Supermarket Perimeter - February 2019 - 40

Meat & Poultry: Chicken choices

Sanderson changes antibiotic use program

To enhance credibility and preference amongst
today's evolving consumer, Salisbury, Maryland-based Perdue Farms Inc. has introduced a
new, modern package design for its line of fresh
chicken.
The contemporary design introduces a variety
of playful illustrations and vibrant colors aimed
to inspire and connect with the millennial
demographic, while staying true to "the Perdue
way," according to the company. The re-design
also highlights trusted product attributes like
no-antibiotics-ever, 100% vegetarian fed, no
animal by-products, raised cage free and with no
hormones or steroids.
This re-brand makes the fourth major packaging update in the history of the brand, further
highlighting key brand messages and attributes
with shoppers. Resonating extremely well with
consumers, more than 65% of overall participants surveyed in a brand consumer test favored
the new design and millennials preferred the
updated look 200% more.
"Fifty years ago, my dad put our family name
on chicken. It was more than a label, it was his
personal promise of quality," says Jim Perdue,
Perdue chairman and brand spokesman. "Over
the years, our look has changed and so have we.
Perdue is continually improving everything we
do, and that's why we're introducing new packaging for our fresh chicken."
Consumers began to see the bright new
packaging in stores in September, and they can
expect a fresh new look on the Perdue website
and other digital platforms as well.

40 - FEBRUARY 2019

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. is the secondlargest poultry producer in the U.S,
accounting for almost one out of every
ﬁve chickens. The company can process
more than 45 million birds per week.

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PERDUE, PILGRIM'S PRIDE CORP.

Perdue rolls out
new packaging

By March 1, Laurel, Mississippi-based Sanderson Farms Inc., the country's
third-largest chicken producer, will discontinue using antibiotics considered
medically important for humans for disease prevention in its live poultry
operations.
The change follows the completion of an independent study the company
commissioned earlier this year on its antibiotics program for its live operations. As part of its ongoing animal welfare and antibiotic stewardship efforts,
the company commissioned an advisory board of scientiﬁc experts in poultry
production, livestock management, and antibiotic use in veterinary and human medicine to study and report on the company's use of antibiotics in its
live poultry production operations.
The advisory board found no misuse of antibiotics at Sanderson Farms or
other deﬁciencies in its program and stated that "it is not possible to estimate
with a high level of conﬁdence the true risk to human health posed by antibiotic use practices in poultry production."
But the board also concluded that "a move by Sanderson Farms to a system
where non-medically important antibiotics . . . can be used for prevention,
and medically important antibiotics can be used for treatment and control of
disease, could represent a responsible compromise to better preserve efficacy
of antibiotics important for human health, while also avoiding the adverse
impacts of a RWA/NAE system on chicken health and welfare."
"We are grateful for the work of the independent scientists who served
on the advisory board, and we value their ﬁndings," says Joe Sanderson, Jr.,
chairman and CEO of Sanderson Farms. "As a result of their report, we have
determined to discontinue by March 1, the use of gentamicin and virginiamycin for prevention of disease in our live operations. These are the only two
antibiotics considered medically important for humans that we currently use
for prevention purposes. Our live production team, including our team of veterinarians, is prepared to ensure this change has as little impact as possible
on the health and welfare of our birds and environmental resources."

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Supermarket Perimeter - February 2019

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