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Kansas City-400 consumers shop ping centers were shown examples of real ham and “turkey ham” products and labels. The results showed the 91.4 per cent associated the term “ham” with pork or swine. And, the major fin dings were that consumers believe that “turkey ham” products contain more than one type of meat, and, more specifically, that consumers believe that “turkey ham” products contain both turkey and ham. Because of this, J. Marvin Garner, NPPC executive vice president, has said the turkey ham label is shown by the survey to be deceptive to consumers, and that the Ortho FERTILIZERS PH. 717-299-2571 USDA should end “this deception and misuse of the name of one of the pork in dustry’s valued products”. The National Turkey Federation thinks dif ferently. “We really think that there is no intent to deceive or mislead the consumer,” Lew Walts, executive vice president of the National Turkey Federation, said. “The'words “turkey” and “ham” have equal prominence on the label, and the ingredient statement is evidence that there is no pork in the product,” he explained. Walts also pointed out that some labeling actually states “contains no pork” on the label. In rebuttal to the survey taken by the groups, Walts also said that the Turkey CHV 976-5-3 h Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 7,1977 Federation has done a survey of its own in six major cities which has shown contradictory evidence to the pork survey. “Our survey was taken in six cities compared to four, with 2000 consumers com pared to 400, and the results are directly opposing,” he stated. The Turkey Federation is not releasing the survey, however, because it will be used in response to a petition filed with the USDA by the pork groups asking that regulations be proposed which would allow the term “ham” to be used in labeling only in the connection with the hind legs of swine, and that it not be used in turkey products. Up to this point, USDA has defined “ham” as the hind leg of any animal, and as long as the sepcies of the animal precedes the word “Ham” (except in the case of pork) that term may be' legally used. Big poultry [Continued from Pose 1] schedule for the 1977 Penn sylvania Poultry Conference and Annual' Banquet will look like .. “a candy store to a six year old.” There’s even something for those who have been conferenced-to death. Visitors will be pleasantly surprised with light breakfast-to get the adrenaline flowing-and a two hour buffet luncheon for some personal rest and relaxation. The conference concludes in the evening with the in dustry’s Annual Banquet, and even it has been changed to correspond to the new image and growing industry. The banquet, in addition to So, legally, the turkey processors are doing nothing wrong. Because of this, the NPPC and AMI is trying to have new regulations created to stop this. If the petition they filed with the USDA is ac cepted, the proposal will be published in the Federal Register for public com ment. introducing the new president of the Penn sylvania Poultry Federation, will now include some light entertainment. But the biggest change has been with the primary function of the banquet, that of honoring outstanding industrymen. This year, for the first time, three distinguished industrymen will be selected as Broiler Industrymen of the Year, Egg Industryman o f the Year, and Turkey In dustryman of the Year. For details and registration forms, contact the Penn sylvania Poultry Federation, 500 N. Progress Avenue, Harrisburg PA 17109. 33
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