July 20, 2006

 

Nothing unnatural about Naked Chicken

 

 

US consumers would soon be exposed to Naked Chicken, a tongue-in-cheek brand with reference to chickens raised without hormones, antibiotics or preservatives in Amish country in the US state of Pennsylvania.

 

The chickens, fed on corn and soy, were raised in farms where they were uninhibited, the company, Stew Leonard, said in a statement.

 

While unlikely to get anyone hot under the collar, organic meats such as Naked Chicken are fast gaining popularity in the US and elsewhere, with demand consistently outstripping supply.

 

Conceptualised by retail-marketing guru Stew Leonard, the products would make its debut in stores from Jul 19 to Jul 30.

 

To show it has nothing to hide, a walk-around character, a white chicken wearing a wooden barrel similar to the product logo, would be introduced and help distribute recipe cards and coupons to customers.

 

Stew Leonard is also featuring the chicken in his Winning Recipes Cookbook.

 

Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard's, said the difference between Naked Chicken and other brands would be palpable. Naked Chicken has a natural creamy color, is moist and juicy, and carries an authentic flavour, he said.

 

Chicken is the meat with the highest consumption in the US. Americans eat an average 86 pounds of chicken a year, according to the USDA. This is a 22 percent increase over 10 years ago. 

 

Naked Chicken's offerings do not come cheap.

 

The brand costs US$1.00 more per pound on average than conventional chicken.

 

To get customers hooked on Naked Chicken, the company intends to have special introductory pricing during the promotional period.

 

Family-owned Stew Leonard's has three stores in the north-eastern US, and a fourth one to be opened in early 2007.