Birds Eye
Encyclopedia
__FORCETOC__
Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen food
s owned by Pinnacle Foods
in North America and by private equity group Permira in Europe.
Birds Eye is considered to be one of the founders of the modern frozen food
industry and is credited with inventing a fast freezing process that preserves the quality of food. Founded by General Foods
, which in 1929 bought the rights to use a fast-freezing process patented by Clarence Birdseye
.
to help fishermen find larger markets for their increasingly large catches of cod
. In Britain, the same but differently named product the "fish finger", was developed in its old factory
in Great Yarmouth
.
Although fish sticks have a modern advertising campaign aimed at children, two thirds of fish sticks are eaten by adults. The advent of the microwave
method of cooking increased demand for frozen food.
is the advertising mascot
of the brand. Appearing in numerous television
and billboard
commercials since 1967, he was played by actor John Hewer
between then and 1998. He is depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, dressed in naval uniform and with a seafaring accent. This character was so successful that when the company's brand was relaunched with a younger man with designer stubble (played by Thomas Pescod) the project floundered and the older description of the character was brought back into the promotions. In 1993 Captain Birds Eye was voted as the most recognised captain after Captain Cook in a poll.
The Captain Birdseye mascot is a reference to the brand's extensive and well-known range of frozen seafood
products including Fish Fingers. Because the Birds Eye brand is marketed to families, many of the advertising campaigns feature Captain Birdseye as having a "crew" composed mostly of children in the preteen to teenage age groups, encouraging brand loyalty
from children and emphasising the convenience of serving the company's products to their parents. A 2005 advertising campaign in the UK
features Captain Birdseye informing consumers that Birds Eye readymade meals contain no artificial flavourings or preservatives, with an emphasis that they are healthy to children.
, who would put her forefinger in her mouth to produce a popping sound. This would be followed by a jingle
including the slogan "Sweet as the moment when the pod went 'pop'".
A 1980s campaign for Birds Eye Potato Waffles had a jingle that included the words Waffley versatile.
Monty Python
made a corporate video
for Birds Eye frozen peas.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s June Whitfield
appeared in a series of television advertisements for Birds Eye products, featuring the concluding voice-over line: ".. it can make a dishonest woman of you!". One example, for Chicken Pie, may be found at YouTube
. The series was the brainchild of legendary advertising art director Vernon Howe and was worthy of mention in several of his obituaries.,
Since 2007, Suggs
, the lead singer of English ska band Madness
has been the face of all Birds Eye products. The slogan "Good Mood Food" and the Madness song "Our House
" is used in all advertisements.
from 2010 onwards all the Birds Eye foods now have a new mascot which is a talking polar bear
toy (voiced by Willem Dafoe
) who will be its new character from that stage onwards.
was looking to sell the Birds Eye brand, as well as the European version - Iglo (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal). These brands were worth £836M in sales, with profits of £115M a year, and employ 3,500 staff across Europe with 1,800 located in the UK. Heinz
and Findus
have also cut down on their frozen food production.
Unilever will retain the Iglo
brand in Italy, where frozen food is still popular. In the UK, Unilever has said that frozen food is less popular than chilled food products, and has concerns over health and E number
s (European Union codes for additives) after it sternly told TV viewers we don't play with your food
On 28 August 2006, it was confirmed that Unilever had agreed sale of the business, held since the late 1930s, to a private equity house Permira
for £1.2bn.
, based in Cherry Hill, NJ. In March 2010 Pinnacle announced that it would be closing the Rochester headquarters and moving operations to New Jersey.
Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen food
Frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved their game and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows down decomposition by turning water to ice, making it...
s owned by Pinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods Group LLC is a leading packaged foods company headquartered in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, owned by The Blackstone Group. Pinnacle Foods is a key player in the shelf stable and frozen food categories and their products can be found in more than 85% of American households.The company...
in North America and by private equity group Permira in Europe.
Birds Eye is considered to be one of the founders of the modern frozen food
Frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved their game and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows down decomposition by turning water to ice, making it...
industry and is credited with inventing a fast freezing process that preserves the quality of food. Founded by General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
, which in 1929 bought the rights to use a fast-freezing process patented by Clarence Birdseye
Clarence Birdseye
Clarence Frank Birdseye II was an American inventor who is considered the founder of the modern method of freezing food.- Early work :...
.
History and production
The brand and its underlying business is held by different owners in various territories:- Europe - Formerly owned by UnileverUnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
, which announced in August 2006 that the business was sold to UK-based private equity group PermiraPermiraPermira is a United Kingdom-based private equity firm with global reach. The firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €20 billion....
. The company's staple product, the Fish FingerFish fingerFish fingers, known as fish sticks in North America, are a processed food made using a whitefish such as cod, haddock or pollock which have been battered or breaded....
