US firm seeks canned chicken success in Europe

Allen Ligon, international sales manager for the Georgia-based business, said approval was granted for its canned chicken and beef products, and they were working on other products that they then hoped to “roll out into Europe”.​

He said its premium canned chicken breast had already proved a commercial hit in the US sector. “It’s the number one food product in Costco in the States,”​ he said, while showcasing the range at the Anuga Trade Fair in Cologne this week.

The company said it was positioning its chicken product as a competitor to canned tuna, and offered significant advantages. “It can be cheaper than some tuna products,”​ said Ligon, “and it’s far more versatile.”​

He added that the product was also more sustainable: “We feel that tuna is an endangered species, there are finite amounts, but we cannot see us running out of chicken.”​

The company is now working on launching an organic version of the canned chicken, with product trials currently under way.