June is Turkey Lovers' Month® Gets Grilling with June 18 National Turkey Lovers' Day

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May 31, 2017, 17:45 ET

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When Americans fire-up their grills for summertime meals, turkey will be seared, roasted, braised, and smoked like never before – featuring everything from kabobs, sausages and tenderloins to cutlets and turkey burgers. During June, the National Turkey Federation (NTF) pre-heats the grill for turkey to celebrate the 28^th annual June is Turkey Lovers' Month^® and also the 2^nd annual National Turkey Lovers' Day, which coincides with Father's Day, Sunday, June 18^th.

For all those grill masters preparing a wide variety of turkey cuts on Father's Day, NTF offers a Turkey Grilling Tip Sheet as well as an array of inspirational and on-trend grilling recipes from ServeTurkey.org, and @ServeTurkey on Twitter and Facebook. Often, home cooking for the family is inspired from discoveries when dining-out.

"Our guests come to us to discover new and exciting proteins to cook at home, which leads us right to turkey," says Patrick Cassata, Corporate Executive Chef of Standard Market and member of NTF's Advisory Board. "Its versatility and ability to absorb bold flavors is tremendous. My favorite dish, a grilled turkey cutlet marinated with fresh lemon juice, garlic, parsley, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and served over lemon, olive oil and garlic pasta, makes for an extremely lean and flavorful meal that elevates turkey far above other proteins."

Americans enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving, as well as year-round. Signaling growing interest, 39% of consumers are more likely now than two years ago to enjoy turkey in addition to the holiday dinner celebrations, according to Technomic's 2017 Center of the Plate: Poultry Consumer Trend Report. The report also notes that 38% of consumers voiced their preference in asking restaurants to offer turkey as a protein choice in a wider variety of entrees.

The National Turkey Federation is the national advocate raising awareness for its members' products, while strengthening their ability to profitably and safely deliver wholesome, high-quality, and nutritious food to consumers worldwide.

SOURCE National Turkey Federation