, was developed in its old factoryFactoryA factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Great YarmouthGreat YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
, by a Mr H A J Scott. Frozen vegetables were produced from 1946 using the new fast freezing process, which are now produced with beefburgers and potato wafflePotato wafflePotato waffles are a potato based savoury food in a waffle like lattice shape. They are common in the UK and Ireland and are also available in some other countries....
s in LowestoftLowestoftLowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
employing 700 people. The location of the factory was essential to the "one-hour to frozen" promise formerly made on Birds Eye peas, although commercial decisions have led to this claim being quietly dropped as the time has risen to two and a half hours. There is also a fish products factory in Hull employing 600 people. Birds Eye closed a factory in Grimsby in 2005, with the loss of 650 jobs, which had been making fish fingers since 1929. The Grimsby factory on Ladysmith Road has been hit by fire, suspected to be set by 6 local youths on Wednesday 12 September 2007. The fire was so severe that local residents had to be evacuatedEmergency evacuationEmergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
. - United States - As part of General FoodsGeneral FoodsGeneral Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
it merged with Kraft FoodsKraft FoodsKraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
and Philip Morris USAPhilip Morris USAPhilip Morris USA is the United States tobacco division of Altria Group, Inc. Philip Morris USA brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson and Hedges, Merit, Parliament, Alpine, Basic, Cambridge, Bucks, Dave's, Chesterfield, Collector's Choice, Commander, English Ovals, Lark, L&M, Players and...
in what became the Altria GroupAltria GroupAltria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
. Birds Eye was sold to Dean FoodsDean FoodsDean Foods is an American food and beverage company with two operating divisions: Fresh Dairy Direct and WhiteWave-Morningstar. The company maintains plants and distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Dean Foods products are sold throughout the USA.-History:In 1925, Samuel E...
in 1993 and was independently owned by Birds Eye Foods of Rochester, New YorkRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
until purchased by Pinnacle Foods in 2009. - Australia & New Zealand - owned by Simplot Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the J.R. Simplot Company. Simplot purchased Birds Eye and many of Australia's leading food brands from Pacific Dunlop's Pacific BrandsPacific BrandsPacific Brands is a major Australian company marketing Berlei, Bonds, Clarks , Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Malvern Star, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker and Tontine . It once held the Asian Pacific licence for British Knights footwear. It was formed as a division of...
in the mid-1990s. Today, Birds Eye is the Australia's leading frozen brand with a line of innovative frozen vegetables, potatoes, and seafood. Birds Eye products are produced at the company's processing facilities in Devonport, Tasmania, Ulverstone, Tasmania, and Bathurst, New South Wales, as well as from imported ingredients.
Fish sticks / fish fingers
Known in the United States as a "fish stick" (although not the same size size or consistency), where it has been suggested that in the 1920s they were invented in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to help fishermen find larger markets for their increasingly large catches of cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
. In Britain, the same but differently named product the "fish finger", was developed in its old factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
.
Although fish sticks have a modern advertising campaign aimed at children, two thirds of fish sticks are eaten by adults. The advent of the microwave
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
method of cooking increased demand for frozen food.
Other Brands
Birds eye has acquired many well-established brands, some of which are distributed regionally and not nationally. The following brands are owned and distributed by Bird Eye:- Bernstein's
- Brooks
- Comstock Wilderness
- C&W
- Freshlike
- Greenwood
- Husman's
- McKenzie's
- Nalley
- Riveara
- Steamfresh
- Snyder of Berlin
- Tim's Cascade Snacks
- Voila
Captain Birdseye advertising (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, Captain BirdseyeCaptain Birdseye
Captain Birdseye, also known as Captain Iglo, is the advertising mascot for the Birds Eye frozen food brand founded by Clarence Birdseye. Appearing in numerous television and billboard commercials, he has been played or modeled by various actors and is generally depicted as a clean living, older...
is the advertising mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of the brand. Appearing in numerous television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and billboard
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
commercials since 1967, he was played by actor John Hewer
John Hewer
John Hewer was an English actor. He was born in Leyton, London.A stalwart of London's Players Theatre throughout his career, he appeared in many musical theatrical productions, including Sail Away and Six of One in London's West End theatre, but the highlight of his theatrical career was starring...
between then and 1998. He is depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, dressed in naval uniform and with a seafaring accent. This character was so successful that when the company's brand was relaunched with a younger man with designer stubble (played by Thomas Pescod) the project floundered and the older description of the character was brought back into the promotions. In 1993 Captain Birds Eye was voted as the most recognised captain after Captain Cook in a poll.
