Boparan Private Office, which owns the Bernard Matthews turkey brand, is investing £100m in British turkey production as consumers increasingly seek healthier sources of protein.
Bernard Matthews’ principal facility in Halesworth, Suffolk, will receive the largest share of the investment. Processing approximately 100,000 turkeys each week, the site will benefit from building upgrades, improved facilities for its 700 employees, a new lairage, upgraded processing and refrigeration systems, as well as advanced digital technology and robotics.
The programme is expected to support higher animal welfare standards and enable the development of innovative high-protein products, including Gochujang Turkey Strips and Moroccan Style Turkey Koftas. These will complement the 64 turkey products manufactured throughout the year at Bernard Matthews’ Halesworth and Sunderland operations, including mince, meatballs and drumsticks.
With approximately 7% of the UK population either currently using or having previously used GLP-1 weight loss medication, demand for healthier protein options has reached unprecedented levels. Turkey offers health-conscious consumers a high-protein meal choice that is lower in fat and calories, while Boparan believes its established retail customer base provides significant scope to expand the category.
Bernard Matthews will also benefit from the expertise of German turkey producer Heidemark Group, which Boparan Private Office acquired in February. Turkey is a popular everyday protein in Germany, where it is consumed regularly across a broad range of formats. Heidemark is recognised as a leader in productivity, process automation and product development within the European poultry sector.
Ranjit Singh, president and founder of Boparan Private Office, said: “We are about to ramp up turkey production for the traditional British Christmas, but looking beyond the festive spike, we also see big opportunities to offer this healthy, low fat, high protein alternative all year round, in a much bigger and more exciting way than anybody is doing right now.
“We’ll learn from our new European partners and work to create new opportunities for British turkey farmers and exciting new turkey products for our customers.
“This £100m investment in our turkey business will drive innovation, improve animal welfare and create a healthier and more sustainable British food supply chain – a key aim of our £2bn NextGen strategy.
“We intend to show that turkey is definitely not just for Christmas.”
