TURKEY TIME!
TASTY LOCAL BIRD AN ESSENTIAL GUEST AT YOUR HOLIDAY TABLE
AS THE Christmas season approaches, Jamaicans can now add new poultry to their feast for the festive season.
Courtesy of Newport Mills, a division of the CB Group, locally produced turkeys are now available. In response to local demand, in June, they started distributing turkey poults to local farmers, with the second set distributed in September.
According to Dr Gabrielle Young, “Our involvement in turkeys started in June this year, so it has been a few months
now. But we have had
requests from farmers for about two years now.”
Young continued: “Consumers prefer locally grown turkey. So after we assured the regulatory bodies that the turkeys were coming from a place that was safe, we were approved to bring in the turkeys.”
Turkey meat has been in high demand partly because of its protein composition and the connotation of festivities.
Young explains: “Turkeys have a distinct flavour, and they are five times the size of chicken. As it relates to meat quality, turkey is a leaner meat, and if you want a healthier diet, turkey would be the preferred choice to consume. It also has a different amino-acid profile than chicken.”
With the number of farmers involved in turkey production, the move will help in satisfying the demand for turkey, even outside of the festive season.
HUNDREDS OF BIRDS
The farmers involved are growing from fewer than 10 turkeys all the way to hundreds. The birds take between 12 and 24 weeks to get to market weight, and those supplied by Newport Mills Ltd can grow up to 50lb in 24 weeks.
Newport Mills, through its Nutramix brand, manufactures and distributes a specific feed for turkeys.
“We have started producing a special turkey starter feed that has 28 proteins. Turkeys require much more protein in their early days. We do not recommend giving them broiler feed because that is too low in protein. Nutramix is the only company in Jamaica that is making and selling turkey feed to farmers across the island.
Take Food into your kitchen today and try this delicious jerked turkey recipe, using locally produced turkey.