Though solidly entrenched as the most popular deli meat, turkey still is getting a makeover from suppliers.

Looking to capitalize on increasing shopper interest in health, wellness and vibrant eating, marketers are developing new turkey varieties while also positioning the protein as a replacement for meats with higher fat, cholesterol and sodium contents.

Such activity is helping to bolster turkey sales.

Indeed, per capita turkey consumption in 2007 was 17.5 pounds, up from just 8.1 pounds in 1970, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports.

The turkey sector will keep evolving to match changing consumer lifestyles, notes Sherrie Rosenblatt, vice president of marketing and communications for the Washington, D.C.-based National Turkey Federation.

Among the trends will be greater interest by shoppers in the use of turkey—instead of beef and pork—as ingredients in such comfort foods as meatballs, burgers, sloppy joes and spaghetti sauce, she states.

“Turkey use still has a lot of room to grow because products are promoted as being healthy and economical,” Rosenblatt states. “Shoppers are looking to stretch their food dollars without losing nutrition and taste.”

That emphasis on flavor and health is evident in the newer products that are being merchandised at both full- and self-service cases.

Jennie-O Turkey Store, Willmar, Minn., for instance, recently launched two ready-to-serve rotisserie selections: All-Natural Turkey Meatloaf and Turkey Pot Roast.

Sold in 20- and 24-ounce containers, respectively, the Meat Loaf and Pot Roast will provide shoppers with alternatives to rotisserie chicken, notes Jen Ehresmann, Jennie-O director of marketing—deli. The Meat Loaf and Pot Roast have suggested retail prices of $5.99 and $7.99.

Odom’s Tennessee Pride, Madison, Tenn., meanwhile, last year added All-Natural Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage Patties to a product line that primarily consists of pork offerings.

The turkey patties, which are available in eight-ounce packages, have one-third the fat, 20-percent less cholesterol and 25-percent less sodium than Tennessee Pride’s regular fully cooked patties, the company reports.

Also focusing on wellness is Garner, N.C.-based Butterball LLC. Butterball recently began marketing Carolina Turkey-branded Lower Sodium Turkey Breast.

The lower sodium items are available in six flavors—Oven Roasted, Oil Browned, Honey, Smoked, Cajun and Pepper—and positioned as mid-tier products with a price range of between $4.59 and $6.59 a pound, says Tony Rao, senior brand manager for Butterball and Carolina Turkey. He notes that the selections have 25-percent less sodium than conventional turkey.

Butterball last year also rolled out Butterball Deep Fried Turkey Breasts in the southeast and plans to merchandise the products nationwide in 2009.

The premium Deep Fried Breasts, which are 97-percent fat free and have an average retail price of about $7.99 a pound, come in four flavors: Oven Roasted, Honey, Cajun and Pepper.

“Our research shows that taste and appearance are of paramount importance to shoppers,” Rao states.

Among other recent launches is Butterball-branded Turkey Sausage Links.

The links, which are sold in Naturally Hardwood, Smoked, Hot, and Cheddar flavors, have 50-percent less fat than conventional beef and pork sausage links, says Rebecca Welch, Butterball brand manager, consumer packaged goods.

The 14-ounce packages are expected to have an average retail price of about $3.99, adds Kari Lindell, Butterball director of marketing.

Butterball also rolled out Low Sodium Turkey Bacon last fall. The 12-ounce package has an average retail price of $2.99.

The company leverages both primary and secondary research prior to developing such products.

Rao notes, for instance, that tests that gage consumer reaction to appearance and taste were conducted for the Lower Sodium lines.

Butterball also studies shopper research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based The NPD Group Inc. and the Madison, Wis.-based International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA).

Such surveys revealed that about two-thirds of consumers are dining at home more often—which means there are strong sales opportunities for delis that market foods with the flavor and quality of restaurant meals, Rao states.

“These new value shoppers cut across all demographics and geographic areas,” he says.

He adds that among the most effective vehicles for merchandising newer turkey products in delis are samplings, in-store coupons, direct mail coupons, price features and deals that offer free items with the purchase of proteins.

Butterball, for instance, has scheduled a promotion for the third quarter in which consumers who buy a pound of Butterball deli meat will receive a loaf of the store’s private-label bread. The program will operate in up to 7,500 locations throughout the U.S.

Rao adds that in-store coupons are valuable because they typically have a redemption rate of between 17 percent and 25 percent when delivered via a counter-top easel. Direct mail coupons have about a 7.5 percent redemption rate.

Future deli trends, Rao states, are likely to include the merchandising of additional turkey products in hot food sections; the selling of greater varieties of pre-made sandwiches; added arrays of items that are intended for parties and at-home entertainment; and new snack products.