Akademik

(chik.un.uh.BIL.uh.tee)

n.

A quality or condition that makes a food similar to or as popular as chicken.

'Make fish the new chicken' was the battle cry of the marketing team charged with relaunching the flagship Young's brand, after the 1999 merger of Young's, previously part of United Biscuits, and Bluecrest, the former seafood division of Booker.

Food scares such as BSE and salmonella had affected meat sales, but research suggested that, while they loved fish, consumers were put off by the skin and bones.

What marketers termed 'chickenability' meant developing modern products that offered convenience and interest, and would become a regular part of the shopping basket. Examples include Salmon So Simple, microwaveable Melting Pots, Seafood Risotto and the UK's first frozen sushi range.

— "Brand revitalisation of the year," Marketing, June 20, 2002

He sums up his growth strategy for fish as "chickenability".

He says: "Fish is the perfect protein as it's low fat and has none of the negatives that red meat's got and more benefits than chicken. But no manufacturer has brought fish up to date and made it accessible. It's got some negatives as people like fish but don't know what to do with it and they don't like the skin and bones.

"So what we're doing is introducing chickenability to it making it accessible in all its forms, doing all the work for you and taking all the nasties away."

— Karen Dempsey, "Profile: Jim Cane, group commercial director, Young's," Grocer, March 24, 2001

Someone who only eats meat and no veggies