ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- What's next for a chicken category that some believe is quickly maturing? Seeking a peek at the future, Salegna and Associates, an Alpharetta-based consumer trends research firm, asked a number of marketing managers and food editors/reporters about the drivers behind the changing food market.
s (only 221 pounds in 2010), while marketing managers believe Americans can bite off a bit more. They predict per-capita consumption of red meat and poultry to increase to 231 pounds by 2010.
And where will consumers buy their chicken? USDA says that today, 60% of all food -- including poultry -- is prepared at home, and 40% is consumed away from home.
But those numbers are changing -- in favor of food service.
By the year 2010, marketing managers predict that 53% of food spending will be for at-home consumption, and 47% for away-from-home. Food editors believe that the split will occur at about the same mark: 52% spent for at-home and 48% for away-from-home dining.
Any way it's cut up, the future of retail chicken sales will depend on a strong mix of new products, innovative merchandising and competitive pricing, concluded the survey, which was released during last summer's Chicken Marketing Seminar 2000, organized by the National Chicken Council, Washington.
