Low-Fat Turkey Gobbles Up More Space in Meat Case : Nutrition: Poultry products take off as health-conscious consumers look for alternative to beef and pork.

Increasingly, consumers are trying to shake the beef and sausage habit by going cold turkey. From whole birds to tenderloins to ground-up gobblers, turkey is claiming a larger share of the meat case.

In fact, for some time, turkey has been more than just a holiday food; it is being consumed year-round by Americans apparently attempting to reduce fat intake. They ate 17.5 pounds per person last year, according to estimates by the National Turkey Federation, up 68% over 1980.

Even so, turkey consumption is still a pittance when compared to beef. Although beef consumption has dropped dramatically since its 1976 record when Americans ate 88.9 pounds per person, consumers still eat four times as much beef as turkey, according to the American Meat Institute. In 1988 (the last year for which figures are available), beef consumption totaled 68.6 pounds per person. Of that, 28.7 pounds was ground beef.

There is a simple reason for beef’s popularity, particularly when it is compared to the latest rage in turkey products, ground turkey. In short, ground turkey has less fat than ground beef and considerably less flavor.

Rick Chenoweth, director of sales for the retail division of Shady Brook Farms admits, “people are somewhat let down when trying to cook a turkey burger over the grill. It looks like a hamburger when its cooked but it doesn’t taste like it. It is dry and not as flavorful. But, spiced up, ground turkey can taste up to ground beef.”

Ground turkey has been around for several years, but only recently has it become a common staple at the supermarket, due largely to consumers’ increased nutritional concerns, Chenoweth notes. Three years ago, Shady Brook began packing ground turkey in plastic trays to make it resemble a package of ground beef.

“Sales started off somewhat slow, partly because people weren’t sure how to use it,” Chenoweth recalls. But after a year, “sales started to take off; they have gone through the roof the last two years, growing by 150% between 1988 and 1989.”

Ground turkey’s success prompted Shady Brook to develop turkey sausage--first sweet and hot Italian sausage, then a mild breakfast link. Now, breakfast patties are being introduced.

Taken together, sales of sausage and ground turkey products are growing faster than those of any other Shady Brook turkey product. And that is certain to continue, Chenoweth predicts. “Better than 50% of the people haven’t even tried ground turkey and an even higher amount haven’t tried turkey sausage. So we see a tremendous opportunity.”

So do others. Perdue Farms has been selling ground turkey for two years. Now it is about to start selling Italian turkey sausage as well as ground chicken. In general, ground chicken has even less flavor than turkey, or as a Perdue official said, “It’s more delicate.”

Ground chicken, made by Holly Farms, is already available in some cities. Made from skinless and boneless thigh meat, it was tested in five cities. Sales have been so good that Holly Farms plans to make it available nationwide, ahead of schedule.

Ground poultry products “are a middle step for those of us who still love the taste of chili and spaghetti sauce and don’t want to cut meat out of the diet entirely,” says Ellen Brown, author of “The Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook.”

According to figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a three-ounce ounce patty of cooked ground turkey has less than half the saturated fat of a three-ounce regular ground beef burger. A three-ounce ground beef patty, broiled to medium, contains 246 calories, 20.46 grams of protein, 17.59 grams of fat (of which 6.91 grams are saturated) and 76 milligrams of cholesterol.

In contrast, a three-ounce ground turkey patty has 194 calories, 20.75 grams of protein, 11.7 grams of fat (of which 3.2 grams are saturated) and 59 milligrams of cholesterol.

The differences are not so great, however, between a turkey burger and a patty made of extra lean ground beef, which has 217 calories, 21.59 grams of protein, 13.88 grams of fat (of which 5.45 grams are saturated) and 71 milligrams of cholesterol.

The fact that there are 2 grams less fat in a ground turkey patty than in an extra lean burger is “fat-wise, not significant enough” a reason to switch to ground turkey if a consumer is now using extra lean ground beef, says dietitian Robyn Flipse.

However, she adds, the use of turkey allows a little more flexibility in adding eggs, milk and other fats to a meat-loaf mixture, for example, to enhance the flavor.

In switching to ground turkey, consumers should read the labels carefully, because fat content varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, depending on the amount of fatty skin used. “Ground turkey doesn’t mean processors are leaving out skin and fat,” Flipse says. “So don’t make the mistake of taking home the product that has as much fat as ground beef or at least more than you thought.”

Generally, ground turkey may be substituted directly for ground beef. However, given ground turkey’s reduced fat and taste, cooks may want to increase the seasonings to enhance the flavor. That is even more true of ground chicken, which Brown says “has virtually no flavor; it’s like cooking with sawdust.”

Holly Farms doesn’t quite go so far in describing its new product, but Nancy Canter, its manager of consumer affairs does acknowledge that it is a “mild meat, like veal.” Consequently, Canter says, seasonings should be increased by 25% to 33% when ground chicken is substituted for beef.

For the novice ground turkey or ground chicken eater, home economists recommend substituting only half of the ground beef with the leaner product until the consumer has gotten accustomed to the taste.

The lower fat content also means that cooks should use a non-stick skillet, or add a dash of vegetable oil to the pan to keep the ground chicken or turkey from sticking. The poultry is a little lumpier and mushier than beef so it is harder to break up. When cooked, it will be a light brown, not as dark as ground beef. Be careful not to overcook or the poultry will be very dry.

There is less difference in taste between the turkey and pork sausages, although pork sausage has a slightly heartier flavor because it has more fat. Raw turkey sausage is a little bit mushier than the pork links but has a similar texture after cooking.

As with ground turkey, a little bit of grease should be used in the pan when cooking turkey sausage; the color of the finished product is also lighter than pork.