Tegel Picks Up Two SIAL d'OR Gold Awards

Tegel Picks Up Awards
For immediate release

TEGEL PICKS UP AWARDS

19 October, 2004. Tegel Foods collected two SIAL d'OR gold awards for "chicken bacon" at a ceremony broadcast live on French Television last night.

Overnight (NZ time) an international jury of 27 food journalists and trade press presented Tegel Foods with SIAL d'OR gold awards for the best new meat, poultry and delicatessen meat product in the world for 2003/2004, and the best new product from New Zealand for its Smoked Chicken Rashers. The awards coincide with the giant SIAL Food Fair held every two years.

The SIAL awards are the food industry's most prestigious, rewarding innovation and commercial success. Preliminary judging of 300 entries from 27 competing countries was completed earlier in the year with the announcement of the 12 category gold award recipients. As a category gold winner, Tegel's Smoked Chicken Rashers became a contender for the Grande SIAL d'OR.

Tegel's Smoked Chicken Rashers, a world first, bacon-style product made from chicken, have been available to New Zealand consumers for almost two years. Tegel's Managing Director Bruce Scott said taking chicken into a new product category - bacon, had proven a winning strategy for Tegel, and the entire company was immensely proud of the awards.

"This product has already generated a lot of international interest. We are talking to parties from as far afield as the United Kingdom and we are actively investigating air freight deliveries within the Pacific Rim.

"There is special interest from the Middle East, because 'chicken bacon' is a non-pork meat. Because this is a chilled product, and due to the distance from market, we believe some of these opportunities will only be satisfied through franchise and licensing arrangements."

Bruce Scott says Tegel is only at the beginning of its drive to create new products, positioning chicken into new food category areas, like bacon, where the meat has not previously been represented.

"Chicken bacon' got us into the breakfast/brunch occasion for the first time. There are many more opportunities like this."

The value-added segment is the fastest growing for Tegel, in the past five years it has grown from a very low base to represent around 20% of total revenues.

"With products like 'chicken bacon', Quick Roast, and chicken enchiladas we are developing a reputation for delighting customers, and we aim to build on that. In the past 22 months we have launched six significant new product innovations, among them, 'chicken bacon' for which there were no international templates."

Bruce Scott has given "full credit" to Tegel's product development, marketing and production teams for the success at home, and now internationally, with Smoked Chicken Rashers which is produced at the company's Christchurch plant.

"Consumer response to 'chicken bacon' has been fantastic. In the past six months we have added larger pack sizes and launched Honey Cured Rashers to extend our product range. The low fat, great taste of our chicken rashers is proving a hit with consumers."

Bruce Scott says the success of "chicken bacon" has paved the way for further investment in Tegel's added value production capabilities. The company is to invest over $15 million developing stage 1 of a new valued-added processing plant in Auckland. Construction of the facility adjacent to Tegel's Henderson (Auckland) processing plant is due to start in the New Year. The new plant will become Tegel's centre of excellence for product development.

"Tegel is iconic and already means certain things - safe and trustworthy for example. With our added value products like Smoked Chicken Rashers and Tegel Quick Roast we are developing a more exciting profile and moving towards being a food solutions company."

Background document for Tegel Foods and SIAL d’OR Award Success

About SIAL

SIAL is the world’s biggest gathering of food industry professionals. Held every two years, SIAL attracts thousands of visitors (looking for the latest in product trends), and exhibitors. SIAL 2002 attracted 165,000 visitors (from 188 countries), and 5,200 exhibitors from 98 countries.

SIAL highlights the biggest present and future consumer trends and divulges them by showcasing a selection of innovative products at the “trends and innovation area”. Tegel’s Gold Medal Smoked Chicken Rashers will be on prominent display in a special section at the SIAL exhibition.

SIAL attracts exceptional media coverage. More than 1,400 journalists from 58 countries talk and write about the exhibition.

