January 25, 2014

The year 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the first "Buffalo Wing" being sauced and tossed at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, where 1.25 billion wings will be consumed during the Super Bowl event.

According to the National Chicken Council's 2014 Wing Report, 1.25 billion wings will be devoured during Super Bowl XLVIII, as fans watch the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos battle for the Lombardi Trophy, matching the record level of 2012. That is about 20 million more wings than were consumed last year during Super Bowl XLVII.

Bill Roenigk, chief economist and market analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based National Chicken Council, explains that the increase in consumption coincides with an increase in chicken production linked to increasing consumer demand and decreasing feed costs. 

"The National Chicken Council estimates about 4% more chicken will be produced this year compared to last," explained Roenigk. "More chickens mean a bigger supply of wings and more favourable prices this year for consumers. Based off of current supermarket features, consumers can expect to pay around 5% less than last January for wings.

Corn makes up more than two-thirds of chicken feed and corn prices hit an all-time high in the fourth quarter of 2012, due to two reasons: the record drought in the Midwest in the Summer of 2012 and the ensuing pressure on corn prices from a continued federal government requirement that mandates 40% of our corn crop be turned into fuel in the form of ethanol.