Chicken remains the protein of choice among consumers in the United States, while turkey has room to grow, according Chicago-based Technomic’s “2017 Center of the Plate: Poultry Consumer Trend Report.”
The study says that chicken consumption has been bolstered over the past few years by increases at breakfast and snacking occasions. Meanwhile, menuing of turkey is still centered the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, though 39% of those who eat turkey indicate they are more likely now than two years ago to do so at other time of the year as well.
“Chicken’s adaptability will be on full display over the next few years as operators increasingly highlight this healthy protein across dayparts,” explained Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. “For turkey, operators will work to menu it in a way that is new and intriguing, but still leverages turkey’s positioning as a familiar and healthy standby.”
Key takeaways from the report include:
- 47% of consumers say it’s important for restaurants to be transparent about where they source their poultry
- 45% of consumers who eat chicken strongly agree that restaurants should offer more chicken entrees with ethnic flavors
- 38% of consumers who eat turkey would like restaurants to offer turkey as a protein choice for a wider variety of entrees
Compiling findings from more than 1,500 consumers, as well as Technomic’s Digital Resource Library and MenuMonitor, the comprehensive “2017 Center of the Plate: Poultry Consumer Trend Report” serves as a guide for foodservice operators and suppliers to understand consumption patterns and attitudes toward poultry and to identify key areas of opportunity.
Technomic, a food industry provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services, offers a wide variety of consumer trend reports. The Winsight company’s services range from major research studies and management consulting to online databases and simple fact-finding. Its clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations, and various institutions aligned with the food industry.
