Costly Chicken
In recent years, chicken has toppled beef as the most consumed meat in the United States, with many pointing to the health aspect of it. Chicken has also taken over fast-food menus, with the most iconic meals now being chicken sandwiches and nuggets instead of your classic hamburger. Fast food companies and restaurants have taken advantage of this recent trend and have been profiting off it too, and meat consumption is only rising. However, in today’s world, fast food chains are having to switch it up in the chicken world.
To consumers in the US, the preference is chicken breast and wings over the thighs and legs, which are often referred to as dark meat. Fast food chains have adapted to this, but things are different now. Due to a shortage in chicken breasts, prices have doubled from under 1 dollar per pound to over 2 dollars per pound. As a result, chicken thighs are coming back harder than ever with restaurants forced to buy the cheaper option. Perdue Farms, a producer, reported a 15 percent increase in boneless thigh sales and Tyson has seen the same, investing more money into deboning dark meat products. Fast food marketing is also coming into play, with Wingstop showcasing their Thighstop brand that makes chicken thigh meals. As we go into the future, it looks like dark meat products have entrenched themselves far too deep to go back to hiding as consumers are starting to like the different types of chicken. This provides a possible benefit to chicken manufacturers and suppliers as more of the bird is being used, giving them more profit per chicken. Will you be trying out a dark meat meal?
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
