Birds Eye is a company which operates in many countries, making and selling frozen foods such as seafood, meat and vegetables. It was founded by General Foods, which in 1929 had bought the rights to use a fast-freezing process patented by Clarence Birdseye.

The company is considered to be one of the founders of the modern frozen food industry and is credited with inventing a fast freezing process that preserves the quality of food.

One of their most famous products is Fish Fingers, which were invented in its old factory in Great Yarmouth; a new one making frozen vegetables opened in Lowestoft employing 700 people. Frozen vegetables began to be made in 1946. There is also a fish products factory in Hull employing 600 people. Birds Eye closed a factory in Grimsby in 2005, with the lost of 650 jobs, which had been making fish fingers since 1929 (though some have claimed 1955). Two thirds of their fish fingers are eaten by adults: notoriously a favourite among university students who either can't cook or can't afford to. The advent of the microwave method of cooking increased demand for frozen food. Bird's Eye Potato waffles are also popular and are widely known simply as "waffles" in the UK (quite different from the sweet waffles popular for breakfast in the United States).

Captain Birdseye is the advertising mascot of the brand. Appearing in numerous television and billboard commercials since 1967, he has been played or modelled by various actors and is generally depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, dressed in naval uniform and with a seafaring accent. This character was so successful that when the company's brand was relaunched with a younger man with designer stubble the project floundered and the older description of the character was brought back into the promotions.

The mascot is a reference to the brand's extensive and well-known range of frozen seafood products. Because the birds eye brand is marketed to families, many of the advertising compaigns feature Captain Birdseye as having a 'crew' composed mostly of children in the preteen to teenage age groups, encouraging brand loyalty from children and emphasising the convenience of serving the company's products to their parents. This is especially true of the company's fish finger product. A recent 2005 advertising campaign in the UK features Captain Birdseye informing consumers that Birds Eye readymade meals contain no artificial flavourings or preservatives, with an emphasis that they are healthy to children.

In the UK television sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Derek Trotter once mockingly refers to Uncle Albert as Captain Birdseye, in reference to their similar appearances.

Uncertain future of the brand

It was announced on Feb 9th 2006 that Unilever was looking to sell the Birds Eye brand, as well as the European version - Iglo. These brands are worth £1.5bn a year. It will retain the Iglo brand in Italy, where frozen food is still popular. In the UK, Unilever has said that frozen food is less popular than chilled food products, and has concerns over health and E numbers (European Union codes for additives) after it sternly told TV viewers we don't play with your food.

Heinz and Findus have also cut down on their frozen food production.

TV Adverts

Birds Eye are noted for their advertising, usually featuring Captain Birdseye in their adverts for Fish Fingers but also for other fondly remembered adverts in the United Kingdom, such as the one for Birds Eye Potato Waffles in the 1980s which had the Waffley versatile jingle.

• Not in my food
• Pea car

External links

• Unilever decides what to do with its Hull factory.
• Unilever decides to sell Birds Eye in February 2006.
• Video from BBC News on Birds Eye's heralded past and uncertain future.
• Birds Eye
• USA Birds Eye (not owned by Unilever).
• Iglo brand

Unilever brands