America has a chicken problem – as in, there’s not enough of it.
Bloomberg reported “The popularity of chicken — from sandwiches and tenders to nuggets and wings — is fueling such demand for fried poultry that America is starting to run short.”
The great sandwich wars of the past few years is partly to blame. In 2019, Popeyes debuted a fried chicken sandwich that became a national bestseller and inspired other fast food restaurants to develop copycat versions.
A pandemic-era surge in takeout orders might also be straining the market. Wing sales were up 7% last year, according to NPD Group/CREST marketing reports.
The Syracuse Post Standard identifies other causes of the poultry shortfall:
Some blame the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused people to stay home and order more wings for delivery while also causing labor shortages at poultry plants. Others, like the National Chicken Council, point to bad winter weather and power outages in major poultry-producing states like Texas and Arkansas.
Some have even traced it to the the surge in the popularity of air fryers, which have allowed more people to make their own wings at home and increased demand.
Fabio Sandri, the CEO of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., the second-biggest U.S. chicken producer, emphasized labor problems. He told Bloomberg that he “expects to pay $40 million more this year to pay and retain workers.”
The Washington Post provides important context on the poultry industry:
Investigative reporting and lawsuits have revealed life-threatening conditions that workers in meat and poultry plants have endured during the pandemic, and they’ve prompted criticism that the industry is more concerned with profit than with safety. The industry, meanwhile, has argued that it has invested in protections and that facility operations were essential.
Whatever the case, increased costs are already being passed along to restaurants. More from The Syracuse Post Standard:
The recent supply shortfall follows an increase in the price of wings that started last year and picked up speed a few months ago. Many reports locally and nationwide are that wholesale wing costs to bars and restaurants are up 40% to 50% since last year.
The Associated Press reports that many restaurants have bumped up prices:
Right now this means $15.50 for 10 wings, up from $12.50 the week before, causing a staffer to joke they should put wings on their menu “next to the quail or the duck.” A block away, at Korean fried chicken spot Bonchon, the price for 10 wings has risen to $14.35 — up about $3 from last summer.