Chicken sales growth outpaces other meats

05-Dec-2008 - Last updated on 05-Dec-2008 at 16:11 GMT

Chicken is showing strong growth compared to other meats as the perception that it is more healthy and affordable appears to hold sway with consumers.

From 2007 to 2008, chicken experienced a 6.7 percent increase in dollar sales while beef barely showed any growth at all, according to “The Fresh Meat Market in the US: Beef, Chicken, Pork, Turkey and Lamb in Retail and Foodservice” from Packaged Facts.

This increase is three times the overall growth rate for retail and foodservice meat said the analysis, which covered market dynamics for raw, minimally processed meat and poultry sold through retail and foodservice sectors.

But the research also has implications for processed food manufacturers using meat products as American consumer have been questioning the safety of the food supply chain in the wake of recent meat, produce and processed food recalls in the US.

In addition, there is widespread focus on health and wellbeing and consumers are more proactive in seeking out healthful and functional foods.

Tatjana Meerman, the publisher for Packaged Facts, said: “The healthfulness of white meat has been hardwired into the American consumer psyche, and now natural and organic claims give chicken a leg up among consumers looking for prime cuts.”

The report said that for several years, pork has been marketed in the US as “the other white meat” due to the public’s perception of turkey and chicken as generally healthier than the red meat obtained from beef and lamb.

Meat market

The total US meat market is valued at $142.3bn for 2008 and beef is the leader, accounting for about half of total dollar sales, followed by chicken and pork.

The report said these figures suggest there is a lot of room to grow categories other than beef through either premium-priced products or value-added innovations.

Similarly, natural and organic claims - along with free-range or cage-free chicken, grass-fed beef, humanely raised veal, and crate-free pork - resonate with consumer who are “increasingly concerned about food quality, food contamination, and the environmental and ethical implications of their food choices”.

The report estimates that 31 percent of retail meat in the US was labeled natural in 2008, up seven percentage points from 2007.