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Beef, which has long fulfilled America’s hunger for hamburgers, faces fresh competition from poultry producers pushing their own patties onto U.S. grills.

Fueling the battle is a record supply of meat in the U.S., pressuring prices and spurring meat producers to seek out new markets.

Â鶹ӳ»­ Corp., one of the largest U.S. turkey suppliers, in June launched a campaign urging consumers to “make the switch” from ground beef to ground turkey.Tyson Foods Inc. last year introduced shrink-wrapped packs of ground chicken and chicken burgers marketed under its Aidells brand. Meanwhile, tuna and salmon burgers jockey for space in grocery-store meat cases, alongside a new generation of plant-based burgers.

Right now, beef remains the undisputed leader by sales in the $12 billion-a-year retail market for ground meat, according to Nielsen. U.S. consumers spent more than $10 billion on fresh ground beef alone during the 12 months ended May 26. The only other protein coming close was ground turkey, with $1.2 billion in retail sales.

But retail sales of ground chicken and turkey have each grown by more than one-third over the past five years, versus a 6% increase for ground beef, according to IRI. Beef producers learned not to underestimate poultry after the early 1990s, when chicken overtook beef as the most-consumed meat in the U.S. …

Hormel in June launched a multicity campaign for ground turkey, running TV and online ads imploring consumers to “make the switch” away from ground beef. The effort continues a periodic push Hormel introduced in 2010, when the company set out to “convert people to turkey by hijacking America’s love affair with the burger.”

Steve Lykken, president of Hormel’s Jennie-O Turkey Store unit, says ground turkey is leaner than beef for health-conscious consumers, and performs similarly: “It emulates the texture and carries the flavor really well.” …