About SIAL d’OR (Gold Awards)

The SIAL d’OR jury awards are a bi-annual event that rewards products for their innovative features and for their commercial success in their national markets. Gold Medals are awarded for the best new product in 12 categories. The SIAL d’OR jury is comprised of food industry and trade press journalists (one from each of the 27 member countries) who nominate one new product in each of the 12 categories.

The nomination of products is at the sole discretion of the journalist concerned. Each journalist makes a formal presentation of their nominated products to the jury before voting takes place.

On May 27 and 28 2004, the jury of 27 international journalists met in Paris and awarded the SIAL d’OR 2004 for categories and countries. Gold Medals were awarded for the best new product in the world in each of 12 categories and the best new product from each country (27 country prizes awarded).

Tegel’s Smoked Chicken Rashers (chicken bacon) was awarded a SIAL d’OR Gold award in the meat, poultry and delicatessan meats sections as well as been named the most innovative product from New Zealand.

About Tegel

Tegel Foods is New Zealand's leading producer and supplier of poultry products.
It is a fully integrated poultry producer involved in breeding, hatching, feeding, growing, processing and marketing of chicken and turkey in New Zealand.
Tegel strives to be a best practice company in terms of food safety and quality, product innovation and animal welfare.
Tegel does not utilise GMO technologies in either its livestock breeding or livestock improvement programmes.

Tegel has put in place ingredient sourcing systems to ensure appropriate controls and verification procedures with respect to genetically modified materials. These will include contractual obligations on suppliers to identify whether their materials have been produced by genetic modification and sourcing non-GM soy meal for its milling operations.

Tegel Foods began operations in 1966 and now employs approximately 1,900 people.

Tegel has three processing plants located in Auckland, New Plymouth and Christchurch and three added value facilities in Auckland and Wellington.

Tegel’s product range includes fresh, frozen and cooked whole chickens; fresh and frozen chicken portions; fresh and frozen value added products; such as Smoked Chicken Rashers; Ready to Roast chickens; Quick Roast; Chicken Enchiladas; Chicken Sausages; sliced pre-packed cooked meats; whole turkeys and turkey portions; and a range of serve over deli products.

Tegel chickens and turkeys, like all poultry grown for meat consumption in New Zealand, are not genetically modified.

Tegel Innovation

Tegel is one of NZ’s best known food brands. The biggest change in recent years has been the transition to a true FMCG brand, away from commodity products.

Tegel is driving incremental growth through product innovation, developing a wide range of exciting added-value consumer ready products such as Honey Smoked Chicken, Ready to Roast chicken, sliced pre-packed cooked meats, crumbed stuffed fillets, and Quick Roast chickens, and entering new categories such as the breakfast market with Smoked Chicken Rashers and chicken sausages.

The success of Tegel’s innovative new added value products has prompted the company to invest $15m, expanding production facilities at Tegel’s West Auckland factory.

About Tegel Smoked Chicken Rashers “Chicken Bacon”

Tegel launched its Smoked Chicken Rashers in November 2002.
It spent about a year testing and developing Smoked Chicken Rashers before they were marketed. The product was conceived, researched, developed by Tegel staff, and is made at Tegel’s Christchurch plant.

A world first, Smoked Chicken Rashers are made from premium chicken thigh meat. Smoked Chicken Rashers is a great low fat bacon taste.

Smoked Chicken Rashers are 95% fat free compared to most other leading bacon products which have a significantly higher fat content.

Tegel Smoked Chicken Rashers come in 200gm, 380gm and 600gm packs, retailing for approximately $3.99, $6.99 and $9.99 respectively. The commercial success and consumer support for Smoked Chicken Rashers has seen Tegel launch a Honey Cured Chicken Rasher, available in three pack sizes.

Tegel Smoked Chicken Rashers and Tegel Honey Cured Chicken Rashers are available at supermarkets nationwide.

ENDS

© Scoop Media