The Captain Birdseye mascot is a reference to the brand's extensive and well-known range of frozen seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
products including Fish Fingers. Because the Birds Eye brand is marketed to families, many of the advertising campaigns feature Captain Birdseye as having a "crew" composed mostly of children in the preteen to teenage age groups, encouraging brand loyalty
Brand loyalty
The American Marketing Association defines brand loyalty as:# The situation in which a consumer generally buys the same manufacturer-originated product or service repeatedly over time rather than buying from multiple suppliers within the category .# The degree to which a consumer consistently...
from children and emphasising the convenience of serving the company's products to their parents. A 2005 advertising campaign in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
features Captain Birdseye informing consumers that Birds Eye readymade meals contain no artificial flavourings or preservatives, with an emphasis that they are healthy to children.
Other Birds Eye advertising (United Kingdom)
Birds Eye are also noted for other fondly remembered advertisements, such as one in the 1970s for Frozen Peas that featured the child actress Patsy KensitPatsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
, who would put her forefinger in her mouth to produce a popping sound. This would be followed by a jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
including the slogan "Sweet as the moment when the pod went 'pop'".
A 1980s campaign for Birds Eye Potato Waffles had a jingle that included the words Waffley versatile.
- Pea car
- Not in my food (requires paid sign-in)
- Old Birds Eye TV adverts
- Old beefburger advert, with a Barnsley dialect
- Vintage oven crispy cod advert
Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
made a corporate video
Corporate video
Corporate video production refers to audio-visual corporate communications material commissioned primarily for a use by a company, corporation or organisation. A corporate video is often intended for a specific purpose in a corporate or B2B environment and viewed only by a limited or targeted...
for Birds Eye frozen peas.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s June Whitfield
June Whitfield
June Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
appeared in a series of television advertisements for Birds Eye products, featuring the concluding voice-over line: ".. it can make a dishonest woman of you!". One example, for Chicken Pie, may be found at YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The series was the brainchild of legendary advertising art director Vernon Howe and was worthy of mention in several of his obituaries.,
Since 2007, Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
, the lead singer of English ska band Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
has been the face of all Birds Eye products. The slogan "Good Mood Food" and the Madness song "Our House
Our House (Madness song)
"Our House" is a single by English ska/pop band Madness, from their UK album The Rise & Fall and their US compilation Madness.-About:...
" is used in all advertisements.
from 2010 onwards all the Birds Eye foods now have a new mascot which is a talking polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
toy (voiced by Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
) who will be its new character from that stage onwards.
Other Birds Eye advertising (United States)
Birds Eye Foods launched a Spanish language microsite in April 2009. The site features many of the same categories as its English counterpart, such as Recipes and Coupons. The site, http://www.birdseyeenespanol.com also launched a "Flash Freeze" widget, which allows the users to use their camera or upload a picture directly and "Freeze" it.Unilever review, sale to Permira
After a tough trading period and a review of its business to focus on high growth/high margin markets, it was announced on 9 February 2006 that UnileverUnilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
was looking to sell the Birds Eye brand, as well as the European version - Iglo (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal). These brands were worth £836M in sales, with profits of £115M a year, and employ 3,500 staff across Europe with 1,800 located in the UK. Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
and Findus
Findus
Findus is a company that produces and retails frozen food. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.- Origins :...
have also cut down on their frozen food production.
Unilever will retain the Iglo
Iglo
Iglo is one of the Umbrella Brands of the frozen-foods business of Unilever, used mainly in Europe. In the UK, it is known as Birds Eye , and in Italy as Findus....
brand in Italy, where frozen food is still popular. In the UK, Unilever has said that frozen food is less popular than chilled food products, and has concerns over health and E number
E number
E numbers are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union . They are commonly found on food labels throughout the European Union. Safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority...
s (European Union codes for additives) after it sternly told TV viewers we don't play with your food
On 28 August 2006, it was confirmed that Unilever had agreed sale of the business, held since the late 1930s, to a private equity house Permira
Permira
Permira is a United Kingdom-based private equity firm with global reach. The firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €20 billion....
for £1.2bn.
Sale to Pinnacle Foods
In December 2009 Birds Eye was acquired by Pinnacle FoodsPinnacle Foods
Pinnacle Foods Group LLC is a leading packaged foods company headquartered in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, owned by The Blackstone Group. Pinnacle Foods is a key player in the shelf stable and frozen food categories and their products can be found in more than 85% of American households.The company...
, based in Cherry Hill, NJ. In March 2010 Pinnacle announced that it would be closing the Rochester headquarters and moving operations to New Jersey.
External links
- 1980s Captain Birdseye fish fingers advert
- Unilever reviews frozen food business.
- Unilever decides to sell Birds Eye in February 2006.
- Video from BBC News on Birds Eye's heralded past and uncertain future.
- Birds Eye
- USA Birds Eye (not owned by Unilever).
- Iglo brand
- Simplot Australia website
- Fire at derelict Grimsby Birds Eye Factory