More chickens are crossing the road and on to consumers’ plates, according to new research from the National Chicken Council.
Overall, the average number of meals or snacks that contained chicken eaten by survey respondents in the two weeks prior to the survey was 6.1. This is up from 5.2, or 17 percent, from the 2012 findings. Millennial respondents (18-34) remain the most likely to eat chicken meals or snacks frequently (7.7).
“With the tight supplies in the cattle and hog herds, and accompanying record beef and pork prices, it’s not surprising to see a double digit increase in chicken consumption this year,” said National Chicken Council Vice President of Communications Tom Super. “What is surprising to me,” Super noted, “is that health and nutrition and taste both topped cost as the reason consumers are turning more to the original white meat.”
The survey was commissioned by the National Chicken Council and conducted online by PKS Research PartnersMay 29 – June 1, 2014 among 1,019 adults.