Bernard Matthews Switches 2026 Turkey Dinosaurs To Chicken
bernard matthews has switched its frozen coated poultry products, including turkey dinosaurs and Twizzlers, from turkey to chicken after taste tests showed consumers preferred chicken. The change took effect in 2026, ending roughly four decades of turkey-based versions except for the company’s Hamwich product.
Bernard Matthews products
The company scrapped its popular turkey dinosaurs in favour of a new recipe and moved the broader range of frozen coated poultry products to chicken-only versions. A Bernard Matthews spokesman said, “Kids will still be able to play with their food with dinosaurs and unicorns still on the menu.”
He added: “But through a series of taste tests, consumers told us they prefer chicken.” The spokesman tied the decision to consumer preference, while the company also cited sustainability and concerns about the potential impact of bird flu on future turkey supplies.
Turkey dinosaurs since the 1980s
Turkey dinosaurs were launched in the early 1980s and were on sale for roughly four decades. That made them one of the brand’s longest-running frozen products, with the latest switch drawing a line under the turkey recipe for dinosaurs and Twizzlers while leaving Hamwich unchanged.
The brand remains active across Norfolk and Suffolk, where it still has five poultry processing locations. Bernard Matthews died in 2010, the business was sold in 2016, and the company had a headquarters in Great Witchingham until 2024.
Bernard Matthews in 2026
For shoppers, the practical change is straightforward: the frozen coated poultry items named by the company now come in chicken versions rather than turkey. The only turkey product mentioned as staying in place is Hamwich, so the range is no longer built around the bird that made the brand familiar for decades.
The switch also resets an old part of the product line for the current market, with taste tests pointing one way and supply concerns pointing another. Bernard Matthews has chosen chicken for most of the range, and that is the version customers are now buying.
