Could Bernard Matthews be bringing back the Turkey Twizzler?



The turkey giant applied to trademark a new brand called ‘Oliver Twists’ this week, records with the Intellectual Property Office reveal, registering the name for two product classes - class 29, which covers meat and poultry, and class 30, which covers a wide range of foods including pies, pastries and sandwiches.



The company was tight-lipped on its application, saying it did not discuss potential new product names or NPD moves. “Just because an application has been made does not mean a product will go to market,” a spokesman added.



The infamous Turkey Twizzlers used to feature widely on school menus but were pulled from sale nearly a decade ago, following Jamie Oliver’s 2005 school dinners campaign, which castigated them as high-fat, additive-filled junk food. Bernard Matthews initially tried to fight back by launching a reformulated Twizzler using a healthier recipe, but ultimately decided to pull them altogether as the brand proved unable to the negative publicity.



Oliver’s TV production company, Fresh One, used to own a trademark called ‘Oliver’s Twist’ - for broadcasting and educational services, rather than food products - but this expired in 2013. A spokesman for the TV chef this week stressed that Oliver had nothing to do with Bernard Matthews’ ‘Oliver Twists’ brand.



Bernard Matthews’ first filed the trademark application in January, and its application was published in the IPO’s Trademarks Journal last Friday (28 March). Other brand owners will now have an opportunity to oppose the brand before it is officially registered as a trademark by the IPO.